Back To It

[Whyteferret]

I am really struggling with things right now. Long story short: I have PTSD, brain injury, depression, and anxiety. I ended up going in to the Vet Center to start therapy again.. The therapist is someone I know who has at least a decent understanding of TBI and an extensive background with the other problems I mentioned. Ironically,we were coworkers at the VA before he moved over to the Vet Center.

(A Vet Center provides mental health counseling for issues related to combat action or Military Sexual Trauma. It is still a federal agency but is totally independent from the VA.)

He told me a couple of things that really hit home. One was to quit trying to separate what is brain injury and what is PTSD. The brain is physical. So they overlap. And, yes, my brain injury can make the PTSD worse by harming my ability to manage the symptoms and any triggers. I'm not sure why figuring out what was which was/ is so important to me. Maybe I'm looking for structure because it's how my brain works now? The other thing he mentioned is that I don't seem to have a goal or direction now. I've changed and I have no idea what to do, what to work towards. I'm in limbo. Totally true.

I want to be able to adjust to change and stressors without flipping out for days or weeks. And not to be suicidal during the adjustment/ understanding phase. That's a goal, I suppose.

Hope all of you are having a good day (or night) today.

 

[Leigh925]

You might be interested in reading Peter Levine's book "In An Unspoken Voice" He is a a leader in the world of trauma treatment....He says ptsd IS a brain injury so no need to seperate really. I learned so much from that book about myself and about PTSD.

 

[Whyteferret]

@Leigh925
PTSD causing changes to the brain. You can see them on PET scans. But, Traumatic Brain Injury is different. They overlap a lot though.
My PTSD got so much worse after the head injury. Two unrelated issues. So, the physical damage caused by the TBI did something.

I think the treatment of both is trying to get the damaged areas to re-wire.

Maybe having both just damages more areas of the brain. You can see some really fun "scar" tissue on my MRI.

I think I'll check out the book though. It sounds interesting.
Thanks for suggesting it

 

[Leigh925]

Gotcha! I think you would still like it. The psychologist that wrote the book shares his experiences from a brain perspective after he got hit by a car. I found it fascinating.

 

[Leigh925]

He did not have brain injury though! Sorry you kind of got a double dose of it!

 

[Whyteferret]

He did not have brain injury though! Sorry you kind of got a double dose of it!

Thanks for the suggestion though. I think anything that help me figure this stuff out. Even if it's confirmation of it being both together feeding off each other.

Be interesting to see what tomorrow's session brings up