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I am also very resistant to medication. I got ECT and it seemed to help for awhile. Of course, it’s not going to treat the trauma but it does change brain chemistry. I hope you reach out for help and get through this tough time...

Thank you @Deanna's Gap ! Next week I am going to court to file a motion that gives my son his own lawyer to speak on his behalf when it comes time for setting a finalized parenting schedule. I learned from my lawyer that these child lawyers only cost $500 or so and provide an excellent way to...

@Zencat Thank you - I need to remind him that he’s done nothing wrong. I’ve done everything but that. As someone with ptsd who internalized “deserving” what happened to me, I forget about not blaming myself - it creeps up. I wonder if my son blames himself. Unfortunately his father only took the...

I am diagnosed with ptsd and getting professional help. Not working for the past month has gradually calmed down some of my symptoms. However, I am having a hard time supporting my son emotionally during the divorce process (which started over a year ago). After visiting with his dad for dinner...

Thank you for your replies! A lot has happened since May, when I originally posted. I left work on medical leave and didn’t come back for the remainder of the school year. I was in no shape to go to teach because the ptsd was so bad. I also went into a day treatment program for 3 weeks (12...

My most recent job is teaching (from which I was laid off), and Sunday nights were the worst. Although my anxiety would start on Friday night. I completely understand that feeling of dread about returning to work after the weekend. I am very sorry you feel this way - it’s such a difficult...

Dear @DharmaGirl i wish you luck with the women’s group. I know what you mean about the self-talk - I do it too! One time I got out of the house too quickly and I looked like one of my cats that try to run out from time to time - they pause and start sniffing and looking around, like “now...

@Mach123 I am so sorry - you are a caretaker and are dealing with cancer... I can’t imagine how tired you must feel. I understand about getting rid of people as triggers. People are triggering to me too - especially in large numbers, crowds. I spoke to my therapist yesterday about the...

@Spacefish thank you for sharing your story. At my partial hospitalization program, we did a lot of mindfulness and meditation. At first, I did think it was useful. But I was proven wrong when I started noticing flashbacks and triggers, which was much better than not noticing them and just...

@Spacefish I noticed you are new here - welcome! If I understand correctly, it sounds you had counterproductive therapy and the wound was opened and not in a good way... the struggle to live with ptsd is very real. The anger/rage was/is up for me too. In my case, I had no idea why I was so...

I am a teacher and took last few weeks of school as medical leave. My ptsd flared up and I went through 3 weeks of a day program. My meds are set. I have a therapist. My money runs out in two months and there are debts. So, like any responsible single mother of 2, I began a job search. I reached...

@ms spock this is great news! It’s very validating to have someone basically tell you that you were right that something was very wrong - and it wasn’t you at all. I wish you the best with this. As a teacher, I know about toxic school climates. I am in the process of trying to leave teaching...

I agree. I have trouble wanting to talk to people. It’s very draining for me. Most of the time I am in pain and I need to hide that from people who reach out. I try yo save my pain fir counseling. This hiding of what I really feel and carrying on a normal conversation is exhausting. I am a...

Something I learned in therapy yesterday is that my responses to life and situations usually are colored by past trauma. Like when something happens - I am not just reacting to that but also to whatever was triggered in me from my past. I hadn’t taken that into account before. When things feel...

@somerandomguy it’s great that things have turned around for you. What kind of “work” did you need to do for it to get better, if you are comfortable answering?

Reading these posts helps me to not feel so alone. I isolate myself as much as possible and avoid going outside. I was diagnosed with agoraphobia, but it goes deeper than that. I find human interaction exhausting, but then feel guilty that I don’t reciprocate to people who care. My longterm...

Ptsd is my primary diagnosis, along with a laundry list of a few others. For the past decade my sex drive gradually disappeared. It has been completely gone for several years now and I am 50. Has anyone ever come back from this complete lack of sex drive back to intimacy? I’m wondering if I can...

Thank you for your support - I needed to hear that...he moved out and I feel safer...

You are fortunate that you can talk to your husbands about it. That says a lot about the strength of your relationships. When I stopped wanting to be intimate with my ex, I started finding lubricant everywhere around the house. I told him about my trauma but he flat out told me that since I...

You are right @Deanna's Gap! I need to expand my horizons.... i am trying. It has been really hard to accept ptsd and let go of my old identity. I am still clinging to who I was or thought I was anyway. I am really struggling coming to terms with the reality of what I am and need, which is more...

I’m starting to really see how my sleeping is stress-related. After losing my job, I just started applying to new jobs and every application literally takes the life out of me. Mostly I am worried that my ptsd symptoms will get in the way of me doing a good job, waking up on time, keeping it...

Maybe that’s part of the challenge - to rearrange our lives so that they are livable. I am so sorry you lost your fiancée. My heart goes out to you @Deanna's Gap

@Sideways routine is good advice. I also heard it in the program and from my therapist. I also agree that it’s good to keep an eye which coping skills are working for me. I learned this time that ptsd has “flareups” - I didn’t know that before. I’m definitely going through a flareup for the past...

This is very helpful! I never thought of breaking it down like that. Stress, avoidance, depression seem to fit the bill for me. I feel like I am juggling so many things-job search, divorce (and everything that comes with that), groceries, paying bills, graduate course I am taking, and kids. Even...

I am so sorry that you are going through this... and understand that feeling of exhaustion after being a fighter throughout life. I also understand that deep sadness that just wants it all to be over. As I write, I myself am trying to climb out of my feeling incapacitated by ptsd and various...