Question:
Hi 
) I know this sounds pathetic ….. most of my life seems that way now what with the weeping and constant fear ….. but could you all perhaps be a little more giving regardless of what is posted so long as it is more or less on topic. This little lot has really upset me. As I posted once before .. several months ago …. even a little aggresion of this sort keeps severe sufferers like me away. Thanx — wowjo…@argonet.co.uk __ __ __ __ / / __/__ / / / / / / / / / V V / /_ _ V V / _/_/ / _/_/ [Always finish what you have starte
Response:
Many thanks to Frank W. Jones for his posting of the two sites for PTSD. I’ve been in VA treatment for 5 years for PTSD and only lately have begun to ‘get it’. OTOH, I had more than a few male therapists and psychiatrists who misdiagnosed me over the last almost 30 years as being manic depressive. I would have gone along with this diagnosis if lithium had some street value, I suppose. Anyone who suffers from PTSD and has not become an alcoholic, drug dependent or killer (of herself or another) has my extreme congratulations. The woman who did my first diagnosis and support, before she handed me over to long-term outpatient care gave this definition when she said that we had had a successful therapeutic relationship … I was alive, illegal-drugs free, and didn’t drink. What a criteria!?! Finally, in the last two months I have started to get some ‘freedom’ to not ‘do’ too much and be kind to myself. I figure that will take another 30 years. 
What kind of support do you folks want? My horror stories are kinda boring. :) My therapist says I may not call myself crazy or mentally ill … either ‘eccentric’ or ‘bizarre’ is accurate enough. Nancy from Cleveland, OH
Response:
Hi Warren, regarding your post: **************************** Hi ) I know this sounds pathetic ….. most of my life seems that way now what with the weeping and constant fear ….. but could you all perhaps be a little more giving regardless of what is posted so long as it is more or less on topic. This little lot has really upset me. As I posted once before .. several months ago …. even a little aggresion of this sort keeps severe sufferers like me away. ***************************** Because I posted in this thread but don’t know what came across to you as aggression, if it was something in my post, please accept my apology. It’s hard to imagine that you’re referring to the original post, which I read as encouragement for participation and felt comfortable responding to, but then I guess it might be another example of how hard it is to get the nuances of the author when we can only read and not see gestures or hear voice inflections, etc. I’m totally new to this group, just discovered it, and hope I get to read some more posts from you about your experiences and how you’re doing and maybe get some feedback from you about stuff going on with me. I really would benefit from talking with folks like you who are on this same road that I find myself. Take care, Jan posted and e-mailed
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -In article <337B19F0.3…@flash.net>, jon…@flash.net wrote: > Hi: Is anyone out there? There never seems to be much activity here in > this group. The posts seem to come few and far between. Is there any way > we can shake things up here and get this group going. I really would > like to see this group come up to it’s potential as a place for those of > us with PTSD, to come for real help. > A lot of wonderful, caring people post to this group. They give their > sympathy and caring support to most of the people who post here. But I > don’t see anyone posting real, concrete help for the symptoms of PTSD. I > can’t be the only one who visits this news group who is been helped in > their treatment. Where are you? Post here and share with us your first > hand knowledge of the things that are helping you. > On the other hand, real tools posted here may be inappropriate for this > news group. If this is the case, then some of you who are regulars here > please let me know this. > I have PTSD, I am going to one of the worlds most progressive PTSD > therapy facilities. It is being run by THE people who came up with the > diagnosis of PTSD. They are the people who have and are still coming up > with the tools and strategies that most therapists in the know are using > today. The facility deals only with PTSD. I am getting my life back! > I was given a manual to use in my therapy that has proven and current > methods for coping with the symptoms of PTSD. I shared a couple of those > in my last post. Typing is not an easy thing for me. Well, after