Does a PTSD diagnosis and treatment help in dealing with future traumas?

[Sweetleaf]

This question has been on my mind for a long time.

I really wonder how I would handle different traumatic events now that I have done a lot of reprocessing on my past traumas. I imagine everyone is different, and of course every single event and circumstance is different, but regardless I am curious and anxious about this sort of stuff. I am anxious in that I worry about how well I would handle both a new event, and the aftermath of it.

For those who have experienced traumas after having treatment for PTSD from past traumas - did your treatment help you handle the new event itself, along with the "fallout"? By fallout, I mean the chance of it becoming a new thing you have to reprocess.

Do new traumatic events tend to pile themselves into the "to be reprocessed" folder? Or do they wind up in the "this got processed right the first time" folder?

How did the traumatic event impact your ongoing recovery? Or for those who felt/feel recovered more or less before the new trauma - did it throw you back into the trauma whirlwind?

--

I ask because I keep thinking of things that could go wrong, everywhere I go. That constant hypervigilant I-can't-stop-thinking-of-horrible-things-that-could-happen sort of stuff. I keep imagining fight or flight scenarios, involuntarily. It just happens.

I keep worrying that I'm just going to f*ck everything up if something bad happens again. Usually fear that I'm going do die alongside fear that I'm going to f*ck everything up. Plus the fear of it making my PTSD worse.

Any input on the topic is welcome.

 

[grit]

First I really want to applaud you for achieving a space where you have processed serious trauma enough to qualify for PTSD. That alone is not an easy journey so hold that in and breathe into it. You deserve that!

As for me, the PTSD that I am dealing with in therapy arises from childhood but I often find myself seeing its manifestation in my life in other ways. For example, unprocessed hostility or rage may show up in me as feelings of threatening or intimidating or thoughts of crushing others who crossed my path (or often those same feelings against me like being attacked). So I feel hmmm these thoughts are getting less and less but are still super automatic but my reaction to them is also becoming very automatic...learning process. I feel the "I am being attacked" and the beauty of human brain, right away, I would feel wow! I am hurt by that person and my body literally goes down from attack mode inside. I observed myself both with others and alone ruminating about an incident. I welcome all the feelings that kept me up all my life now.

but in terms of other trauma (adult level - from my adult living experiences), I would say they did not become PTSD but I would infer that my manifestation has got stronger and that is why I can see wow...I acted this way as a child but that experience from adulthood has strengthened it.
When I release a childhood experience which I call - the template PTSD energy (from my childhood abuse) - I find my adult experiences and feelings change along the way automatically. An example of adult 'traum' looking experience is being held by a man in his house for 5 hours. It was terrifying but for some reason, I used my lack of fear (from my childhood trauma) to my advantage and talked my way out of his house after many fights with him which I scratched his face few times. Now that was really traumatic experience but I did not get PTSD as I have from my childhood. I had a bad, scary and life changing but I did not get flashback or hurt, but I was attacked and was angry but having some independence to out wit him somewhat lessened I think the impact or the blow to my psychic. Now, That experience strengthened teh manifestation of my childhood trauma by convincing me that I was spared cause of my anger and fighting mode and also the lack of fear I experienced.

By dealing with the anger, the lack of fear, and a lot of the other underlying issues that allowed me to trust others but not trust myself in the first place are now issues I processed in therapy and that experience of being held, I view it differently than before.

It is fascinating to watch my mind and body working together to keep me alive and healthy (I am super curious to learn how I am healing rather than preparing for future trauma)...My goal in therapy has always been, I need to be stronger to deal, remember, allow support of others and process my story than just see my past differently without concrete strength in my ego and the capacity to withstand both minor and many major experience of an adult person.

I hope this long story gives you hope that yes, by processing your old trauma, hopefully you have firm self of sense and identity to withstand with others and chaos both in joy and in fear.

 

[Freida]

I'd say yes because therapy has taught me better coping skills overall.

I think as I've learned my triggers they have become easier to manage. They are still there, but I know how to address them better. So when things go wrong I can look at it and ask myself --- am I upset about the "thing" or am I letting my triggers make the "thing" worse?

And -- I am much better at seeing the relationship between body and trauma. So if I'm hurting I'll stop and ask myself why. Is there a trauma I'm not facing or did the weather change?

 

[blackemerald1]

Hey @Sweetleaf. I think the short answer is entirely dependent on the circumstances.

Variables might include: what the initial trauma (s) were, duration of acute ptsd, type of treatment, any support personal & professional, medications etc.

For me unfortunately I was in therapy when more or additional trauma (s) occurred. I'd already been transferred to a more secure place so the trauma was completely unforeseen and could not have been prevented but of course that's life and the nature of trauma. Call it bad luck.

