PTSD Caused by SRA - psychosomatic pain & diagnosis

[pprof]

For fifty years I repressed memories of SRA (satanic ritual abuse). Throughout those decades I experienced a wide variety of physiological aches and pains: terrible pain in my head neck, back, arms and legs. When I complained to physicians about my pain--which was due to torture inflicted by satanic priests--they would test my blood, find no problems and treat me like a hypochondriac. There is no blood test for PTSD or repressed memories of satanic rape and torture.

Not being able to access my repressed memories, I assumed that my aches and pains (which have now been diagnosed as chronic migraine and fibromyalgia) were due to bad genes.

I began recovering repressed memories in 2018 and was diagnosed with PTSD shortly thereafter. Reacquiring memories of SRA nearly killed me. I have been in therapy ever since.

Since I was blind to it, I can't blame doctors for failing to recognize my PTSD at an earlier stage. I should have been in therapy for my "ghost pain" much earlier in my life. Is there any way of diagnosing PTSD when individuals experience psychosomatic pain, but do not realize they have been traumatized?

 

[Sideways]

Is there any way of diagnosing PTSD when individuals experience psychosomatic pain, but do not realize they have been traumatized?

Not yet. Psychosomatic pain can be an indicator for a range of mental health issues, not just ptsd.

At some point in the future, there’s likely to be biomarkers that they’ll be able to use to confirm a diagnosis of ptsd, but I suspect that needing confirmation of a criteria a trauma, which distinguishes PTSD, is likely to be part of diagnosis for a long time yet.

 

[pprof]

Not yet. Psychosomatic pain can be an indicator for a range of mental health issues, not just ptsd.

At some point in the future, there’s likely to be biomarkers that they’ll be able to use to confirm a diagnosis of ptsd, but I suspect that needing confirmation of a criteria a trauma, which distinguishes PTSD, is likely to be part of diagnosis for a long time yet.

MDs would often tell me that my psychosomatic pain was "all in my head." These comments were meant to belittle me and my pain. They were right. The psychosomatic pain was all in my head, but that did not make it any less of a misery. I suppose the MDs were saying that if pain was all in my head, then it was not real pain, and thus, I should not trouble them with non-medical issues.
I suppose I am hoping that MDs will evolve to the point where they take psychosomatic pain more seriously. In my experience, psychosomatic pain is just as life-threatening as any other kind of pain. Perhaps more so.
Mental health professionals always treat my PTSD and associated pain very seriously. However, I still encounter MDs who view PTSD as a phantom problem. MDs won't take PTSD seriously until there is a blood test that can identify it.

 

[Rose White]

MDs won't take PTSD seriously until there is a blood test that can identify it.

Maybe some won’t. And maybe your experience is that they don’t. But in my experience MD’s do take PTSD seriously.

Also, PTSD is a secondary diagnosis, IIRC, but I don’t quite understand it.

Sorry you were belittled for psychosomatic pain, no one deserves belittling. I believe that diagnosis is now called functional neurological disorder, and therapy is an important part of the treatment in addition to pain management and physical therapies.