Today I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was wondering if anyone out there has any success stories about recovering from it. I am scared that I will be this screwed up forever. Its misserable to relive it every day. Yes I know what PTSD is hi M -
i am currently working with a pro in the field of PTSD in soldiers returning from combat. although this is specialty, the foundations of PTSD remain the same regardless of the cause.
i personally suffer from narcolepsy, a nuerological sleep disorder and non-visible disorders have affected many in my life. my best advice to you is this:
first - become informed. know what you are facing. the symptoms, available treatment options, symptoms that may occur with treatment, etc.
second, research your available resources. this means, a good primary doctor, counseling services are critical to treatment as well, support groups (online, in your community).
third, become aware of non-profits that may be able to provide you with coping and management resources outside of your doctor & counselor's offices. this is especially important if you have no, or poor insurance coverage.
fourth, grow to learn and know within yourself what you can control and what you can not, this is key. do not over-estimate yourself as trying to do too much and failing can add to the often negative feelings and emotions that naturally come with this disorder. at the same time, do not underestimate or excuse yourself from taking control of those things you can because on the same token, if you do this, you will not be putting yourself in a place to suceed, accomplish goals, etc...which can be key in positive reinforcement, which is theratputic and motivating for individuals dealing with PTSD.
anxiety without a doubt is part of the territory, but try not to stress too much "will i have to deal with this forever?!" that makes the worries seem so much more detrimental. focus on baby steps, day to day and it will feel a lot more managable. don't get me wrong, there will still be days you look up at god and say, "when do i get my break?!" and this is sometimes necessary, we should allow ourselves this without guilt, on occasion.
as cliche as it may sound, think of it this way - you can allow this to destroy you, or you can take control of it in the most productive ways you can, but one day at a time. be open and communicate your needs with your friends, family, coworkers, school without 'playing the victim' and you will find most people tend to be supportive, even if they do not fully understand. but people can not be supportive and understanding if we do not communicate our needs to them.
best of luck! You will not be screwed up froever! Just get some counseling and you will start to recover soon! Anti-depressants help, But you probably need someone to talk to about whatever it is that gave you this disorder in the first place. I had experienced ptsd 3 years ago after ending a very abusive relationship with the father of my child. It was horrible!!!! I could not sleep and I would have real bad nightmares about him coming to find me and my baby. Real bad sense of helplessness. Take it from me the best thing that you can do is get some professional help from a therapist. Good luck and hang in there it will get better soon enough. Marishka, there are tens of thousands of success stories regarding successful treatment of PTSD. After the Viet Nam War, American troops returned to the USA and wound up with major social/socio-economic problems because of untreated PTSD. Can you imagine living in a war zone ? The military is wiser because of Viet Nam, and soldiers returning from war zones now are given cognitive therapy before returning. But, I am assuming you are not returning from war and that you are a female. There is great success for all victims IF they are willing to do what it takes : re-live the experiences with professional guidance. It may hurt a lot more before it gets better, but you can not only heal, you can become a healer. If your PTSD was caused from sexual trauma, there is a support group that can help you make the connections you need. It is PAR (People Against Rape). You can find it online.
Untreated PTSD is a living nightmare, but there are plenty of success stories. There is a good link for you :
http://www.ptsdsupport.net/personal_spir...
If you click on the link, which is PTSD HOME, there are many additional tabs on the left side.
Good Luck to you. You are brave. I am certainly no expert, but I believe that you can heal from PTSD. When I was a year old, my family was in a major car accident. Afterwards I exhibited symptoms of PTSD for quite some time. Being a child, time smoothed over most of the major bumps, but a certain inexplicable skiddishness remained imbedded in my personality. When I was in my twenties I started receiving massage and other types of bodywork on a regular basis. During some of the sessions I would exhibit the symptoms of shock - cold hands and feet, tingling and light-headedness, mental and emotional numbness. One of my therapists told me that I was releasing the trauma stored in my body. True or not, after a few sessions I was noticeably less skiddish and remain so today.
