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Interesting that he suggested you write an apology to your mother. That reminds me of the apology I gave to both my mother and father. I was a small child when they inflicted the trauma they did on me. But since I had become an autonomous adult and started real therapy I came to accept the fact...

That's wonderful you've found a more promising path toward healing. I can definately empathize with that frustration. I didn't have to wait as long as you did to find someone who actually took the time to figure out what was really wrong but when I did it was bittersweet. It was like, "I know...

Where you mainly frustrated because the goals did not relate to your marriage as much as you'd like? You can't have a whole and happy relationship unless you are each whole and happy on your own. In all honesty I think that may be the stance your T is coming from. He may want you each to have...

His behavior may very well be a result of PTSD, but there is no reason why you should have to put up with it. What he is doing is abusive, you need to recognize that. And abuse is a flat out dealbreaker in a marriage. Don't get on his emotional rollercoaster and ride it with him, there's no...

It's true. Exercise is like a cure all. It is helps with all sorts of health problems and is known to stabilize mental health. I once heard it is a "natural anti depressant." I'm sorry your experiences with counseling have been negative. I totally know what you mean about therapists that are...

There's nothing wrong with you. Life brings us challenges all the time, and making big decisions and positive choices for ourselves unfortunately does not change that. I wish there was some kind of a honeymoon period after making a big change where we couldn't have any catastrophes, but...

I never dated much, but I'm told it's meant to be fun and enjoyable, and I agree! Don't count your chickens before their hatched, all that ever did for me was make me mad at myself for getting all worked up over nothing. Don't think of it as a herald for all the relationship woes that come after...

I certainly could be wrong, but I imagine psychodynamic psychotherapy wouldn't be much different within a place like the UK as it would anywhere else. The same principles should still apply. Psychotherapy is, in my experience, infinitely more effective for something like PTSD than "talk...

Avoidance is one I still struggle with. When you feel the way your husband is probably feeling you just want to shut the world out. You want to lock yourself away from anything and everything that could be even mildly stressful. It is a vicious circle because by trying to totally ignore problems...

I think that could even drive someone without PTSD totally nuts. What drove me insane was when I was trying to catch up on sleep or even just get a good night sleep and someone down the hall stayed up until some ungodly hour of the morning chattering about nothing or playing some frightfully...

I wouldn't be so hard on yourself about not feeling like you can talk about everything. Of course the worst stuff is going to be the most difficult to talk about. Never feel like a failure because you are honest, even just with yourself.

Glad to hear it's going well!

It sounds like you two just clicked without really having to put out a ton of effort. I love those kinds of friends :). Although it probably sounds really hard, I wouldn't overthink the relationship. I would just let it do it's own thing like it did in the first place. Just be yourself around...

The brain is a very complicated organ, to say the least. I've heard of things that seem equally "crazy;" a woman from my hometown got stress induced amnesia from her divorce. She woke up one morning and had forgotten the last 13 years of her life. It sounds surreal, but there it is. This must be...

When the memory of being sexually molested began to surface, it was a little jarring. I hadn't totally forgotten it, it was just that whenever the memory surfaced I repressed it almost instantly. I was very reluctant to talk about it because I still had a hard time acknowledging it as abuse. And...

That's very kind of you KP. I'm still struggling, but I'm feeling more hopeful than before. I had an "emergency session" with my therapist this week, even though I still doubt if what I've been going through could be called an "emergency." I feel a little better equipped now. Thank you all for...

Oh goodness, that feeling of being alone even when surrounded by friends and family :(. To me that's an indication of the need for inner healing and personal introspection. I once used the analogy of a house with someone else. A house is like a heart and mind.It can look as pretty and fancy as...

NO! NO! AND NO AGAIN!!! Do not, I repeat, do NOT assume that this will change on its own. As I said before, alcoholism does not just go away "on its own." It isn't going to happen. Having a child is a joy, but it is also stressful, there's no getting around that. If your husband hasn't learned...

I'm so sorry you're going through this with your husband. An alcoholic cannot stop drinking through willpower alone. It's not about you or how much you mean to him, it's about the fact that you husband can't stop drinking without help. Honestly if you told me he stopped drinking after doing...

I don't know if I consider myself a binge eater, but I do use food to comfort myself. Ever since I started effective therapy and rediscovered my faith I've felt less of a need to eat in general, but lord knows the cravings certainly come back up when I go through bad spells. It's just not as bad...

For starters, recognize that it is not about you. The anger and mood swings come from him and his mind. Second, communicate with him about this when he is not in one of his angry modes. When he starts saying that he cares about you, say something like, "If you care about me so much why do you...

I think maybe this would be better for the polls forum. But anyway, I got PTSD from ongoing childhood abuse, and the thing that troubles me the most is flashbacks and memories of my trauma that get brought up by my triggers.

As much as we would like to, there is no turning back the hands of time. The only thing you can do now is look forward because time is going to keep going whether you want it to or not. I too dread the day that I must bury my mother, but death comes to everyone, at one point or another, in one...

I'm so glad to hear therapy is going so well for you! That must be such a wonderful freedom! Everyone is different and no two lives walk exactly the same path. What therapy is "supposed" to do for you is a question only you can answer. Discuss it with your T and maybe write down some goals...

That's awful! How terrible to utilize a tool that you expect to be helpful only to have it make you worse. Are you letting your doctor know about this reaction? Be sure to keep in close contact with those who support you during this rough phase (though it may be hard since you are feeling the...