my post > setting on here for 10 days, no one out there even acknowledged it. If > you come to this group ONLY for the bubble gum sympathy statements that > are coming to you second hand from some therapist, who has only treated > a couple of people with PTSD. Then I won’t bother to post here again. If > any one is interested in the tools I am willing to share, then at least > tell me you are reading the posts that I struggled to get up. Feedback > is one of the most important things in dealing with our PTSD. So lets > have it group! Those out there lurking who have something to contribute. > Get on here! I really would like to see this group start living up to > it’s name. > Keep present focused! > Frank > (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) > To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
Greetings Frank and All: Please spell out in some detail what the therapy you are going through is. Otherwise I cannot make sense of what you are going thru. Or whether or not it is good therapy. My experience is that PTSD can definitely be resolved with quality therapy focused on hard work that takes time. I am not a fan of quick fixes for anything psychological, let alone PTSD. I think that PTSD is a mindbody problem. The early trauma is boundaried off by maneuvers designed to adapt. A child needs to survive by maintaining their equilibrium. The conscious mind feels safe only when it is not near the trauma. The trauma is to be avoided at all costs. The paradox is that such a defense makes the trauma only a step behind us-continually. Deep therapy is based on a number of premises. Among them is the notion that we have many psychological faces, not just one.With PTSD, w ehave a very wounded face, but it is not alone-though it thinks that it is. Another is that if we can develop a genuine connection with our trauma, then we can stay separate from it. We can even learn how to host it properly, rather than becoming possessed by it. When a situation in the present symbolizes our traumatic fears, old emotions get triggered that were really stored during our childhood. We then experience them as going on now. PTSD involves mistaking the present for the past. The traumna is slotted and grooved in our neuroendocrine systems. Its like a station on the radio. When on that station, it is our trauma that is playing. When we become aware and strong enough to heal our trauma, it takes a really good helping hand in the form of therapy that puts specific tools in your hands and that empowers you to use them well. Don’t settle on a therapist, despite her or his credentials, unless you are feeling good about what is going on. Ask questions. You need understandable answers for the relationship to grow and feel safe. The thera[pist and you need to form a team, each person with their own role to play in the work. Most important-build an atmosphere of friendship and generosity toward yourself. Then you can proceed with good results. I wish you the best…Jim — ********************************************************************* James A. Manganiello, Ed.D., ABMPP dr…@ne-mindbody.com The New England Mindbody Institute http://www.ne-mindbody.com Cambridge, MA (617) 661-9400 Dedicated to the health and well being of mind, body and spirit and to the adventure of crafting life into a conscious work of art that can be well lived, loved and understood. *********************************************************************
Response:
sterra…@aol.com (STERRANVH) wrote: >My therapist now wants me to do antidepressants. I come from a family >which has substance abuse problems, and the idea of popping pills scares >me. It also makes me think that maybe it marks me as well and truly >crazy. So I am resisting the idea, but part of me thinks if it might >actually help I should take a chance. >So I was wondering– Have any of you been given antidepressants for PTSD? >Which ones? Did they help? >Does it ever really get any better?
Your posting touched my heart. YES, antidepressants DO help. Prozac has done wonders. Others do well with Zoloft. I waited months after beginning therapy to start meds because I, too, have a family history of alcohol/drug abuse. And yes, I was humiliated to think that I was "crazy enough" to need meds to function. I resisted a long time. I can say, now, that I am grateful for my therapist’s continual gentle pushes to try meds. The meds took a while to begin to make a difference, but I finally began to have some really good days of nearly 1 year in hell of flashbacks and depression. Good luck–trust is difficult, but sometimes we have to trust the professionals.
