Posted by Lieutenant Dr Tealor Tessan (CMO/CNS) in Weekly Requirements

Posted by Ensign Dradvia (Medical Officer) in Weekly Requirements

Posted by Lieutenant Dr Tealor Tessan (CMO/CNS) in Weekly Requirements
Posted by… suppressed (33) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It had been a week. Dradvia saw Tessan daily. The crew was too small not to, and she worked with him. He had ordered her to decide what she wanted out of therapy. She’d worried herself sick over trying to figure that out. Nevertheless, she did her best to come up with something that would be of benefit to herself.

At 1600 she pressed the chime in Tessan’s office for her next appointment. At the end of her last appointment she had been glad that at least he hadn’t asked her to come up with a holodeck program to use. She had one now that she really liked. His office was just as good, more neutral and professional which was reassuring for her.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Teaolor looked up from his work, where had the time gone. He was so busy that days felt like seconds, “Come” he said leaning back in his chair woundering what Dradvia had finally decided on.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia entered, glancing all around the room, even though it was small and didn’t change from the last time she was there. She took note of the work on his desk. “Should I come back?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer
Tealor watched her walk in, she watched as she scrutinized his rather emtpy office, he motioned to his work.. “This, can wait Ensign” have a seat he said leaning back in his chair. “Can I get you something?” he asked pointing to the replicator.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“Alright.” She didn’t mind coming back. She had nothing else to fill her time with. Just her empty quarters and her books. Sitting down, Dradvia shook her head. Then reconsidered. “Just water, please.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor smiled, stood and moved over to the replicator. “Two Waters Please” he asked. He picked up the glasses as the replicator chimed complete and gave the Ensign a glass and walked around to his chair. He sat in silence for a long moment takeing note of her body lannuage as he took a sip off his water.

Dradvia was alert, perfect posture and sitting in a way that allowed her to watch Tessan as well as the door. She took the glass and carefully took a sip and then another.

“How can I server you Ensign?” he finally asked.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“Well, it’s been a week. You said you wanted to meet every week. So, ummm, I’m here.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

A small snort of air left his nostril, a chuckle maybe. She certianly was blunt it was bettere than dancing around politly and wasting ten minutes on useless talk. Part of him appriciated it. “So, did you do your homework ? ” he asked picking up a PaDD and staring a new entry, he entered in her basic data and then looked up.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

A rushed forced puff of air leaving her lungs was the only response for a moment. She took a sip of her water. She wasn’t stalling, but rather trying to determine if he would think she made the right choice. Would he be happy with it, or would she be in trouble for picking the wrong thing?

“I did. Last time I told you I don’t want to change anything about myself. I honestly don’t know what I want out of therapy. I come because I am ordered too. I don’t mind though,” Dradvia rushed to add. “But… but I think I would like to be able to sleep.” She gave that self-concious shrug. “I told you I have been having trouble because of the warp engines. When they start and stop, it terrifies me. It wakes me up or causes nightmares. And drugs… I won’t take them. It’s too risky.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor looked at her his expression was rather blank, as he processed what she had just said. There was a long moment of scilence as he condistered her joice and what that meant. Certianly she at this time did not want to change anything about herself, and as far as he was concerned she did not need to unless it was causing her issues or she was unable to do her work.

“Excellent!” he finally responded. “Sleep is something that will help you,” he turned a little in his seat “So you know what’s causing the issue we have talked about that, and your resistance to drugs which is perfectly ok” he noted. “Have you thought about options?”

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“I use a Delta wave machine to help me fall asleep. That doesn’t stop the change in the engines from waking me. I have had some limited success with lucid dreaming to wake me when I have nightmares. If I know when we are arriving or departing, I will adjust when I sleep around that.” It didn’t stop her from panicking while awake, but at least she was awake.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor made a couple notes, as he listened. “I am asuming that you have tried ambient noise to drown out the sound of the engines?” he paused only a moment because he was sure she would have tried that, his guess that her suroundings being completetly blocked to her sense would simply just highten the fear. “Fear is a tricky advisary” he finally noted, “. He does not play fair I’m afraid, how are you managing your fear before you go to sleep?”

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“I do use music sometimes, but it’s not the sound of the engines, it’s the feel. The vibration through the deck plating.” The music helped distract her from all the people who walked by her door while she slept. But fear was tricky because then she was afraid to sleep because she might not hear someone coming in.

