departmentalizing?

[renee723]

Hello everybody! I've got another question!! I've got MRKH, i was diagnosed exactly one month ago yesterday. I've just now started seeing a therapist, she thinks i should departamentalize. I have no idea if i spelt that right or not, and if i didn't i appologize, but i don't know if that's healthy. She explained it that i should be able to put issues into a "dresser drawer" and pull them out when i want/need to. I haven't been thinking about it a lot lately, and i don't know if that's healthy either... like denial? i don't know, does anybody have any other advice? i would really appreciate it.

[susan44]

Hi Renee,

Don't worry about the spelling - departmentalizing or compartmentalizing - either way, she's suggesting that you seperate out MRHK from the rest of your life and put it in a safe, well-insulated box. Thats one way to deal with a traumatic experience. It can be a useful way to keep from getting hurt by people's careless cluelessness.

Personally, I try not to compartmentalize - i find it too much like keeping secrets. non-IS people always want us to keep ourselves secret.

Its probably good that you're not thinking about it all the time. It was a real shock at first and you couldn't really think about anything else...thats normal. Now you know MRHK is something you'll find a way to deal with. Your posts show no indication of denial. Try to relax.

best wishes,
susan

[Glenn]

Susan's right - it's normal to focus on something a lot when you first find out about it. And yes, departmentalizing (whew! big word!) can help because 99% of the time, it won't make any difference either way whether you have MRKH or not. I'd wildly guess that's what your therapist is trying to emphasize.

So unless it overtakes your life in an unpleasant way (and that doesn't seem likely at all), you'll naturally go through cycles of focusing more or less on it. Congratulations, you're human!

Glenn

[renee723]

yea i totally understand the whole secretive thing that your talking about susan, my parents haven't allowed me to tell my immediate family. I've got two brothers that are both old enough to understand what's going on. I just don't understand, they try to tell me that i'm not a "freak" or i'm just "special" but they won't let me feel normal around the people that i should be most comfortable with. I can totally understand them not wanting to tell my friends, because i'm only a sophomore, and there's only a few 15 and 16 year olds that can deal with that kind of situation. but, my therapist wants me to tell my brothers, so my parents and i are going to have a therapy session together. so i guess we'll see how that goes, well i've gotta go! i've got school tomorrow morning :(

- <3 always -