Sufferer C-PTSD- Seeking connection to feel less alone: What was your experience in unmasking?

[purplevanillaworld]

Hey, I’m Thalia. I’m new here, and this is my first time seeking support and community in a public forum.

CPTSD has made it difficult to connect authentically. I’ve spent most of my life performing “all good” while quietly unraveling underneath. Peeling away that mask has been transformative, but it’s also lonely — the people who knew my masked self often struggle with the truer version of me.

As I’ve started sharing my diagnosis with those closest to me, I’m realizing just how much my body, mind, and spirit have been carrying for decades. Now that I’m finally letting myself rest, the toll is obvious: unexplained illnesses, nervous system crashes, physical symptoms that feel like they’ve been waiting in the wings for years. My body simply can’t tolerate what it once did, and that isolation can feel crushing — but I’ve also become fiercely protective of my nervous system as it heals.

Can anyone else relate to this? The loneliness of living more authentically? The strange physical fallout once you stop suppressing? The bittersweet freedom of unmasking, even as it costs you certain connections?

I’d love to hear about your healing stories, your “unmasking,” and the symptoms that surprised you once you finally stopped pretending.

Really looking forward to connecting with you all <3

 

[arfie]

hello thalia. welcome to the forum.

i think what you are calling, "unmasking" was being called, "coming out of the closet" when i joined my first public forum. that was many moons and even more tech evolutions ago. dumb phones with chords and snail mail were the high tech of the day. i study languages and strongly believe that translating between decades is harder than translating between empirical languages. i'm purely guessing that your unmasking is the same as my coming out of the closet. in those days coming out of the closet meant letting go of secrecy, in general.

in my own unmasking, letting go of those secrecy codes in quasi-public forum was a critical element. i'm not ready to bare the facts of my life on oprah, but the anonymous respect for privacy i found in support groups allowed me to get to know, show and love myself, just as i am, broken pieces and all.

50 years later, i am still a loner who values her privacy, but i am far more comfortable with seeking the balance between privacy and isolation. most days i even like my own self. i have acquired a massive toolbox to help me through the bad days.

 

[Surefoot]

Hey, I’m Thalia. I’m new here, and this is my first time seeking support and community in a public forum.

CPTSD has made it difficult to connect authentically. I’ve spent most of my life performing “all good” while quietly unraveling underneath. Peeling away that mask has been transformative, but it’s also lonely — the people who knew my masked self often struggle with the truer version of me.

As I’ve started sharing my diagnosis with those closest to me, I’m realizing just how much my body, mind, and spirit have been carrying for decades. Now that I’m finally letting myself rest, the toll is obvious: unexplained illnesses, nervous system crashes, physical symptoms that feel like they’ve been waiting in the wings for years. My body simply can’t tolerate what it once did, and that isolation can feel crushing — but I’ve also become fiercely protective of my nervous system as it heals.

Can anyone else relate to this? The loneliness of living more authentically? The strange physical fallout once you stop suppressing? The bittersweet freedom of unmasking, even as it costs you certain connections?

I’d love to hear about your healing stories, your “unmasking,” and the symptoms that surprised you once you finally stopped pretending.

Really looking forward to connecting with you all <3

Thalia, It is an amazing step to acknowledge and address the disabilities that screw up our lives. I can tell that once you know your enemy, you can start healing. It was a lengthy process for me but I have gained a wonderful life. I will always have the enemy but it will no longer cripple me. You didn't cause your disability but you can get to a place of holiness and peace. Keep the faith (which is a large factor in my healing)!
Blessings

 

[Friday]

Welcome to the community!

Putting on my staff-hat for a moment Whilst we have a site rule against duplicating content, I’d like to invite you to repost your question about unmasking here >>> General PTSD <<< As only a minority of members touch base in the introductions forum, & I suspect this particular Q will get a lot of traction, with more readership.

Back to me’self, again! Aloha. Sorry for what’s brought you here, but glad you found us.

 

[arianna_w]

Hey, I’m Thalia. I’m new here, and this is my first time seeking support and community in a public forum.

CPTSD has made it difficult to connect authentically. I’ve spent most of my life performing “all good” while quietly unraveling underneath. Peeling away that mask has been transformative, but it’s also lonely — the people who knew my masked self often struggle with the truer version of me.

As I’ve started sharing my diagnosis with those closest to me, I’m realizing just how much my body, mind, and spirit have been carrying for decades. Now that I’m finally letting myself rest, the toll is obvious: unexplained illnesses, nervous system crashes, physical symptoms that feel like they’ve been waiting in the wings for years. My body simply can’t tolerate what it once did, and that isolation can feel crushing — but I’ve also become fiercely protective of my nervous system as it heals.

Can anyone else relate to this? The loneliness of living more authentically? The strange physical fallout once you stop suppressing? The bittersweet freedom of unmasking, even as it costs you certain connections?

I’d love to hear about your healing stories, your “unmasking,” and the symptoms that surprised you once you finally stopped pretending.

Really looking forward to connecting with you all <3

Hi Thalia, I’m Arianna. Nice to meet you and I hope when you read this that you’re having a peaceful moment.

Unmasking for me, as someone who has both ADHD and is Autistic, is painful. Unlearning internalized shame and ways of being that you realize aren’t of you but formed by the people surrounding you can make you feek empty, but this is a good time to get to know yourself, establish your boundaries, redefine who you are on your terms and time. I’ve lost quite a lot of people who I thought were my close friends and support system, but left behind better connections that make me feel full rather than exhausted and empty.

Most of all, love yourself deeply, the bad and good. You deserve to be your biggest supporter and love too~