“I read until I fall asleep.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor thought some more he had acouple of idea’s that might server to make it easier but he was more interested in letting her talk some. “I imagine it’s hard to get to sleep again once someone walks by as well. “How does reading make you feel?” he asked.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“I don’t know. I never thought about it.” Her head tipped to the side, her gaze focused far away. “I guess it makes me feel hopeful. Makes me feel free.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

There, what ever your thinking bout there hold on to it, “What about it make you feel free, hopefull?” he asked, wanting her to dig deeper into the feeling. He watched her closly for signs of too much stress, but she needed to start diging past the surface if see was going to kick fear in the teeth.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

She gave that self-concious shrug. “It’s not my life. I get to be someone else for awhile. In books there is always a happy ending.” There was that shrug again. “I wish my life was different, Dr. Tessan. I wish I wasn’t this way, but I don’t want to change because I don’t want to be taken again. Happy endings don’t really happen. There is no hero. There is only myself to keep me safe. But books let me pretend for awhile.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He wanted to so bad to tell her that it wasn’t true, that there were happy endings, that one could move through life and not worry about lose, about injury or death. He could not, it was a lie, truth was any of them could be killed at any momemt it was the job, but her fear went beyond that, it was not so much death that she was afraid of but enslavement and torture or worse. “I can understand that” he said, “What kind of books are you reading?”

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia shifted in the seat, and her face flushed slightly. She picked up her glass and took a long drink. Then, she set it down carefully. “Anything fiction. Fairy tales, myths, historical, contemporary. Anything that is easy to follow. Sometimes mysteries if I need a really difficult distraction.” What she didn’t tell them was they were all romance novels. She wasn’t comfortable telling him that. But where else did one get a hero and a happy ending?

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor smiled “Those are all good escape paths” he said, “Nothing like a good fantasy story with political intregue, love triangles and the lot. I’m always amazed by books from different species and how they view suchthings.” Tealor paused thinking a moment. “So how can I help you with your sleep?” he asked.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“I was hoping you could tell me.” Dradvia sighed a little. “I know this type of healing depends solely on how much I want it and how hard I work. But I don’t have any idea what to do now.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor gave her a simpethetic look, “There are a few options that we can try,” he said as he took a few notes. “They all include revisitng the trauma that’s causing you the problem to begin with, so we can alter the way you respond when something triggers you,” he knew she was about to object, her need to stay alart at all times jumping to the surface. So he continued with little pause. “I’m not suggesting that you should not be alert or that you should not wake up, but instead you’ll get to a place where you an assess if there is a real emediate threat. Even me using my abilities, you have to focus on things you would rather not.” he took a sip off his water. “There are neural calibrators but i’m afraid those would remove your need to be aware all the time it would make the trauma feel sureal and distant, but from our talks I don’t think you want that.” he finished looking to her to respond.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia didn’t object. Even if she didn’t want to change her paranoia, changing how she responded to it, could only make her safer. Right? She had to at least try before she refused. She needed good sleep. Exhaustion put her in just as much risk as not being alert. It was risky for her patients too. “I would rather not use the neural calipers. I want to manage on my own. Not hide in a fog.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor was imprest he had been expecting more resitance down this path, this was good it meant she was working. “Well then that is good, I agree with you on learning to manage it’s the better option in my mind too” he noted, he pulled out a Padd, “Unless you are open to me digging around in your head, I have a few option things I would like to try. “In session” he said sliding the Padd across the desk. “We will apply a technique called EMDR, it’s known to work well for people dealing with post tramatic stress.” he said slinding around the desk next to her so he could point some things out.

Dradvia slid her chair back as far as she could when he came around the desk. He was too close, and it made her uncomfortable. She recognized though that he didn’t mean it that way. “I don’t want you doing this for me, but it doesn’t bother me if your in my head. You probably won’t want to look though. Because I was so close to Kyrssa, they thought I would do well with a Berazoid doctor. Once they got in there though, they couldn’t handle it.”

“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a process where I will regress you back, starting with stand out trama events in your life. As we move through the event we’ll use audiory and Ttapping techniques along with guided eye movements to help the brain desensitize you to the event in question. Over time you will not be traumatized over and over by the event’s of the past but ultimatly it will not change who you are.” He said looking over to her. “This is what we will focus on during our sessions unless you need a break and what to holodeck.” he said with a smile. “Any questions before I go through the things you’ll be doing on your own?”

OOC:: I’m so mad this is going to get all undone..lol
Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

OOC: Life never goes the way we wish. At least Tessan won’t be working from scratch.

IC: Dradvia shook her head. The end result sounded the same as what every other therapist told her their technique would do. She would try, and if it didn’t work, well, Dradvia knew how to pretend we’ll enough to make the people in charge happy. Her life had made sure of that. “No Sir. No questions.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“good” he said as he slid back around his desk and opened a drawer. “That we will do togther, in our sessions and will do here momentarily since you are open to it.” he then pulled out a little halo like device.

