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So, I have an offline friend who shows every indication of being an undiagnosed & untreated sufferer. She is, in many ways, easy for me to relate to, and we usually get along really well. But she's so utterly self-absorbed, incapable of understanding that when I say "You hurt me," I'm not...

EMDR: It's finger-looking good.

My first marriage lasted 9 years. Marriage 2 has had its first slump, which is pretty much over now, we're almost as good as we were during courtship, and stronger for it. I'm starting to remember the positives of that first marriage, which is extremely painful. I learned to dissociate from...

Has anyone else been watching Legion? I feel like it's 'emotionally true' - that the various characters go through emotional experiences and show feelings that look like someone going through therapy, even though the superpowers and whatnot are very clearly unreal. That whole business of...

I haven't worked in a few months, but decided to do some volunteer work at a medical research event. My team won, largely because I did some clever things with the computer. And there are people who want me to continue that research, which means that there's an opportunity for part-time work...

Last week, I was really annoyed with someone. I could see that they were trying to help, but at the same time, they were doing it in an infuriating way. I switched rapidly between anger and gratitude, and then, I seemed to be feeling both emotions at once. Historically, I've know how I 'should'...

Yesterday was hard. My wife got frustrated, and used some pretty strong language to express it. "I'm done, I can't take it anymore," was the highlight, with "Done" and "No more" repeated a few times. I handled it really well. Listened, was supportive, didn't lose my composure, didn't have to...

I find food really difficult. Deciding what to eat, preparing it and enjoying it; these are constant struggles for me. As a child, I was proud of my ability to cook, and it was a largely positive interaction with my parents. In the process of realising that I needed to get out, I dissociated...

Is anyone aware of any formal studies into myptsd.com as a therapeutic intervention? (That is to say, a controlled study into whether this website helps people.) I'm aware that those of us who continue to be active have positive opinions, but am curious as to whether there's scientific...

Spent Monday to Friday last week learning about mental illness and how to help people in a classroom setting. Asked a friend on Friday evening if they were suicidal, the answer came back 'yes', and so we spent an hour on the phone. The moment I got off the phone, I went into a living room...

I was talking to a social worker yesterday who shared a trick with me: When she wants to have a conversation with someone who is having difficulty coping with conversations, she gives them a ride in her car. Often she drives them to the beach, where it's an option to sit and look at the waves...

So, my MHFA (mental health first aid) instructor's course started yesterday. It's hard, but not in the way I expected; they talk about strict entry requirements followed by an easy course, and I can see the truth of it. I can also imagine many people from this site who would pass the entry...

Two weeks ago, a kidney stone started making its way out of my body, and the pain levels involved were (quite literally) staggering. I was prescribed a kind of morpheine, and have been taking it according to the instructions, as little as I can. It's scary, because I've been able to work and...

Am I the only person who found Harley Quinn extremely relateable, and utterly loveable?

The trauma that impacts my life the most profoundly these days is not the stuff that was done to me, it's the stuff that I did. I swore that I wouldn't do the things that had been done to me, but in my first marriage I couldn't cope with the way I was being treated, and I turned violent. It cost...

There is value in understanding the difference between different kinds of ideas. My view (and I'm unlikely to be swayed) is that 'Structural Diagnosis' is a theory of pathology, and that the diagnoses that it informs are PTSD, DD-NOS and DID. This is the view expressed in The Haunted Self, and...

Last night's episode of Four Corners has a story about policemen suffering from PTSD being mistreated by major organizations. I didn't get anything valuable from stories about folks being mistreated. I did, however, find it valuable to look at those men talk about their lives. Specifically...

So, when I was getting my diagnosis, I was living on my own in the cheapest place I could find. Other people who lived in that block of flats included drug addicts, gang members, invalids, and really quiet people who kept to themselves and moved out as fast as they could. My survival depended...

Early in therapy, I accepted that I had been violent. I had sworn I would not repeat the excuse, but all those thoughts about getting rid of perpetrators found a target, and the target was me. I couldn't handle this part that hated me so badly, that wanted me to die, so I dissociated from it...

So, I have lots of Facebook friends. Most of them have met me in real life, and there's a lot of people there whose opinions I really care about. I made a post that said "I have DID, feel free to ask me about it" and I got a lot of positive replies. One less secret to be afraid of people...

After 3 months of being unable to work, I signed up for a 2-day course. I then attended the course, and did my 'start of the working day' ritual for the first time in ages, which I found very stressful. Attended the course, contributed in ways that people seemed to appreciate. Spoke to the...

Having read a lot of EMDR threads, I figured I'd write about my experience, having started EMDR quite recently. (tldr version: it was scary as hell, but it worked out for me.) Background I've been seeing the same therapist for 13 years (on and off) now. Recently, I've hit a plateau in terms...

So I have a diary in the members section that talks about what happened to me, the early stuff and whatnot. I'd like to be a bit more public. And the trauma that I haven't processed? It's not about what was done to me, it's about what I did. I ran away from my parents home, I intimidated my...

My symptoms aren't too bad right now. I'm managing to do a little bit of work, and I'm no longer useless around the house. I'm making it out of the house every day. Meanwhile, I'm tired, and kinda bored as well. I come to these forums and I see everybody hurting and being brave, and I feel...

So funny. Deadpool's ability to be awesome and pathetic at the same time was just a joy to watch. I'm not usually very good with massive amounts of violence, but I did find the ultraviolence funny. The idea that someone can be utterly insane and still somehow lovable is appealing, too ;)