Any tips for PTSD

[Chele]

I have been freaking out when I drive it is such hell I can't drive and now I am so isolated.

 

I can't begin to describe the nightmare that I have been through.

 

I just get very overwhelmed by cruel, wicked and stupid people who are dominating the world. They make me physically sick and I wish there was a special place where no bad people were so you can rest and get well without people just making it worse.

 

 

I get so angry and exhausted I am sorry to whinge I am just looking to see if anyone has been through the mill themself and may have some words of encouragement.](*,)

[AwdreeHpburn]

Chele - not sure I've been thru the SAME mill - but I've been thru my share of them there "mills"...

 

...Have you ever talked with a professional? Have you actually been diagnosed with PTSD?

[Chele]

Yes I have been professionally diagnosesd. It has been hard to access professional and decent care though. It seems I am fed up trying

[Anna.]

What is PTSD?

[kellbell]

PTSD= Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

 

I am so sorry things have been hard for you. I suffer from panic attacks with agoraphobia. In the past, I struggled with going out and functioning normally. I have gotten better but I still have my days.

 

I know you mentioned you have been diagnosed by a professional, are you in therapy? Taking meds?

[Chele]

I did not like the person as all they wanted to do is pump me full of meds and that is nonsense. I want to see a therapist who uses other methods of recovery not just stupid medication that makes it worse. Anyone I have wanted to see that specialises in trauma recovery has been so expensive. So I just go for walks in nature and pat the cat. I just need to move because I can't relate to anyone in this hillbilly place and having someone to talk to that understands would make it easier.

[AwdreeHpburn]

Chele - moving isn't going to make anything better. Where ever you go, you will still be there and so will your PTSD. Believe me, I know. I am a flee - er myself and it never works....

[Chele]

](*,) There is a difference between fleeing for the sake of it and assessing yourself and your situation to make changes that are beneficial to your health, career, future and social well being.

 

Thankyou but I do not accept the label of 'fleer' as this has nothing to do with what I have attempted to discuss.

[AwdreeHpburn]

Please accept my apology - I was not meaning to call YOU a flee-er - I was saying I am. I was trying to illustrate that sometimes moving doesn't solve what one thinks it will.

 

If you think moving will increase you chances at having better health, will boost your career, future and social well being, it seems silly NOT to move....

[Chele]

It is ok...

 

Yes it would be silly not to move it is just a bit daunting, because of all the dramas involved in relocating. I get a bit overwhelmed at the thought and I worry how my cat will cope because we will be going from a sub tropical to a cold climate and I will have to drive there as I don't want to sell the car. I am a bit scared to drive so far with the cat but I think maybe the sooner I do this the better even though it is a bit scary.

[AwdreeHpburn]

I do appreciate how scary it is. I think it's great that you're considering it or going thru with it depsite how hard and scary it can be. Really, good for you because a lot of people are stopped by fear. I think it's great if you can work thru it.

[Chele]

Thankyou, I know I have got to try.

[Juliana]

PTSD is extremely disruptive; trauma can be defined as "the loss of faith that there is order and continuity in life" (Adams, 1994). You may have feelings of hopelessness, "that one's actions have no bearing on the outcome of one's life" (Adams, 1994). "the psychological disequilibrium that follows trauma [stems] from the shattering of the victim's fundamental assumptions that the world is essentially benevolent, that our lives and life events have meaning, and that we are essentially worthy and lovable" (Adams, 1994). Your first post in this thread so reminded me of this. Have you done any journal work? Writing about the trauma is supposed to be quite effective. More so than talking. Support groups are also very effective; trauma survivors very often relate best to other survivors.

 

"The trauma survivors primary need is for safety." I repeat that to myself periodically so that I don't lose touch with what's important. Whatever you're doing, make sure that you are in a safe place -- physically, emotionally, spiritually.

 

It can take alot of work to recover. But if you can surround yourself with supportive people, and avoid re-traumatizing yourself, you will do well ("magnitude of exposure, prior trauma, and social support appear to be the three most significant predictors for developing chronic PTSD." -- Van Der Kolk, 1987).

 

You have to re-connect with the world, with your sense of power and value within the world, then start to remember the trauma, while making sure that you have adequate support from someone who loves you. You have to go really, really slowly while exploring the memory of the trauma, to avoid setting off the fear response again.

 

If you aren't a runner now, start. There are a couple of things that seem to reach trauma survivors; one is writing the story of what happened (all the while being in a safe place, taking a break if it gets overwhelming). The other is running. I became a long distance runner; it really does work. Something about subconscious memories and the fight/flee response. Self-relaxation techniques are useful. On top of the work you have to do directly related to the trauma, you need to re-establish your own identity; you have to recollect what your dreams, plans and ambitions were before the trauma, and continue to build toward them. You have not been diminished by what happened, and it's important to assert that.

 

Just some thoughts. Whatever plans you make, take care of yourself and your cat first.