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I think it's great insight that hobbies can help you connect to your body in a safe way, and I think this is important for us folk who have issues with that. Yoga is great, and there are many types, so if you try it and don't like it, you might want to try an entirely different kind before...

@Lionheart777: Cannabis has several psychoactive and medically relevant compounds, including THC and CBD, which have different effects. CBD cancels out the "high" effect of THC to a degree, and acts like a sedative. Indicas, which typically have more CBD than sativas, are better for people who...

I made a sculpture once, a head. The face is smooth, expressionless, hard and numb. Except the eyes, which are hollow and lit from within; broken glass glints through in piercing, bright colors. The skull is cracking open, pieces missing here and there, and if you peer inside, you can see the...

Have you tried natural supplements? My partner, who also has PTSD, has had some success with a combination of anxiety-reducing and serotonin-promoting supplements that have been able to replace her antidepressants. She's gone on and off of them over time as needed, and has found that they don't...

EMDR was tough for me, but it also brought great relief. I think it's absolutely normal to be scared! But, in my opinion, it's one of the most valuable interventions I've made for myself so far. Good for you for taking this step for yourself. I second macca's advice about self-care afterwards...

ALSO: Working out regularly really IS incredibly helpful.

I can share what worked for me. Note that what I'm proposing is more of a long-term strategy, rather than suggesting tools that help in the moment, in the heat of it. I had what felt like an intractable anger problem, and it's much more manageable now. I found the standard anger-management...

Speaking up about your feelings in this case might even improve your relationship with your therapist. Sometimes working through a sore spot--and realizing you're emotionally safe when you do speak up--can do wonders for building trust in a relationship!

Welcome to the forum! I think it's common for people to discount their own experiences, whether it's because they've got some numbing or dissociative coping mechanisms in place, or because they've "learned" that their pain isn't significant, or because pain is so normal, or some other reason...

Thanks for starting this thread. I would love to try somatic experiencing (have read Levine's work), but don't have the money for therapy. If anyone has concrete tips for how to go it alone down this path, I'm all ears! :) It seems Levine's most self-help-y book is Healing Trauma. I haven't...

I have to say, I think it's hard to get someone to face or work through their traumas. I do feel like it's one of those things that people do have to decide for themselves. I also do think it's fair for you to express your concern for him. And, you can offer to be there for him if he ever wants...

Dissociation was my go-to coping strategy for a long, long time. I lived in a kind of protective numbness to which I am sure a lot of people on this forum can relate. In my experience, dissociation can certainly bring relief, respite, protection, a chance to breathe... an escape from terror...

You are certainly courageous. I appreciate you sharing your insight. I am wondering whether your efforts have come to fruition in large part perhaps because you actively FACED your traumas, your triggers, your nightmares, your "ideas gone wrong." I am wondering to what extent being able to let...

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your brave post. I'm sorry you've been through so much pain. There are many people on this forum who can relate. I've found so much support here, and I know you can find the same! Take care.

I felt humbled when I saw such long lists posted. Then, I made my own. I never realized how much I've done and how much I still do. Thank you for this thread, it's really made me feel positive about all the hard work I've put in so far. It's nice to take stock sometimes! TRIED: sedatives SSRIs...

Everything changed when N came to take care of us. I no longer endured the interminable emptiness of isolation, at least not in the same painful way. Other kinds of pain replaced it. But there was relief, too. Some of what seems so horrific now was actually a welcome respite back then. I...

I used to take Escitalopram (Lexapro), and glad to be done with that. Currently, I am prescribed cannabis, and do not find that it causes any kind of depression increase. In fact, I think it might help protect me from depression. It certainly helps with insomnia and anxiety.

My experience, for what it's worth: I had traditional talk therapy with my therapist for a few months before we attempted EMDR. I think I needed to first get to know her first before I could let my guard down enough for EMDR. Then again, this was EMDR where I was reporting out loud what I was...

Thank you, ill. I do believe writing is such a great way to help untangle and clarify thoughts and feelings. Clarity is unambiguously a good thing to me. It's the sharing part that gets me questioning. Some days I just feel like it's so indulgent to expect any kind of support or care on top of...

I am not really sure about this trauma writing. Does it help, or simply re-trigger? Am I exposing myself beyond my own tolerance levels, and if so, what's the point of that? What am I trying to do here? Is this really about desensitization, as I've been telling myself? Learning to be more open...

Personally, I have no experience with ketamine. But, a friend of mine was recently telling me about research showing promise for ketamine in the treatment of PTSD. I just did a quick google, and found this article...

SO, I guess I'm really going to try this... Try journaling on the internet about my traumatic memories. I know it's anonymous, but it still feels so exposing! That's sort of the point, though, I guess... Trauma causes us to ball ourselves up, to hide, and it makes sense to me that airing this...

Here is what I try to think about sometimes when I feel broken: Those of us with PTSD, are we "broken," or are we simply skilled at surviving? The environment that shaped us was threatening, and we adjusted in the most adaptive, self-protecting ways possible. Isn't the mere existence of PTSD...

I am sorry you are suffering, and I am glad you have found this place. There is a lot of support here if you want it! As for healing options: My experience is that you might have to be agentic and persistent to get the right kind of professional support. There are far too many psychiatrists...

I see so many people on this forum referring to how they were "before PTSD." I feel empathy for these people, because I can tell they are experiencing a huge loss. It must be destabilizing to feel like your identity has been ripped from you. But, at the same time, I have to confess that I feel...