I believe that there are both psychological and physiological elements to PTSD. There is the emotion, likely fear, and then there is the body's response to the emotion - adrenal, perhaps uncontrollable yelling or other action. When we get a shot of adrenaline, our bodies are making extra energy available for fight or flight. In a PTSD situation, you still get the adrenaline but consciously you probably know fight or flight is unnecessary so you avoid action. The problem is, you still have the extra energy coursing through your body. When you get adrenalized, I think it is best to do something active, like taking a brisk walk around the block, to use up the adrenaline. It will help to keep the mind from spinning.
Many people will encourage you to try to talk about the event or events that lead to PTSD, but avoid doing so with people who are not skilled in dealing with PTSD. Talk therapy can inadvertantly re-traumatize a person who has been traumatized.
I recommend reading and researching PTSD on your own, both traditional and alternative sources. There is a book by Peter Levine called "Waking the Tiger" which deals with trauma. Deal with it in your body and not just in your mind. For me massage, acupuncture, physical exercise (yoga is my choice because of the breath work), and a strong support network of friends were key elements in working through trauma. But please seek help from experts and not just hacks like me. I believe you can heal from this.
Blessings to you. It is truly miserable to relive the trauma everyday as if it were still happening. Flashbacks are painful and all too real. I have recovered from PTSD following sexual abuse in my childhood. What I urge for you is that you don't lock that monster in a closet and not deal with him. I locked him in a closet for 10 years, he grew 10x the size he was originally, too. Find a friend, someone who will be able to support you and that you can talk to. Find a counselor, and work on this. Don't go through this alone!
Some things to remember:
1. There are going to be things that trigger flashbacks and pain. Some you should just try to avoid, others you have to learn to deal with. For example: with me, it was tv shows such as Law and Order SVU.
2. Whatever happened, its important to remember that its over. I'd have flashbacks and panic attacks because I just felt like it was still happening and couldn't remind myself that it wasn't.
3. Learn to be patient with yourself. There will be those days where you are on top of the world with success, and then you'll take a tumble backwards for a while. Don't get mad at yourself. PTSD is a normal reaction by normal people to abnormal events. You aren't crazy. I know I used to think that.
You'll recover, it will take time and patience, but you'll be back to you in time. One note though, the memories may never go away, but the pain associated with them will. I know thats the case with me. I still have the memories, but they don't have any pain or emotion associated with them. That's how I was told it would end up, and I guess the guy was right.
I'm truly sorry you have to deal with this. But, at the end of the tunnel, you'll have learned so much and become so much stronger for going through it.
I'm actually studying to be a social worker so I can work with survivors of rape and domestic violence, many of whom will suffer from PTSD. I'm one of those success stories that took a lot of work. Some have an easier time, I'd hate for anyone to have as hard a time as I did. If you want to talk, please email me or something, I'm really more knowledgeable than the stuff I can put in this box
Remember, you are worth the work. (I have a friend who has PTSD and doesn't think she's worth enough to get better). Don't give up, you'll do fine! You are a survivor!
*hugs* I have PTSD. A few years ago I was attacked. It was in 1998. I moved in with my parents. I was terrified of about every thing. The dark, loud noises that I didn't know or sounded out of nowhere, and being touched would set off flashbacks and all sorts of memories.
Then I started thearapy. It helped alot. My thearapist made so many suggestions that really help. For example doing deep breathing. Which is breathing in through the nose deeply and then exhaling through the mouth. Then refocus my thoughts on something else. Try going to therapy.
I was diagnosed with depression before this happened and was taking medication. After it happened I relapsed back in to depression and was hospitalized several times. I was also expieriencing flashbacks and all the symptoms of PTSD. It was a hard time in my life. Then my doctor found a combination of medications that worked wonders on both my PTSD and depression.
I am not saying you will need medication but it helped me alot.
I now live a somewhat normal life. Last year I moved out of my parents house. I have a cat named Aurora. She is so good for me. She helps me when I am having a flashback by snuggling in my lap and being my link to reality. If you know what I mean.
I still sometimes have flashbacks. But it is not as bad as before.
Time heals all wounds. I believe that is true. |