Response:
Hi. I am new to this newsgroup, and this is my first time posting. I was in an elevator that plunged thirty floors and crashed into a girder in the elevator shaft during a wind storm. I was convinced I was going to die, but got real lucky and limped away with cervical disc herniations and a spained ankle. Unfortunately, the disc problems are painful most of the time, and constantly remind me of the accident. The pain also makes me really angry at feeling dependent and disabled. I am in my early thirties, but I feel like an old woman. I am incredibly angry at the building and the elevator company because this kind of accident had happened before, and they just let it happen again to me. I feel like they decided that my life did not matter. For years I have had nightmares, insomnia, and I wake up several times a night with the feeling that I am falling. I am terrified of elevators, and of falling in general. I was always a little leery of flying, but now I am terrified of it. I used to work in New York City, was a big success, and have retreated since the accident to working out of my house and barely scraping by. I have spent years avoiding one of my best friends who was in the elevator with me because she always talks about it, and that makes me flash back. I just started therapy (my family’s disapproval is what made me wait so long, but I am now so sleep deprived I am really depressed and can’t stand to just go on as I have been.) and so far there’s been no miracle cure. My therapist now wants me to do antidepressants. I come from a family which has substance abuse problems, and the idea of popping pills scares me. It also makes me think that maybe it marks me as well and truly crazy. So I am resisting the idea, but part of me thinks if it might actually help I should take a chance. So I was wondering– Have any of you been given antidepressants for PTSD? Which ones? Did they help? Does it ever really get any better? I am tired of feeling angry and afraid all the time. I am sick of hiding out at home and avoiding people I care about. I want my life back. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Response:
Hi Sterranvh ) I am on the ubiquitous Prozac @ 60mgs per day and diazepam when required. I don’t want to be on them, but without I cannot function at all. I have a new therapist who is very positive and so (once again) I am hoping that things may improve. UPDATE will give you my potted history. Best of luck ….. I would NOT recommend the pill popping unless there is no other way ( See ya ) — wowjo…@argonet.co.uk.REMOVE __ __ __ __ / / __/__ / / / / / / / / / V V / /_ _ V V / _/_/ / _/_/ Remove REMOVE [Always finish what you have starte
Response:
Hi Mercedes: Ask your therapist Mercedes! That is what he is there for. Question him on his knowledge of PTSD. It seem to me the diagnosis took a long time. PTSD symptoms are pretty specific although individuals may display only part of the list of symptoms. Also people who are deep into the avoidance symptoms may be able to hide things about their traumatic events even from themselves. Here is a link to a page with PTSD information. Check out the things in the index there. It is a place to start getting answers. There are many other pages on the internet with useful information too. Help ng! http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dvb/trauma.htm Please Mercedes ask the ng anything you want about PTSD. Most of us are long time sufferers of it. None of us will know everything but with all the group helping to answer your questions, you will gain a lot of the knowledge about PTSD that you are seeking. Keep present focused! Frank (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
Response:
In article <3381A751.4…@concentric.net>, ki…@concentric.net wrote: > Hi Mercedes! > The good news is that I did get better … and I’m still changing for > the better. 
> Nancy
Thanks for your encouraging words and the other informative postings today. Nancy, I was wondering if you would mind expanding a little regarding just how you got better? I am particularly interested in how long you suffered and whether you’re at a point in your life where you have peace now? Thanks, Mercedes ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Response:
