kathryn.shaffer

Although I am new to this thread, I can offer something here. I am a survivor of incest and subsequent PTSD and have been helped through therapy (especially with EMDR) and medications including Vyvanse (for ADHD), Cybalta (for depression), Lamictal (for anxiety), and Trazadone (to sleep). You may think that I am really drugged out, but I think they keep me sane and on a forward path. I am a first year nursing student and having trouble in my clinical setting. Being able to touch and examine the patients is really hard for me. In my past, touching was associated with intimacy and abuse, so I find that I am very confused, have a trouble getting organized, and may have to repeat the entire semester - or else quit nursing school - which makes me even more depressed. Have any of you dealt with this ambiguity of touching your patients with empathy, professionalism, and not having it associated with your own abuse? Thanks.