PTSD and Road Rage

[anthony]

It really is quite funny when I look at it, that sometimes I can drive and think nothing off the idiots behind the wheel, and then other times I want to get out and knock their block off.

Something someone said to me at the PTSD course last year, is that instead of thinking they are idiots, morons and numbnuts (which sometimes they are), just think, "well, maybe they have PTSD". Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't... for me anyway.

Does anyone have any good strategies they use to keep your mind focused, and not want to inflict pain and suffering on some of the morons they give a license these days?

 

[camry]

I've got a Martin Lawrence (the comedian) tape I play. He is so blunt with his humour, that it makes me feel not so alone in how aggittated I am. As he's going through him rountine I am sitting in the car "yeah! that's right!". After a while I am over it :)

 

[Sunrise]

The weird thing here is that what we are objecting to, tailgating, rude people, stupid anti-service service at shops etc is illogical or irrational behaviour. Yet my reaction could be far more irrational.
The problem is the rational approach is appealing when we are feeling rational, but if we were feeling rational we would not act irrationally so we wouldn’t need the adivce! :o)

Once something triggers us and the red light goes on “sticks and stones†advice is just irritating. We already “know†that stuff!

The REBT approach is to examine what we feel the instant we begin to feel it ( hell, you’d have to be quick!) quickly decide to have a different reaction. (All our reactions/ actions are “decided†by us)

Event: Man jumps in front of me in queue
Conclusion: This is terrible!!! This man is a moron and it’s lucky I’m here to deck him
Action: Decked! That’ll learn ya!.

Alternative
Event: Man jumps in front of me in queue
Conclusion: this man is rude and I really object to his actions
(He should/ought not act like this.)
But, the world does not owe me anything so my shoulds and oughts don’t help except to make me miserable.
Conclusion: this is NOT terrible. It is just irritating and unfortunate and I wish it hadn’t happened but I will not let his rudeness bring me down.

Working with a REBT therapist or diligently working with a good REBT book can gradually teach us to dispute the oughtas and shouldas and to dispute the automatic reactions and replace them with rational ones. It is just one approach but is used widely and apparently bears real fruit with practice.
cheers all,

 

[anthony]

Thanks Sunrise... I totally agree, I should practice this more, as I do know it, its just sometimes if I'm having a bad day... what I know can fly out the window so fast its just not funny. I know its unacceptable, but my brain say, screw it... and does its own thing. Bad days can often get worse if irritated... so I often wonder if I should just stay home on bad days! If the same thing happened to me on any other day, I would take that approach, ie. your rude, but the world goes on... which I have learnt through exactly what your saying... practice, practice, practice, from what I was taught and the tools given during my PTSD course.

Bad days are just shocking sometimes... from getting out of bed, it just gets worse from that point. Everything is tiresome, more effort than I could expend, etc etc... but I have atleast narrowed those days to a minimum nowadays, which is great I think.

PTSD is just such a headache some days... it is often why we sometimes think, "it would be easier to just do myself in, and be done with this crap", but we continue on anyway... as painful as it sometimes is.