Frank and All, I was so relieved to see your posts here today. I have "belonged" to this group for a few months…..kept it on my list. I would occassionally read posts but felt that there was only ads for quick cures or X-rated material. When I started therapy almost four years ago, after my divorce, I had the great fortune of working with a psychologist who worked within the VA for a number of years. At first we were only dealing with the loss of the marriage. I had absolutely no memory of my first ten years of life……and I never questioned that! I had lulled myself into believing that most people didn’t remember their early years. My therapist was adept at recognizing the symptoms of PTSD due to his experience at the VA and taught me about the disease. He suggested meds to help me get to the point that I could do the work that was necessary for healing. In addition, he helped me to understand this condition…and recognize that certain bio-chemical changes are permanenty made within the brain in people with long-term trauma. Certainly, David Baldwins page made me understand that I am not alone. There are a number of books which are available which also help to describe the condition. I am still in therapy….mainly for support. But after four years, I can now recognize dangerous situations before I actually respond with survival strategies. And I can pat myself on the back. I actually survived that all and have, in spite of this condition, built a life for my children and myself that is full of love, joy and hard work. Oh yes, I am one of the people who have never become addicted to alcohol or drugs…..however, my self destructing behavior results in frequent car accidents….twenty in twenty four years. Thankfully, I can now recognize some of my triggers. Best of everything to everyone here. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Sue
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -In article <864188462.24…@dejanews.com>, merce…@cadvision.com wrote: > In article <3381A751.4…@concentric.net>, > ki…@concentric.net wrote: > > Hi Mercedes! > > The good news is that I did get better … and I’m still changing for > > the better. > > Nancy > Thanks for your encouraging words and the other informative > postings today. Nancy, I was wondering if you would mind > expanding a little regarding just how you got better? I > am particularly interested in how long you suffered and whether > you’re at a point in your life where you have peace now? > Thanks, Mercedes > ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Hi Mercedes; My name is Riq, and I too have PTSD. The improvement I have had came from getting the right therapist(after several tries) and from realizing that if I didn’t get better, I’d be no good to anyone…in other words, I prioritized my recovery over most other parts of my life. I have had peaceful times and traumatic times, but I’m still breathing-that counts for plenty. Most of the time, I’d say things are better: and the for times when that is not the case, the work I have done has given me new tools to cope. Read lots of books! Knowledge is power, and survivors need lots of empowerment! Keep the faith, Riq brown….@osu.edu — Riq
Response:
Hi Mercedes! > postings today. Nancy, I was wondering if you would mind > expanding a little regarding just how you got better? I > am particularly interested in how long you suffered and whether > you’re at a point in your life where you have peace now?
Unlike Frank’s program in Albuquerque, the Women’s program at the VAH in Brecksville is not so highly structured. I went to the emergency room because I was seeing things that I knew were not true, like a roomful of at least 6 men over the age of 6 ‘dropping their drawers’ when I walked in. When I went to the Wade Park VA Emergency Room, because I couldn’t get on elevators suddenly, the doctor sent me to the Mental Health Clinic where there was a Women’s Coordinator who interviewed me. I saw her for 8 months, did what I was told and was diagnosed with PTSD by professionals. This was at least 20 years after the initial ‘qualifying’ event. After I took the ‘qualifying’ test at Brecksville. I was immediately called with the message that I qualified. It took them 6 months to get me to go to Brecksville and I still miss my therapist at Wade Park. The last 9 months there, she saw me almost weekly. At Brecksville VAMC, I’ve seen a therapist weekly and a psychiatrist monthly. They urged me to ‘go on medications’ for 18 months before I saw that I was fighting the urge to stalk someone. I gave up and went on meds. Meds seem to have made the therapy much easier and the changes easier. Apparently, I could have ‘graduated’ to group therapy in 6 months, but I’m still not there. My son was physically assaulted by his father during the Rose Bowl game in January and the criminal court system put him out of our home. My medication dosage was raised beyond ‘normal’ by the psychiatrist. I’ve physically finished all my ’shoulds’ at the end of this month. This progress is giving me some serenity. When I drive I can see that other cars notice mine; I am not invisible. I’m working on gardening a >1 acre city plot. I am working with my son’s therapist and losing some of the guilt about my raising of him. I await a lot more peace in my life.
