Other Who I Am?

[InsideAWord]

Get her out of here. @billie is exactly right -- this person is trying to lure us in for some demented reason. She wants to give us attention, use our stories for his "study" and become "friends", even though she contradicts himself and lists no credentials.

Get out of here. You sound like a parasite. You are no one's savior.

 

[Ed Norton]

This is weird to the nth degree;)

 

[StarChild]

Maybe not a hoax, maybe just misguided

Yes, Alba, I agree with you. And this for a reason..

to a bunch of hyper vigilant people.

@billie, how do you know, that we all are a "bunch of hyper vigilant people"? I really would appreciate it, if you would just speak for yourself without including "people" here. And although I too felt and still do feel very uncomfortable with this (for me) very strange approach, I'd not go that far, to make such rude, imprudent statements as the following:

this person is trying to lure us in for some demented reason

Get out of here. You sound like a parasite. You are no one's savior.

@InsideAWord did you ever try to find out something about Avalonjunky, instead of just jump to conclusions, then panicking and IMO almost instigate a witch-hunt? For example: @anthony warned us to "NOT USE THE SAME USER NAME IN DIFFERENT FORUMS". Why? Because one could be easy to recognize and easy to be found as well, via search engines... So why not simply try to find out something about "suspect acting new members" by "reversing" Anthony's advice. Which means, maybe some people do use the same user name on every account they have... And nothing and no name will ever be forgotten, once it's in the Link Removed...

Well I did google her. And yes she wasn't honest, or from my point of view, she tried to present herself more important / competent and tried to present herself as much more self-confident appearance then she really is. Of course this doesn't justify her initial post! She lied, period! But during my research I found a deeply wounded, very insecure, hurt woman. Who's partially living in kind of a fantasy world, where dreams, wishes and reality are mixed. And if only one of you who are involved in this thread, did a bit of research, you'd also found out that she's really (and almost desperately) looking for friends.

(To me) this thread comes across as if we would be helpless people, who are at someone's mercy. But as I understand it, it's not simply Anthony's or the staff's job to watch out for "suspect" or dangerous people to protect us. Sure, it's easy to rely on them. But IMO it's also not that difficult as a member here, to act self-dependent in matters like this. Instead of just panicking, judging and even attacking, without concrete evidence. Of course it shouldn't be the job of any member here to have to check "suspect acting newbies", but it also shouldn't be our attitude to simply "condemn" people, without any proof!

Just to make myself really clear; I absolutely agree with all of you, that Avalonjunky's post wasn't honest and even misleading. That's something that's in no way tolerable! But I highly disagree with some reactions and comments that were made, and how aggressive and negative this thread has become. And Avalonjunky, if you read this, I'd like to encourage you to come back, apologize and explain yourself to the people who asked you many questions, or even want to get to know you better. - And maybe you then can learn from your faux pas, and move on a bit more self-confidently with your life.

 

[bell]

I'd like to second @SweetLullaby's post, as I think the "witch hunt" vibe is more hurtful than may be intended. Why not let someone further explain themselves and not kick them to the curb? I think as people who are well aware with how things work on the web forget that someone people just don't know the "etiquette" that is often used and may not know where to start on a forum where they don't have the disorder.

And what about "if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all?" I think that those actions speak louder than negative words on forums and am a bit turned off by the fact that someone would come here, a supposed safe space and be treated so negatively. In other words, why not let someone either choose to answer the questions asked or just let it be if they don't return? What good is it to pile on negative comments, to either you or the poster... as it only gets you and them more riled up? Why not post something helpful or positive on another thread and keep your energy (which, to be honest, we as PTSDers often don't have a lot of) in a better place?

 

[Ed Norton]

She is probably doing a senior thesis or something on PTSD. She wants to work as a counselor (from google). I do not think she was dishonest at all the Bachelors degree in some schools is quite tough. If she posts her study I would be willing to participate. I wish her luck.

 

[billie]

Anyone who has ever been a victim deserves some empathy, I am always learning from this site.

 

[The Albatross]

We are, after all, a mental health forum. Misrepresentation is aggravating and worrisome but Anthony himself advocates caution for all forum members here because people can and do misrepresent themselves.

 

[WillyKat]

@Avalonjunky , I get the impression that you're want to be a supporter to bring Jesus into our lives. I'm going to assume you have good intentions. But the problem a lot of us are having has many facets.

• For a lot of us, myself included, getting religion smacks of a dozen other simplistic solutions to the problems we deal with. Giving someone a bible, going to church, and Wednesday night bible study sessions will barely put a dent in PTSD. Sure would be nice if that worked, but it just doesn't.
  
• For others, myself included again, a lot of evil people hang crosses around their neck, wear regalia of some kind, and adopt a peaceful, serene demeanor. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Many, many abusers use religion to establish trust first before they victimize people. Try to appreciate what lies beneath the reaction your getting on this forum. Someone we don't know comes along, wanting to support us, and carrying a bible will simply set off a lot of alarms.
  
• You're assuming that sufferers here don't already have spiritual guidance. A lot do. Many are devout Christians. Others follow spiritual teachings you may be unfamiliar with. As the Dalai Lama said, just because they aren't on your path doesn't mean they're on the wrong path.
  
• Something else that sets off alarm bells: nearly all supporters on this site support a single individual, a loved one. There aren't supporters of all of us in general that I know of, with the exception of us sufferers that support each other. Since you are neither the loved one of a PTSD sufferer and not a sufferer yourself, your stated desire seems really odd and causes us some concern.

I could go on. My advice to you is to leave aside the idea of being a supporter until you've done you research and know something about what you're getting into. Speaking for myself only, I wish you all the best with your research and I'd be willing to help you if I can.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Avalon,
I hope that you take a step back from starting this research project in order to learn the ethical guidelines of conducting a research study. If you make friends out of any of us, your research is tainted and results are null. What would be the point of the study at all?

 

[Lucycat]

wow. I just followed @SweetLullaby 's example and googled this member. She really does share a lot. She wants to be a marriage counselor, then sometime later she wants to work with troubled children. Nothing on those sites about PTSD!!

I agree we should not judge or be overly critical, but...

 

[StarChild]

Hi @Lucycat, may I complete your final sentence, the way I understood it: ...But be cautious and act more self-dependent? E.g. by google someone, if something about that new member seems a bit odd or suspicious? Yes, that's one of the things I aimed for, by writing my previous answer on this thread...

but Anthony himself advocates caution for all forum members here because people can and do misrepresent themselves.

As I already stated, that was one of the emphases I aimed for, by writing my previous post.

As a reminder, this is what Anthony advocates:
https://www.myptsd.com/threads/members-take-note-everyone-is-not-who-you-may-think.36630/