“This is for you, place it on your head at night while you sleep, it stabalizes your chemestry so you can sleep normally. Something I was looking into for another crewmember who is having trouble sleeping.” he said handing it to her. “Its a synaptic sleep inducer, it will not prevent you from waking or anything like that, it simply alows you to sleep normally, which in the long run will stabalize your body chemistry as you get more sleep”

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia took the device. Her brows drew together as she turned it over in her hands. She hadn’t heard of this. Which there was a lot about medicine, but she was unfamiliar with it. “What are the side-effects and the risks?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor looked at her, the technology was fairly new and mostly used in the psychological practices as it really did not have any other applications, “None short term, I would not recommend using it more that a year” he said with a slight pause. “The brain is for the lack of a better word, lazy , If you do something for it to long it will quit doing it on its own. We will check your ability to sleep on your own ever 30 days, once you are able to do that, we’ll stop using it.”

He gave her a warm smile “Right now your brain needs help to get into the right rhythm.”

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia nodded as she stared at the device uncertainly. It wasn’t falling asleep that was the problem. Everything woke her up, but maybe her brain was just so used to not staying asleep it needed reminding? She was willing to try as long as it didn’t make her groggy and slow and sluggish. “How do I set it?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He smiled at her, the device would reduce her anxiety levels, and should help with uninterupted sleep he was glad she was willing to try. “There is an on off switch on the side, it is already calibrated. ” he said looking at the thin flexible device. “They are suprisingly comfortable.

“When do I put it on? Right when I go to bed, or like an hour before?” Some devices needed time to create their affect some didn’t. She didn’t want to out it on and fall asleep while she eating dinner or something.

Anytime really before you want to sleep, I would recomend putting it on a few minutes before, again it wont make you sleep, it will detect that you are going to sleep and work from that point.” he looked at here, ” If you wake up in the middle of the night it wont force you to sleep but if you lay back down and try it will help you. Does that make sense?”

“Yes Sir,” Dradvia said with a nod and set the device in her lap.

“What do you say we use the last thirty minutes to try out EMDR,” he asked.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Dradvia took a slow deep breath. In, holding it, and out. “Okay.” She didn’t mind therapy, but it still made her anxious. For many reasons, some legitimate and some not. But she knew it helped.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“Ok ” he said moving a little closer but still just our of arms lenght. “Have you done this before?” he asked

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

Her drows drew together pulling her *ja’risia * down closer between her eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t remember the term, but I don’t remember a lot of what the counselors told me the first year after…”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer
OOC: While this is a real procedure, i’m over simplifying it, it should not be done with out a proffessional trained in the technique to properly guide one through it. Just in case other read it. Ok disclaimer “don’t try this at home” lol

I am going to second this. - Jenn

IC:
Tealor looked at her, “I can imagine the first year was hard. before you go there though let me walk you through what we are going to do ok” he said

Dradvia nodded, paying attention intently to what Dr Tessan was telling her.

“I want you to give yourself a hug and close your eyes, then I want you to pat your bicep once a second altering from left to right,” he noted.

Her arms folded across herself and she practiced the tapping back and forth slowly. The closing her eyes was going to be a hard ask for Dradvia.

“Do this a couple times, this is known as tapping, during our discussion i’m going to ask you to do this from time to time. Your going to take a low breath in for 8 seconds and a slow out for 8 seconds as you tap. You’ll continue to do that until the bad feelings you are feeling are reduced by half,” he paused for a brief moment.

So hug herself and breath, keeping count with her fingers. That seemed easy enough. They weren’t going to get very far if she had to do this every time she got upset. All new things took time though.

“Today we are not going to go vary deep ok, I more want you to get used to the tequnique ok?” he asked

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

“Do,” Dradvia cleared her throat slightly, “do I have to close my eyes? Can I pick a spot on the wall or something else instead?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Tealor smiled “Eventually maybe for today lets start with what you are comfortable with. If you want focus on your knee something close where things are less likely to distract. ” he suggested. “Only tap when I tell you, otherwise just hug, ok?”

“Okay,” Dradvia nodded slightly. She crossed her arms over herself, her hands gripping her forearms. She adjusted her gaze to her lap on the curve of her knees.

Tealor took a short moment to look over the notes he had made. “Ok I want you to think back to the last time you were trying to sleep here on the ship, picture yourself laying there focus on what you can hear, and smell and let me know when you feel like you have it.” he noted watching her closly for changes in her anxiety level.

Dr Tealor Tessan
Chief Medical Officer U.S.S Wolverine

That was last night. It wasn’t like she avoided sleep, she just didn’t sleep well. Her room was dark, just the ambient light of distant stars coming through the transparent aluminum windows, the glow of the console on her desk, and the soft fading glow of her delta wave machine. Her room smelled bland, sterilized, canned from the recycled air from the scrubbers. She didn’t have plants or anything. There was the constant hum of the ship’s systems and the startling sounds of people walking past at the late hour. Her brows drew together as she tried to hear who it was, what they wanted, why were they pausing outside her door?

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer