First Session: Aedan

"I'm not so big on meditation, but mindfulness can be quite helpful. The technique I recommend is AWARE," Valli said, leaning back in his chair slightly, letting out a little sigh. He didn't like lecturing, but there was always a certain amount of lecture that came with explaining something complex.

"The problem with anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and flashbacks is that the mind's natural response is the exact thing that makes it worse. Your instinct is to try and ignore it, to try and push it away. None of that helps.

"Instead, accept it. Recognize what is happening. You are having a panic attack. Recognizing and accepting what is happening is important. Think of it like a wave, washing over you. If you swim against it, you risk making things worse. If you go with the flow, it won't threaten you. Try and become aware of your body--is your chest tight? Do you feel sick? Listen to your body. Take this a step further, even - the next time you have a panic attack, rest your hand on your stomach, and then take a deep breath that makes your chest rise and fall, not just your stomach. Feel your lungs filling with air, and then feel it releasing. Most importantly, realize that panic will ebb and flow, just like a wave. Just because you feel it fading doesn't mean it's over, and it doesn't mean you've failed in some way because it came back. Don't give in to your natural instinct to try and push it away, and eventually it'll fade away and leave you calm again."

"There are a lot of ways to deal with nightmares," Valli noted. "Although it depends on if you're talking about how to avoid nightmares, or how to cope once you've already had one. Nightmares are the brain's way of processing bad things, of working through stresses. If you want to avoid them, things like having a normal sleep schedule will help, but you'll have to deal with the root causes first and foremost. There are a lot of reasons that your nightmares could be made worse, although it's obvious why you had them to begin with."

Valli paused for a moment, holding up his hand and starting to flick down fingers.

"Major causes of stress that you're encountering that moment, even if they're unrelated to the source of the nightmare can make them worse. Not getting enough sleep can be a major factor. Medications, whether psychiatric or not, can cause nightmares. Drugs or alcohol can also interrupt sleep, resulting in nightmares. There are a lot of factors at play."

Insomnia was a whole other mess in itself, and Valli suspected the two were connected. Really, how could they not be? Poor sleep was one of the biggest causes of nightmares.

The fact that Aedan was working in so many different ways was yet another think stacked on top of the giant mess that was Aedan Drago. Valli raised an eyebrow at two jobs and raised the other at internship with the police.

"There's no shame in turning to alcohol to cope, Aedan. But it does sound like you're biting off far more than you can chew. You have too many things on your plate, and it's causing compounding levels of stress. It's not just worrying about a job - it's worrying about an internship, and a club, and everything else. Have you stopped drinking?"

The answer was defintiely yes, although not so strongly worded.

"I think you might be better served by reducing your workload, yes. Time management is an important skill, and one you'd do well to learn sooner, rather than later. Working your way up will be helpful."

Valli paused, reaching up and tapping at his chin as he considered.

"I would also recommend that you spend... say, a half hour a day relaxing. Just doing nothing. Lying on your bed, sitting on a comfortable couch, something. Let your mind wander, and let yourself think things through. It should help with your sleep, and with your problems as well. Having time to think things through will help a lot, and since the time is just for that, you won't get distracted as easily."

It was a lot of good progress, all things considered. He would have to check in on the second situation to ask how things were going with jobs and clubs.

"I think we've gone over a lot of material," Valli pointed out. "I don't want to overwhelm you with things. I think we can call it a day here, book your next appointment, and we'll start the next session by going over what we covered this session."

That was the best way to start, he'd found. It built on each successive session, working bit by bit to improve. It also gave the patient more of a sense that they had improved.

"Unless you had any other questions?"