Between C-PTSD Sessions

When your C-PTSD therapy benefits run out, it can feel like someone kicked the floor out from under you.

You might think:
"I finally found someone I trust and now it is over."
"How am I supposed to cope with this on my own?"
"If I backslide, that is on me."

This is not a personal failure. It is a system problem colliding with real trauma. You still deserve support, even if paid sessions stop for a while. This guide focuses on what you can do between sessions or after benefits run out so you have structure, not just fear.

This is for information and support only. It is not medical or psychiatric advice.

Step 1: Name what is actually happening

Start by being honest with yourself about the situation. You are not "abandoning therapy" or "giving up." Your coverage, benefits, or budget is limiting how often you can see a therapist, at least for now. That is a real constraint, not a moral verdict on whether you deserve help.

Try naming it directly:

• "My benefits ran out. I still need support, so I am building a plan."
• "My sessions are paused because of money, not because I am beyond help."

This language matters. It keeps the problem outside of your worth as a person.

Step 2: Clarify what support is ending and what is not

Before or right after benefits end, write down what is actually changing.

What may be stopping or shrinking:

• Weekly or biweekly individual sessions
• Direct email or portal contact with your therapist
• Insurance coverage for that specific provider

What might still be available:

• Doctor or psychiatrist visits
• Community groups, online or in person
• Crisis lines and warm lines
• Free or low cost counselling services
• Apps and self help tools such as Unpanic

Seeing clearly what remains stops your brain from going straight to "I have nothing." You may have less, but you rarely have zero.

Step 3: Ask for a bridge plan before the last covered session

If you still have a few sessions left, use them strategically. Tell your therapist clearly: "My benefits are running out. I need help building a plan for after our last session."

Ask for:

• A simple written safety plan, including crisis contacts and early warning signs
• A short list of grounding tools that work for you and how to use them
• One or two free or low cost resources they recommend (groups, clinics, websites)
• Ideas for how often to check in on your own progress

Step 4: Create a basic weekly structure for self support

Without sessions, days can blur together, which often makes C-PTSD symptoms louder. You do not need a perfect routine. You need a light framework.

For example, in a typical week:

Daily (5 to 15 minutes):

• One grounding practice (5-4-3-2-1, box breathing, or a short exercise in Unpanic)
• One body check in (stretching, short walk, or noticing where you are tense)

1 to 3 times per week:

• A short journal or notes app check in: "What is better, what is harder, what helped?"
• One thing that feels even slightly nourishing, not just numbing (music, creative activity, nature, safe show)

Once per week:

• Review your week and update your coping plan: what worked, what did not, what needs adjusting

Think of it as "holding the gains" from therapy, not fixing everything alone.

Step 5: Build a safety and crisis plan that is actually usable

A crisis plan you cannot find in a panic is useless. Keep it short and visible.

Include:

• Early warning signs: "Not sleeping, skipping meals, more self hatred, more thoughts about not existing."
• First line actions: Grounding exercise, box breathing, texting a trusted person, using a "triggered right now" path in Unpanic.
• Human support options: Names and numbers of trusted people, crisis lines, local urgent mental health services.
• Clear thresholds: For example, "If I have thoughts of harming myself that last more than an hour, I will call X."

Step 6: Use low cost or free layers of support

You cannot replace a good therapist one to one, but you can add layers that make the gap smaller. Some options:

• Support groups: C-PTSD or trauma informed peer groups, online or local
• Community or sliding scale clinics: Some agencies offer lower cost or time limited counselling
• Apps and digital tools: Use Unpanic for grounding, trigger tracking, and having crisis links in one place
• Education that does not overwhelm you: One small article, video, or workbook page at a time

Step 7: Watch for signs you need to push for more help

Even with a strong self support plan, there are times where you need more than self management. Pay attention if:

• You have ongoing thoughts of self harm or not wanting to live
• You cannot maintain basic hygiene, food, or sleep for more than a short period
• You are frequently losing time, dissociating, or having intense flashbacks
• People around you are worried about your safety or functioning

In those cases, it is time to contact crisis services or urgent care, ask your doctor about priority referrals or public options, or reach out to community clinics or helplines and be explicit about safety concerns.

You are not "wasting resources" by asking. You are keeping yourself alive. That matters.