Practicing Mindfulness Could Cause Problems For Ptsd Sufferers

[Queen Boudica]

Someone wrote something really profound about PTSD and mindfulness. He said 'the last place I ever feel grounded is in my body' That I find profound because yes it is like the terror is inside me and sometimes I just want to rip my skin off and pull it out.

 

[oasis2003]

I find it really difficult dealing with body memories yes the terror is inside me, I have often said to my T I just want it all out of me now. I often do too much journaling which overwhelms me, hours, (when in fact I was told only to do it for 20 minutes a day) just to get it all out. My avoidance strategies are to cut my body, emotions off ( I feel emotions in my body) and live within my head. I seem to have ancient body emotions which surface which are way too difficult to deal with. Living in my head has always been my defence strategy when things get too much, it is a difficult one to stop, and in effect why should I it is an inbuilt defence mechanism for a reason. Maybe that is why mindfulness works so much for me !? Who can say whether this is right or not ?

 

[KwanYingirl]

I have had nothing but success with meditation. Yoga, contrary to what the author of the article claimed, is all about being grounded. Can't imagine where that idea came from. My frank and unremitting dissociative states have resolved considerably from yoga, reiki and meditation. Maybe intention is important. I always begin my sessions with a gratitude.
I'm not familiar with The Guardian, so can't speak of its editorial bent. Like all new skills, it takes a qualified guide and practice to achieve success. My blood pressure and glucose had been raised but are back to normal now. Maybe less than adequate people are running quasi mindfulness workshops for corporations for the money. The CEO probably goes to the Kripalu Institute.

 

[Neverthesame]

I sleep with the tv on it grounds me

I used to do this, sort of still do. At some point the Canadian broadcast standards council, decided to loosen the rules on television advertising. This resulted in much longer commercial breaks. As well as no volume normalisation. It became this infuriating game of guessing when the commercials would roll, turning the volume down so I don't get the shit scared out of myself. Then turning up the volume so I could actually hear the show well enough to not tune it out too much. Sleep is elusive as it is, without having to do all of that. Now I despise television.

I have since switched to youtube and Twitch.tv much, much better. Both services have ad removal options. No more commercial guessing game.

Or I start to think of bad things that could happen

This. The other thing I have been getting lately is wonderful obsessive thoughts on how to permanently silence all of this mental noise. Suicidal ideation, in other words.

The little title under my avatar. "Thanatophobic" From thanatophobia, the fear of the moment of death. Doesn't matter how. Thinking that moment when life stops. Is unbelievably terrifying to me.

Whether it's in 30 seconds from now from a piano falling on me. 40-50 years from now as a decrepit old fart.

Natural causes, tragic accident, violent crime. Irrelevant to me. Just knowing one day it will be over, not knowing where I will go, if anywhere. Scary.

I would love to relax

Me to, me to. (Or is it too?) Grr, why can't I remember how to write english?
It was my best subject in school. :banghead:
Not to mention, it's also my primary language. (Sorry, rambling again. Tired today.)

 

[Tinyflame]

Too @Neverthesame . :) :hug:

That fear is normal btw.

I used to need the tv/ music to distract me. Now I alternate between that and it's too much.

 

[Tinyflame]

Oops hit post too ( ;) ) soon.

This. The other thing I have been getting lately is wonderful obsessive thoughts on how to permanently silence all of this mental noise. Suicidal ideation, in other words.

Interesting theory on the cause ^^..

 

[Queen Boudica]

I used to like TV on, music, couldn't stand quiet in house. Now it is the opposite, it gets too much. Although I do sit for ages and watch TV at night, plus tweeting, on here, facebook, anything to keep my mind from going into depression and then fall asleep on sofa and have to force myself into bed in early hours of morning.

 

[Neverthesame]

To those of you who the mindfulness thing works for, great. I'm honestly glad for you.

As I had said in my first post, I know it has done wonders for my mum. Had nothing but positive effects on her physical and mental health.

What struck me about the article, was that I learned about this from her the same way she did. So I quite surprised when I found it to be not only ineffective, but seemingly to exacerbate the anxiety.

I really did give it the full college try. I automatically assumed the problem with the ineffectiveness to be totally mine, not because someone told me that, but because I was just wasn't getting anywhere with it.

I was also familiar with the standard breathing exercises for anxiety. I remember when I first learned those, how I thought it was useless, lol. But I then learned I needed to practice them in order for it to work. I therefore put the same idea to learning mindfulness. But nope. My brain just isn't having it.

Is it the exact thing the article states to be the problem. I don't know. It's one article in one magazine. But it is certainly (for me at least) worth considering. Clearly further research is needed for me to call a definitive reason for myself. But it certainly got me thinking.

 

[Queen Boudica]

Now I'm wondering how present am I really? I spend so much time on internet now, and just distracting myself. When I do sit there is overwhelming sadness.

 

[Ruby5]

I grew up on the east coast. Moved to the west coast and every dr I see tries to shove mindfulness and meditation down my throat. I tell them to cut the hippie shit and staring at a candle is only gonna make me more pissed off. The only place I feel truly relaxed is laying out down the shore (pending future beach trauma). Shit just doesn't work for me, never has never will

 

[void]

Good article and I too find "sitting with" the negatives stressful and many times I take the opportu...

Mindfulness is not "sitting with" the negatives, it is sitting with the awareness of the present moment....your current breath...the feel of the breeze on your cheek...the feel of your lips gently touching each other.

If one is focused on the content of their thoughts and 'sitting with' the negativity of those thoughts, ruminating about negative things, one is not being mindful.

Be well.:hug:
Tat tvam asi.:happy:

 

[Queen Boudica]

I think not. No-one is ruminating on their thoughts @void that indicates a deep misunderstanding of what mindfulness is about. Mindfulness is in fact being aware of your thoughts. It is not about distraction

Mindfulness is being aware of whatever it is that comes up...so if you are taken to past trauma, it is because the trauma is trapped in the now in feelings/memories/body/mind/psyche....for those with C-PTSD, the now is still the past...the present is hijacked by the past.