just disappear. If you can’t take a brief leave of absence, we’ll work out some strategies to help you manage at work. Sometimes working on traumatic material can make a person feel worse for a time. When new traumatic memories trigger other memories, thoughts and feelings they can cascade and that is a lot to handle. I’ll be teaching you some coping techniques and there are some good books I will suggest that will help you understand and cope with your symptoms. Sometimes medication can help. We’ll have to evaluate carefully as we go along. The main techniques to master at this point have to do with grounding- being physically present in the moment, re-orientation to the present to things around you and containment of the traumatic material.” The next fifteen minutes were spent discussing and practicing those techniques. Then they were ready to move on.
“Before we get started on this, we should start with a little family history, so I’ll be familiar with who’s who and I won’t interrupt you to explain things. Okay? So if you can tell me who was in your family, names, and ages and so forth that would be a good place to start,” Dr. Reinhardt said reaching for her notebook. Gina looked at her for a long time. They both knew she was referring to the time when she had refused to talk about her name or discuss her family of origin before.
Gina sighed and looked at her hands folded on her lap. “I guess I have to,” she said resignedly , clearly dreading this topic. I’ll just zip through it quickly and get it over with, she thought.
“ Well, it will help me be clearer if I’m familiar with the cast of characters,” she smiled trying to avoid a power struggle.
Gina’s facial expression was grim as she began her life history in a remote, emotionless voice.
“My family live s near Hurricane, West Virginia on a farm settled by my great, great, great-grandfather back in the late 1800’s. The parents are named Alcott Earl and Hattie Raines. They had 7 children but two of them died. They had two older boys Clint and Dale who would be in their 40’s now and then there was a male cousin named Jake who moved in after his mother died. The cousin is younger than Dale. There were three girls. The oldest Betty Jo is 2 years older and Patty Sue is 2 years younger than …the middle girl.” She paused looking at her therapist.
Dr. Reinhardt looked at her steadily alert to the odd, impersonal robotic manner of speech. This was an unusual recitation. Now she asked, “Did your sisters go by their first and middle names? Is that how people referred to them, by both names?” By this question, she was connecting with that older conversation and moving toward her area of concern about names.
Gina looked at her pointedly and nodded slowly. “First and middle,” she said.
“And what did they call you?” Dr. Reinhardt asked.
There was a long pau se as Gina wrapped her arms around herself. She slowly raised her eyes meeting Dr. Reinhardt’s as she whispered, “Reggie Lee. My name was ‘Reggie Lee.”
“ Okay,” Dr. Reinhardt continued in a matter of fact tone, “your birth name is Reggie Lee? Is that right? Reggie Lee Raines?”
“ Yes,” Gina whispered, eyes down.
“ When did you change your name to Gina Reynolds?” the therapist asked.
“Well, that’s a bit of a story in its own right,” Gina said with a sigh, less robotic now.
“We have time,” the doctor said glancing at her watch, “I put 2 hours aside for you tonight.”
“ Thank you,” Gina said.
Silence.
“So, when did you change your name to Gina Reynolds?”
Gina looked at her directly with a sly smile now. “Well, that’s not quite the way I’d put it.”
"Oh? How would you put it? " the therapist asked.
"I'd say I became..."
“ Became is different from changed your name ?” the doctor inquired following the train of thought. “Actually, yes,” Gina said, “to keep it simple, I was in a sort of foster home for a
“Before we get started on this, we should start with a little family history, so I’ll be familiar with who’s who and I won’t interrupt you to explain things. Okay? So if you can tell me who was in your family, names, and ages and so forth that would be a good place to start,” Dr. Reinhardt said reaching for her notebook. Gina looked at her for a long time. They both knew she was referring to the time when she had refused to talk about her name or discuss her family of origin before.
Gina sighed and looked at her hands folded on her lap. “I guess I have to,” she said resignedly , clearly dreading this topic. I’ll just zip through it quickly and get it over with, she thought.
“ Well, it will help me be clearer if I’m familiar with the cast of characters,” she smiled trying to avoid a power struggle.
Gina’s facial expression was grim as she began her life history in a remote, emotionless voice.
“My family live s near Hurricane, West Virginia on a farm settled by my great, great, great-grandfather back in the late 1800’s. The parents are named Alcott Earl and Hattie Raines. They had 7 children but two of them died. They had two older boys Clint and Dale who would be in their 40’s now and then there was a male cousin named Jake who moved in after his mother died. The cousin is younger than Dale. There were three girls. The oldest Betty Jo is 2 years older and Patty Sue is 2 years younger than …the middle girl.” She paused looking at her therapist.
Dr. Reinhardt looked at her steadily alert to the odd, impersonal robotic manner of speech. This was an unusual recitation. Now she asked, “Did your sisters go by their first and middle names? Is that how people referred to them, by both names?” By this question, she was connecting with that older conversation and moving toward her area of concern about names.
Gina looked at her pointedly and nodded slowly. “First and middle,” she said.
“And what did they call you?” Dr. Reinhardt asked.
There was a long pau se as Gina wrapped her arms around herself. She slowly raised her eyes meeting Dr. Reinhardt’s as she whispered, “Reggie Lee. My name was ‘Reggie Lee.”
“ Okay,” Dr. Reinhardt continued in a matter of fact tone, “your birth name is Reggie Lee? Is that right? Reggie Lee Raines?”
“ Yes,” Gina whispered, eyes down.
“ When did you change your name to Gina Reynolds?” the therapist asked.
“Well, that’s a bit of a story in its own right,” Gina said with a sigh, less robotic now.
“We have time,” the doctor said glancing at her watch, “I put 2 hours aside for you tonight.”
“ Thank you,” Gina said.
Silence.
“So, when did you change your name to Gina Reynolds?”
Gina looked at her directly with a sly smile now. “Well, that’s not quite the way I’d put it.”
"Oh? How would you put it? " the therapist asked.
"I'd say I became..."
“ Became is different from changed your name ?” the doctor inquired following the train of thought. “Actually, yes,” Gina said, “to keep it simple, I was in a sort of foster home for a
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