So, I didn't recover from the initial trauma (s) as well as I ought to have; my treatment was interrupted because I was so unwell physically and mentally, the subsequent trauma added another complex layer.

It wasn't anywhere as easy as compartmentalising and putting it in the cue.

Treatment was delayed and it wasn't simply a case of processing anymore. Medication dosage was increased. There was a huge interruption.

I think generally I went from being a very treatable case.... with the possibility of returning to my career to retirement. That in itself was devastating.

t I worry about how well I would handle both a new event, and the aftermath of it.

Can I suggest without seeming glib that worrying does nothing in preparation for handling anything.

You cannot see the future, you cannot predict the future and nobody can say what is coming at them. NOBODY!

So stick with one day at a time, make plans... be sensible but keep perspective.

If you like, without laying yourself bare understand that you are vulnerable whether you have ptsd or not. And that's ok and quite human. It means you are open to all of the good stuff that is a possibility out there as well as the bad stuff. We cannot get away from that bad stuff.

I keep thinking of things that could go wrong, everywhere I go. That constant hypervigilant I-can't-stop-thinking-of-horrible-things-that-could-happen sort of stuff. I keep imagining fight or flight scenarios, involuntarily. It just happens.

^For me, with the greatest of respect, that sounds so ptsd! That is a symptom of ptsd. May I suggest you talk to your psydoc or T about this.

There does come a point though where nothing will stop this completely. I was looking for catastrophe everywhere I went for many years. I still do daydream about it. It's awful.

I used to worry that I could somehow invoke a catastrophie just by worrying about it! That's pretty out-there! I don't think I have those powers anymore fortunately. lol..

Grounding techniques, mini meditations, self-talk and living through it - all help.

I'm just going to f*ck everything up if something bad happens again. Usually fear that I'm going do die alongside fear that I'm going to f*ck everything up. Plus the fear of it making my PTSD worse.

Depending on the bad thing that does happen and if it does happen of course, you probably will not handle it well. Who would? :(

Unexpected catastrophic events f*ck most people up. Even people that are trained find uncontrolled, unexpected events difficult to manage. You cannot prepare for something that you don't know about and may not even happen.

It's impossible thinking @Sweetleaf.

The maybe you will die from this unknown event is also very ptsd. Forecasting, worrying, stressing about your own or someone you love (s) death is a symptom of ptsd.

Again though, apart from working through it in therapy, if you can realise that it is a manifestation of feelings that are not evidence based you may be able to pull it back a little.

I keep thinking of things that could go wrong, everywhere I go. That constant hypervigilant I-can't-stop-thinking-of-horrible-things-that-could-happen sort of stuff. I keep imagining fight or flight scenarios, involuntarily. It just happens.

Another classic ptsd symptom. The hypervigilant, mind running in a loop, stuck on horrific scenarios thing.

I wrote in another thread about this intrusive thinking circling around in my mind.

Have you ever sat with these thoughts and feelings, let them come, given them space, (not acted upon them!) and then allowed them to leave? With practice that helped me.

I just wanted to add here @Sweetleaf you've been here a while. I've watched and read a lot of what you have experienced. I think you are very resilient and whatever might come your way, I reckon you have the ability and inner strength to handle it.

If you can accept that you can deal with life as it comes rather than trying to prevent, pre-empt or avoid events then life gets exciting and you can begin to love the unpredictability of it all rather than fear it. Because if you have a 'I can handle myself' attitude then most likely, you will. :)

 

[shatter eyes]

This is tough one for me to answer. I say yes because of skills learned to cope and process events. And i also say no because a person can only take so much trauma... is our psychology more vulnerable?

Good question!

 

[Friday]

For those who have experienced traumas after having treatment for PTSD from past traumas - did your treatment help you handle the new event itself, along with the "fallout"? By fallout, I mean the chance of it becoming a new thing you have to reprocess.

The stuff I DIDNT process + new trauma = all the old stuff comes roaring back AND there’s new stuff to process. Giant montherf*cking clusterf*ck of badness.

The stuff I already fully processed? Pfft. I’ve had skinned knees cause me more problems. Because the only thing I need to process is that one new event, AND I don’t have to relearn Jack shit. So it is ridiculously easy TO process. A few hours, maybe a couple days, at most.

