Bummed About Dissociating.

[Javagoat]

My partner recently said that being with me was like being the Time Traveler's Wife. That was a movie where the husband would involuntarily travel through time and disappear from the present time being with his wife. I don't remember conversations we've had or things we've done. Unfortunately, I also don't remember things that she has asked me to do. Sometimes she says it feels like I not there even though I am physically present because I am checked out. I am in working on it in therapy but it has definitely taken its toll on my relationship which is depressing.

 

[soulofLC]

Hello Javagoat,
While i am not in a relationship, I can relate to your forgetfulness. It has affected my dealings with my family, and just functioning and remembering what I have to do is a challenge. Like those little pieces of paper and notes, and I can't recall the why or who. My son just says I act weird! (He is grown and we don't live together). I suppose that is what he is talking about -- just not being present.

There is a movement on "mindfulness" that you may have heard of. The goal is to be more present in your body instead of living in your head, which I think I tend to do more now since the PTSD. Some are using mindfulness in conjunction with PTSD treatment. There are many books on the subject, but the one my therapist recommended is Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, & Distress Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, Jeffrey Brantley, Authors.

I can't seem to remember to get the dang book! Perhaps now that I have mentioned it to you, I will. I am sorry you and your partner are going through this. Sometimes, I am glad I just have a goldfish! He does not seem to mind unless I forget to feed him, and then he just quivers. I do get lonely, though, which makes me even more spaced out. I have to make it a point to be around people to stay grounded. Not always easy.

Hang in there,
soulofLC

 

[Jurriaan Plesman]

I take a different approach to the symptoms of PTSD. Whereas it is fashionable to believe that symptoms of PTSD to be purely "psychological", the reality is that they are symptoms of a sick body unable to produce feel good neurotransmitters. Thus if we want to treat PTSD, we need to treat the underlying biochemical abnormalities before considering "psychological" factors. Fortunately, this can often be done without recourse to drugs and by nutritional means. Remember that most of our hormones and neuro-chemical are produced from the nutrients we eat. A major contributor to mood disorders - including PTSD - is the lack of appropriate biological energy (called adenosine triphosphate (ATP)), necessary in the transformation of molecules into feel good chemicals like serotonin. ATP is derived from sugar among others and if a person suffers from hypoglycemia - a pre-diabetci insulin resistance problem - it cannot produce the ATP to convert for instance tryptophan into serotonin. Hence ----> mood disorders. The first step in any program dealing with mood disorders is to adoption of the hypoglycemic diet. Look up internet.

 

[Srain]

It can be frustrating to be going dealing with dissociative states, I'm wondering how much your partner is understanding about this process. I'm not trying to sound critical but does she have all the information on it because the reality is sometimes it just takes going through the process and it can be extremely difficult on our loved ones especially if they don't have a clear understanding of what they are dealing with.

As far as memory goes, we keep a magnetized notepad on the refrigerator and reminding is a constant in this home. I have a calendar there as well. I cannot rely on my memory for anything these days. I think that diet is a good thing to look at as well, I don't use sugar and I'm not hypoglycemic so it doesn't contribute to my symptoms at all but it's always good to check these things out.

Hang in there,
peace,
Rain

 

[Roline]

Jurriaan, I was very interested in your post. I have always thought there is more to mood disorders. If i can remember I will look up the hypoglycemic diet - does it help memory too ??;)

 

[PTSD sufferer]

Jurriaan, I was very interested in your post. I have always thought there is more to mood disorders. If i can remember I will look up the hypoglycemic diet - does it help memory too ??;)

Roline, Mr Plesman's 'theories' have been (very objectively) reviewed by Anthony and you might like review this yourself. Mr Plesman, has reignited the thread where this was discussed. See below.

[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/ptsd-and-its-relevance-to-hypoglycemia.9884/#post-283169[/DLMURL]

 

[PTSD sufferer]

Roline, Mr Plesman's 'theories' have been (very objectively) reviewed by Anthony and you might like review this yourself. Mr Plesman, has reignited the thread where this was discussed. See below.

[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/ptsd-and-its-relevance-to-hypoglycemia.9884/#post-283169[/DLMURL]

Mr Plesman has been booted from this forum by the moderators for self promotion. He is trolling and only served to promote himself and his 'single minded' ideas in through his posts.

 

[kayak]

Ack!! Guys, I didn't go into the old thread, but with all due respect the ATP post is a load of horse hockey. Yes, you need ATP to make all those feel good things. Yes, your body creates those hormones naturally. And yes, disregulation of the system can contribute to mood disorders. But it is not at all as simple as he implies, and while a low glucose diet can be reasonably healthy, it will not fix your psychological problems. ATP is running the machinery for each and every cell in your body; you have enough if you are alive. Sorry. I'm not an expert in neuropsychology for sure, but I do have a degree in biochemistry and a PhD in molecular biology. Just sayin'

 

[PTSD sufferer]

Thanks for your insights Kayak. Agree with you completely, thanks for sharing :)

 

[soulofLC]

Thanks Kayak...I tend toward having high blood sugar and I still have PTSD...it is all too obvious to most of us with the disorder that it is more complex than behavior modification, that there are complex chemical changes in the body due to PTSD. However, there are things that you can do to help minimize the symptoms. Like mindfulness, like meditation, like Yoga. I have found that when my prefrontal cortex goes crazy, four simple beginner yoga poses can calm me down most of the time. Until they find out how to balance the body again after PTSD, we will use whatever works for us, which will vary from person to person.

 

[soulofLC]

By the way, Mr. Plesman's statement that it is "fashionable" to think of PTSD as only being psychological demonstrates all too clearly that he is grossly under informed. It may be fashionable amongst the general public, which is apparently to whom he is appealing. If you have PTSD, do your homework! It is a complex of symptoms that is currently considered a disability because of the absence of an generally effective medication or treatment. Not to say hopeless, only challenging at this point in time!

 

[PTSD sufferer]

He actually started life as a Parole Officer, where he was criticised for telling magistrates that the cause of criminal behaviour was hypoglycaemia -when someone preaches a cure all idea is a sign of a hoax, and when someone extrapolates without proof, that can be harmful.