Cure For PTSD - Does it Exist?

[Deleted member 487]

You can always lead a horse to water, but you cannot force him to drink.

Such as Anthony can share his knowledge and experience and direct us to the scientific studies, but he cannot (and I personally know that he WILL NOT) force us to agree or believe. He can hand you a glass of water, and it doesn't matter how much of that water you drink, if you do not believe it's water but sand, then that's what it is to you.

I feel it's unfair to blame Anthony for actions of your that he clearly has nothing to do with.

 

[Cindy]

agree to disagree

When I first read this ongoing debate I was a little disturbed at the tone of judgement in the discussion. Then I thought, Anthony is a big boy, he can handle it. (I'm very sensitive or empathetic - I belong on Star Treck).

Anyway, I totally agree with Nic, I kept asking my therapist about the "cure". I felt it was taking forever. I felt like a jerk or slow learner. I didn't get why it wasn't going away or getting better. I didn't feel I ever got an answer to my question.

Last week-end I went on an annual retreat for women who survived childhood sexual abuse. I am always ambivilent in going because it drags up old sh..! But it is very supportive because of the validation and not feeling alone in my misery. We are all on the same path of healing just in different places. But, I got my question answered and lost it since then. I was told there is no cure. Last Sunday upon my return I was so disturbed I even became suicidal again.

I talked to my therapist at my weekly Monday appointment about my discouragement and what it did to me. It has taken me all week to come back in synch and recognize the milestones I have made and the reduction of symptoms due to my healing.

As Nic said, having a false belief can do more harm than good. If you know something is longterm you can adjust your sails and adapt. But to believe your going to be able to get fixed and then have it taken away is destructive.

 

[spiritofnow]

I can't believe that this thread has re-surfaced! I guess it is a question that becomes important to people once they have been diagnosed and are facing the reality of PTSD?!

My feeling is that I still believe that I/me will recover. PTSD was secondary to my trauma. My untreated trauma created the sypmtoms correlated with PTSD. Therefore, if I can heal the trauma then I can disappate the symptoms of PTSD.

Of course after living with PTSD for so long even after you have healed as much as you possibly can there is always going to be a sensitivity to stresses in life. Much the same as someone who severly breaks their leg. Perhaps in the winter they have to exercise it more and be aware that it may suffer from the extremes of the elements. Hence new found coping mechanisms. But there once broken leg does not make them a cripple.

I choose not to beleive that I am at the mercy of PTSD for the rest of my life. I don't want to get wrapped up in scientific data, I study in science so I see the positves between emperical research and good old fashion 'core beliefs'!

It's semantics to me. I am not in denial that I have/had PTSD for along time and that my life at this point in time is reffernced by it. However, my healing is to move on from PTSD. Experience the emotions of trauma and go on to live a happy producitve life, whilst continuing to support myself with healthy and positive behaviours.

Anthony, does a fantastic job on here. People are people and have their own percpetions - does that make them in denial or less likley to recover? All depends on the individual!

I think that the point that was initally being made was that is is very important how you present the 'facts' what is a 'fact'? -(I outlined how one deduces a scientific fact further back on this thread)

People have a responsibilty to provide a balanced view of what the current thinking is on PSTD not their own subjective percpetion, whether that is inferencd by reading journals or not!

I guess I beleive it is one's responsibilty to provide an indivdual with the resources that enable them to make up their own mind.

Spirit x

 

[spiritofnow]

I guess I beleive it is one's responsibilty to provide an indivdual with the resources that enable them to make up their own mind.
Spirit x

Get me quoting myself ha ha!:rolleyes:

I wanted to ensure that I do not get totally dragged back in to this debate:wink: I accept that we all come from different places of undersatning.

I guess I quoted myself as I wanted to be more exact:

The phenomena surrounding PTSD has not yet reached a difnitive consensus within the field of science. My therapist who is classed as a trauma expert (in the U.K anyway), does not agree that PTSD is incurable. She told me that there is continuim from lets say 0 to 100 for ease of example, that PTSD experiences are correalated too. Depending on the type(s)of trauma and the time frame that they were experienced over depends on how badly the individual's personality has been damaged. Thus, highlighting where they fit on the continuim, rather like line of best fit! PTSD, treatment and prognosis is all about 'individual differences'. Therefore, it stands to reason that you cannot commit to defining PTSD as incurable!

Is PTSD terminal like,lets say for arguments sake, cancer? There is cancer and then there is terminal cancer, which is PTSD then? Some people recover fully from cancer even though all the odds were stacked against them, I would argure that their 'strenth of mind' could be attributed to their recovery. The mind is a powerful tool as we PTSD'ers know all to well. So lets not take away that aspect by getting wrapped up in scientifc statistics. Afterall, statistics can seem to say exactly what the science behind them wants it too!

Therefore, I believe that it is responsible to guide people to resources that enable them to make their own educated and balanced choice. Which I believe this site does!

With power comes responsibilty, me (and who ever said it before me :wink:)

Spirit x

 

[Cindy]

A cure?

This has been a focus of mine for over a year. I want an end to all this.

I printed this out for my therapist so we could discuss it. Last week-end I hit rock bottom again after a retreat week end where I was told there is no cure. It took me a week to re-frame again. Here is the result.

PTSD never will go away BUT the symptoms will. Unless triggered I can live without the symptoms and try to avoid any triggers. Once triggered it is how I respond to them that will determine the outcome.

My therapist had a good point about this discussion.

PTSD is not a medical disease that can be cured. It is a mental disorder. This discussion is applying the disorder to two models - physical disease and mental disorder. We can work on the mental disorder but it is not a medical condition that can be treated and removed from our bodies with anti-biotics or chemicals. He stated the only cureable mental diseases are schitsophrenia and bipolar disorder because they are chemical imbalances. The rest can only be managed by trained adaptation.

I think he is right.