Unlike Frank, I do not want to know the symptoms of PTSD. I figure I would ‘get’ the ones I haven’t ‘gotten’ yet. Sorry that this is such a long post. I hope that I answered your question. Nancy
Response:
Hi, My psychiatrist just advised my after 1.5 years of psychodynamic therapy that I have PTSD. That also means I have alot of questions but hesitate to ask him. I’d like to find some info from my fellow suffers. Especially in the positive realm!! Thanks, Mercedes ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Response:
merce…@cadvision.com wrote: > Hi, > My psychiatrist just advised my after 1.5 years of > psychodynamic therapy that I have PTSD. That also > means I have alot of questions but hesitate to > ask him. I’d like to find some info from my fellow > suffers. Especially in the positive realm!! > Thanks, > Mercedes
Hi Mercedes! The good news is that I did get better … and I’m still changing for the better. Nancy
Response:
Hi Nancy: Nice to hear from you! PTSD has been diagnosed as something else for many years. It is still being diagnosed wrong. I personally had mine diagnosed as four different things before I found a professional who knew the symptoms. I have a lots of horror stories concerning these snaffoos. I will spare the ng the details. It does hammer home the fact that seeking out the right help is hard is many cases. I’ll turn your question around Nancy. How can we support you? I’m so happy to hear from you Nancy and I don’t feel so alone when I know others are out there who are like me. Keep present focused! Frank (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
Response:
Hello Jim and all: I so happy to find more posts this morning than are usually here in the ng. James A. Manganiello, Ed.D., ABMPP wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In article <337B19F0.3…@flash.net>, jon…@flash.net wrote: > > Hi: Is anyone out there? There never seems to be much activity here in > > this group. The posts seem to come few and far between. Is there any way > > we can shake things up here and get this group going. I really would > > like to see this group come up to it’s potential as a place for those of > > us with PTSD, to come for real help. > > A lot of wonderful, caring people post to this group. They give their > > sympathy and caring support to most of the people who post here. But I > > don’t see anyone posting real, concrete help for the symptoms of PTSD. I > > can’t be the only one who visits this news group who is been helped in > > their treatment. Where are you? Post here and share with us your first > > hand knowledge of the things that are helping you. > > On the other hand, real tools posted here may be inappropriate for this > > news group. If this is the case, then some of you who are regulars here > > please let me know this. > > I have PTSD, I am going to one of the worlds most progressive PTSD > > therapy facilities. It is being run by THE people who came up with the > > diagnosis of PTSD. They are the people who have and are still coming up > > with the tools and strategies that most therapists in the know are using > > today. The facility deals only with PTSD. I am getting my life back! > > I was given a manual to use in my therapy that has proven and current > > methods for coping with the symptoms of PTSD. I shared a couple of those > > in my last post. Typing is not an easy thing for me. Well, after my post > > setting on here for 10 days, no one out there even acknowledged it. If > > you come to this group ONLY for the bubble gum sympathy statements that > > are coming to you second hand from some therapist, who has only treated > > a couple of people with PTSD. Then I won’t bother to post here again. If > > any one is interested in the tools I am willing to share, then at least > > tell me you are reading the posts that I struggled to get up. Feedback > > is one of the most important things in dealing with our PTSD. So lets > > have it group! Those out there lurking who have something to contribute. > > Get on here! I really would like to see this group start living up to > > it’s name. > > Keep present focused! > > Frank > > (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) > > To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield > Greetings Frank and All: > Please spell out in some detail what the therapy you are going through is. > Otherwise I cannot make sense of what you are going through. Or whether or > not it is good therapy.
Jim I am sorry you must have missed several previous posts. Jim I am in out patient group therapy at the Albuquerque Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center/PTSD Trauma Clinic. The staff includes medical doctors, pharmacoligist, psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, and social workers all trained in PTSD therapy. Several of the social workers were combat veterans. When a patient first arrives, they go through triage. Then a complete evaluation with a therapist. Then the best course of treatment is determined. Then evaluated for weather or not they need pharmacology or not. There are several different treatment strategies available. I chose the group therapy. It is a small group, no more that 10 people and 3 therapists. The first 12 weeks are one day a week for Discovery. Here we learn about PTSD and how we got it and how it has been effecting us. We get used to being in a group and start building trust in the group and the therapists. We start learning coping tools and how to use them. Then we have 12 weeks of Intensive. It is 3 days a week. The session are broken up into Group Therapy, Leisure Art(art therapy), Process Group and Couples Group, for people with significant others. Also a one on one session one day a week with our primary therapist. A few of the things we do in group are. Autobiography’s from different stages in our lives. We present them to the group and get and give feedback. We learn about and work on emotions and anger management. We have trauma processing and feedback from the group. During the one on one’s we may go through trauma flooding, retelling and many other things depending on the individuals level of PTSD and how they are progressing in the treatment. This is a very brief description of what goes on during this stage of treatment. Then we have 24 weeks of after care. Then a lifetime of ongoing aftercare. This is a dedicated PTSD care facility. They use the latest techniques in every phase of treatment. The very best advice I can give to anyone who is visiting this ng, who thinks they may have PTSD. Is to seek out professional help as soon as you can. There are specific things a qualified professional can help you with that you won’t be able to get anywhere else. Jim gives some specifics on seeking out qualified help in the last three paragraphs of his post that will guide you in finding qualified help. > My experience is that PTSD can definitely be resolved with quality therapy > focused on hard work that takes time. I am not a fan of quick fixes for > anything psychological, let alone PTSD.