Using rape (which I sorted a long ass time ago) as an example, all the characteristic things that tend to follow rape? Blaming yourself, guilt, shame, feeling dirty, etc.? Nope. Nada. It wasn’t that I wasn’t upset by it, I was pretty damn furious... in the moment. And then I was done. Not shoving it down, not dissociating, not in denial, just done. It happened. It sucked. It’s over now. Time for some STD tests, and a few stitches, and chatting with concerned doctors and baffled psych consult that I have to ease their concerns until they start getting all repressed-hopeful-excited (it’s almost like watching a puppy TRYING to be good! :hilarious: ) as I get put through “harder” (easy :rolleyes: I’ve had harder convos about the weather) probes to see if I’m reeeeeeally okay, and their actually starting to believe, that I might just be okay. And then? I’m fine. I go home. I live my life. No delayed reaction. No nightmares. No volatility. No driving need to feel alive. No numbness. No disassociation. No shakes, sweats, pukes. Nothin’. The only real symptom that sticks around? My libido still upticks for about 6 months. But I LIKE my libido, so that’s not really a problem, just the only noticeable effect.... so it’s worth mentioning.

Meanwhile my dog dies, and I spent the next 2 years a volatile mess. I couldn’t even grieve his death, because anytime I so much as flicked a thought at him I’d be buried in ghosts. Everyone I ever gave mercy to. Everyone I had ever been responsible for. Everyone I failed. Everyone I loved. Everyone I was supposed to protect. Everyone I’d slept with (actually slept with, not sex; their weight pressed against my back, when I would roll over and his weight wouldn’t be pressed against my back.) And on and on and on. The most ephemeral of ties yanking the past into the present like they were forged chains hooked up to a jet engine. Catapult. Just knocked over like by a wave, and rolled, ass over teakettle in flashbacks, and grief, and pain, and guilt, and remorse, and rage, and despair, and NONE of it for my dog. All past. All unresolved. All a clusterf*ck. The ghosts gradually settled, and I was able to simply mourn my dog. But they’re still there. I can still feel the weight of them. And know how easily they can all rush back again. So I sit on the lid, and push them back, but they’re still there. Waiting. Until my guard slips.

Resolved trauma? No worries. I’m not forgetting, or pushing it back, I’m just not bothered. A few days to sort new trauma at most.

Unresolved trauma? Holy mother of f*ck. And I don’t even need new trauma to spring it. Just a stressor with similarities. Doesn’t even have to rise to the level of trauma-trauma, in the same vein is close enough. <<< And the reason I used thay example? Because I CAN talk about it. Unlike new trauma. Which I can’t. Because I can’t. Because it’s f*cked, and I’m f*cked up about it, and nope. Not even going to think about it. Because I don’t have time for ghosts, today. :speechless:

 

[Whirlwind]

This.

The stuff I DIDNT process + new trauma = all the old stuff comes roaring back

I was always proud of myself having "done so well" as an adult. But the 2nd trauma was ugly, I had enough on my plate with that but it dredged up the past in a big bad way and my plate overflowed......

With that said I didn't get professional help until the 2nd which is unfortunate as I may have avoided the 2nd.

I can say for sure I would have managed 2nd trauma it better instead of swirling around in confusion.

Whirlwind

 

[Nessa7]

Most of the traumatic experiences that I've had since starting therapy have been pretty unrelated to my original trauma. I've only had one that was very similar to the event that gave me PTSD.

There are a few things that definitely helped. The big one was that I felt like I knew what to do. I knew that there were people I could turn to that would help me if I was in danger and that I had a mental health team that would help me deal with any effects. During the initial trauma, I was on my own and had to do everything on my own, but that isn't the case now. Another is that I've learned to be a lot less hard on myself. Some traumatic experiences I handled pretty perfectly. With others, I could have done things differently or saw other solutions without my PTSD getting in the way of me thinking about the problem more rationally, but it has become much easier for me to be more fair and understanding of myself. I can see that I reacted as well as or better than I would have expected of someone else if they were in my situation and can stop judging myself as harshly.

I had one traumatic experience that looking back on it was almost a good thing, because it is something that I can look back on as an example of me reacting very well when something bad happened. All of that hypervigilance ended up being good for something, and I was able to spot the danger and get to safety before being hurt. It reinforced that people are willing to do small things to keep other people safe. It ended up being really good for my confidence because I can look back at it if I'm feeling anxious as an example of me doing great.

With the traumatic things that have happened that have caused the biggest increase in symptoms, I was at least able to take some solace in knowing what was going to happen. I'd get therapy. I might end up having a med change. Eventually, I would feel closer to my normal.

 

[Skywatcher]

Like Friday said, the theme related unprocessed traumas will latch together. The good news is that if you heal the big one, the others tend to all get resolved rather quickly. Also, I feel as though the coping techniques tend to work on all of the old and new stuff. Sometimes, I have to figure out how the new event relates to the old. Like how is a hurricane, your neighbor’s workplace shooting, and unprocessed rape all related? Then you figure out the lack of control and trapped feelings connect it, so your flashbacks of rape, rising water, or going through a lock down drill all start to make sense.