As a ptsd sufferer, do you believe that meditation and mindfulness can actually help?

[GreenFrog2]

Thanks for posting this maddog. I have spent some time this afternoon reading up on Mindfulness, and although it looks like it could be really helpful for me, it also looks terrifying. Am glad to see that there are positives to be had from going through the process.

I am grateful that there are others here who are "just a bit ahead of me" in this journey, it makes it all a little less daunting, and gives some hope and comfort that I can bear that tuff stuff in the short term so as to gain the long term benefits.

I will start will some of the self-help resources, and then there is a course running in my area in a couple of months, which, if I can afford, I will enroll in. Otherwise I might need to find a Buddhist Center!

 

[Abstract]

Greenfrog,
I think anything that we need tends to be terrifying! I don't think anyone finds this easy to start. Most of us want to separate ourselves from emotions, dissociate from them, use logic to avoid them etc etc. Mindfulness is the opposite. Scary stuff.

I have read the following book and found it helpful: "Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life: How Dialetical Behavior Therapy Can Put You in Control by Scott E. Spradlin.

 

[NarcSis]

I think the general populace could use a hearty dose of mindfulness, it actually helps to mitigate stress; there are days I can feel like a normal person again if I am present and engaged in my life rather than acknowledging or giving into to trauma thoughts - for the most part I am now able to push those away by being mindful. It seems like being avoidant but it's not, what it is doing is keeping you Present in the here and now rather than slipping back into the past through thought and succumbing to emotion overload.

When coupled with meditation it can be an amazing tool to help ease symptom expression and can give you the confidence to do things you once avoided. Oddly though, it's not foolproof and won't work all the time, so like me, don't be disappointed when this happens, just revert to radical acceptance and roll with it non-judgingly. It's just PTSD, momentary, temporary and episodic.

I read a digital magazine called the mindful word and it's full of really good articles but I try to stay away from the too deeply spiritual side of things because with everything there is a balance, finding it is the tough part. There are a lot of mindfulness zealots out there too so you have to be careful of the brainwashers.

 

[GreenFrog2]

Thank you Abstract and Medic - so helpful to read other peoples good experiences with Mindfulness - I hope to be able to ease my fears and anxiety so that I can get a little piece at first, and then move on to using it for ongoing self-management and treatment. Wish me luck!