I agree with you Jim. There is NOT a quick fix for PTSD! This is not something a person can deal with without professional help. There are however coping tools and strategies that a person with PTSD can learn to help ease PTSD symptoms. These things are in no way a substitute for quality professional help but they may allow a person to get control of the symptoms enough to enable them to seek professional help. > I think that PTSD is a mindbody problem. The early trauma is boundaried > off by maneuvers designed to adapt. A child needs to survive by > maintaining their equilibrium. The conscious mind feels safe only when it > is not near the trauma. The trauma is to be avoided at all costs. The > paradox is that such a defense makes the trauma only a step behind > us-continually.
You are describing one of the avoidance symptom of PTSD. Avoiding is one of the items described in the doctors diagnosis manual(DMS IV, 1994, pp.427-28) They mention 7 items under the main heading of avoidance. The other two main headings are re-experiencing with 5 items mentioned and increased arousal with 5 items mentioned. In combat veterans exposed to a daily barage of trauma there is proven physical caritaristic changes in the brain itself. Our survival tools were honed to a razors edge. They helped us to survive traumatic events but now we are unable to put these survival tools away and they cause us to think and act inappropriate in non traumatic situations. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Deep therapy is based on a number of premises. Among them is the notion > that we have many psychological faces, not just one. With PTSD, we have a > very wounded face, but it is not alone-though it thinks that it is. > Another is that if we can develop a genuine connection with our trauma, > then we can stay separate from it. We can even learn how to host it > properly, rather than becoming possessed by it. > When a situation in the present symbolizes our traumatic fears, old > emotions get triggered that were really stored during our childhood. We > then experience them as going on now. PTSD involves mistaking the present > for the past. > The trauma is slotted and grooved in our neuroendocrine systems. Its like > a station on the radio. When on that station, it is our trauma that is > playing.
I won’t comment on the three above statements. Each person in treatment gets different explanations for what is happening to them. > When we become aware and strong enough to heal our trauma, it takes a > really good helping hand in the form of therapy that puts specific tools > in your hands and that empowers you to use them well.
I agree with this statement except for one word. In my opinion the word heal should be the words deal with. There is no permanent cure for PTSD. The tools learned during therapy become part of our everyday lives. We must become masters at using them. > Don’t settle on a therapist, despite her or his credentials, unless you > are feeling good about what is going on. Ask questions. You need > understandable answers for the relationship to grow and feel safe. > The thera[pist and you need to form a team, each person with their own > role to play in the work. > Most important-build an atmosphere of friendship and generosity toward > yourself. Then you can proceed with good results.
All I can say about the above three paragraphs is yes, yes, yes. > I wish you the best…Jim > — > ********************************************************************* > James A. Manganiello, Ed.D., ABMPP dr…@ne-mindbody.com > The New England Mindbody Institute http://www.ne-mindbody.com > Cambridge, MA (617) 661-9400 > Dedicated to the health and well being of mind, body and spirit and to the adventure of crafting life into a conscious work of art that can be well lived, loved and understood. > *********************************************************************
Thank you so much for your reply Jim. Keep present focused! Frank (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
Response:
David E. Ball wrote:
> Easy Frank, > There have been posts that deal with treatment. > > I, for one, spoke about ‘retelling’ under the guidance of a > therapist. But as you can see from the ng title this is > alt. – support - … not alt.therapy-for… > Thank you so much for your reply. No David "Easy" is not going to get this group up and active! In my opinion, "Easy" keeps this group inactive. I see people post here all of the time who post only once and never return. They post desperately wanting some support and get sympathy. This IS support but it’s like giving bubble gum to a starving person. I know people come here for more than the support of sympathy. It is a very important part of support but they don’t come back. They may be out there lurking but they don’t post again. I believe they are wanting more than sympathy from this group. I feel this group is capable of giving more! Yes David, I can see the title of the ng and support is exactly why I come here. I come here to get and give support, not to give and get therapy or treatment. I totally agree with you David, therapy and treatment are things that should ONLY take place in the proper setting, under the guidance of a professional. All of the therapies like retelling, trauma processing and trauma flooding and many more are NOT what I am talking about. I am talking about coping methods. These are the tools and strategies that ANYONE with PTSD symptoms can learn to ease their symptoms. The cycle breaking, relaxation technique, the STOP. BREATH. THINK, the feelings journal and the S.O.R.C model are things that almost anyone can learn to use. They are life tools, people tools and can be used whether you have PTSD or not. There are many more coping tools and strategies like these that are extremely helpful in coping with and easing the symptoms of PTSD. I consider making these tools available to people who are hurting, as support not therapy or treatment. I am seeking more of these same kind of life tools myself. You have every right to disagree with me as to whether these things are supportive or therapy David and thank you for posting to do so. I personally went for 28 years isolating, with every PTSD symptom in the book and more. I was UNABLE to reach out to anyone. If I could have gotten some of the above mentioned coping tools in my hands. My seeking professional help would have come much sooner. I got a lot of "your not alone","be good to yourself" and "I feel that way too". These things were comforting and are very important but in my opinion they need to be combined with support from this group that is more concrete. Come on and post group! You must have something to contribute to this discussion. If you feel that I’m wrong in considering coping tools as support and not therapy let me know! I’m just a guy with PTSD. I am wrong about a lot of things. Keep present focused! Frank (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
Response:
Hello Jan: Welcome! Yes this could be your group. There are wonderful supportive people posting to this group. Jan you asked for information. When you finish with these, tell me and I will dig out my bookmarks again. The net has many good sites with information on PTSD. I put a couple of them below for you to start on. The first one is "David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages". There is lots of information on PTSD there. The second one is "The PTSD Help Stop" It is hosted by a veteran named Steve Quigley. It has a lot of good links. Not all of his links were working when I checked there but the ones that are working have information that should be of interest to you. http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dvb/trauma.htm http://www.cde.com/~vietvet/ptsd.htm Jan a lot of the information on PTSD including the diagnosis of PTSD was developed by the military and the Veterans administration. So a lot of the information on the internet and elsewhere refers to veterans. Most of the information will apply to any one with PTSD, the main difference is the source of the trauma. So don’t be put off by the information if refers to "the vet". If you need and want to talk to people who "get it" you came to the right place. I got it! Want to talk triggers, we can talk triggers. We will talk about anything you want. Jan I know you probably already know this or have been told this. But here it goes again. All of us who have PTSD must get professional help for it. You will here this from most of the people in this group. We know what we are talking about, believe me. I went without help for this beast as I call it for many years. I developed my own tools to help me cope and I fought it with every thing I had but I didn’t do a very good job. I was only able to struggle and manage like you said you are doing. It wasn’t till I sought professional help that I started regaining my life. This is the most important and supportive thing I can say to anyone with PTSD. Jan, I don’t think I have to say anything about the alcohol that you haven’t already told yourself. You sound like you want something said about it. As a helpful nudge maybe? So nudge, nudge. ;=) It’s not a good treatment for PTSD. It will make some of the PTSD symptoms get worse. It’s a way of numbing feelings but It will only work for so long before it starts eating your body and your mind. I know first hand! The only one who can get you stop drinking is you. Jan, I care and want to help. Keep posting and keep your mind in the here and now and not in the past. Frank (From Tennyson’s Ulysses) To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.