Relationship Came Across This Description Of Ptsd

[Lilmssunshine]

"People who have PTSD have three basic feelings, when something, anything happeneds, they feel afraid. Then they lash out in anger at what has frightened them. Then they go numb. Occasionally they get so bored with being numb, they go out and do something that creates, or causes pain. That pain is the only thing that can break through the numbness. It's the only that lets them know they're real. It's like the old saying, "pinch yourself to know your real".

How Melodie Beattie's friend Scotty describes PTSD in the book, "Playing it by heart, taking care of yourself no matter what".

I found this to be an interesting description.

 

[Changing4Best]

Hmmmmnnn.... I'm not sure I agree with all of that description. None the less, I have at times felt numb, and sometimes have lashed out in anger, so who knows. My greater sensibilities, however, seem to tell me that this somehow is a very limited description of PTSD. I look forward to other folks' comments on this. It should be interesting to hear these.

What about dissociation, and so many of the other symptoms of PTSD? Maybe that description seems much too simple, and does not begin to get the gist of the whole picture.

 

[Friday]

Interesting, if not really accurate.

 

[anonymous]

Ah I do like a good bit of sweeping generalisation with my morning coffee.

 

[Lilmssunshine]

I just happened across it. Not knowing if it's true. It was just one persons opinion who has PTSD. The book is a codependency/story of an addict. So I'm not sure why she even placed something about that illness in this particular book. I was curious as to what others think about it.

 

[Justmehere]

Interesting to see that this is someone's opinion.

Do I feel 3 basic emotions? nope.

Some trauma therapists give out lists of emotions and ask PTSD sufferer's what emotions they are feeling. The list has at least 20 different emotions on it.

In that sequence? not at all.

And pain being the only thing that makes me feel real and um.... ugh. No No No and No. And No.

From amazon.com this is part of the description of the author.
"Beattie was a struggling single parent of two children, freelance author, and journalist cranking out stories for a small-town daily newspaper in 1986 when she came up with a book idea. She wanted to write a book about what happens to people when they love someone who is addicted to alcohol and other drugs.... Playing It By Heart is Beattie's first original book for Hazelden since 1990; the book is a return to her recovery roots that first brought her national recognition."

She wrote Co-dependency No More, and I know this book has helped many.

However, she's not a trauma expert. She has no training in psychology. None. There are a lot of great books out there to read to better to understand PTSD sufferers written by people with more qualifications to write what "people with PTSD feel..." Actually, they probably would never make such a broad generalization. But they would better explain how PTSD affects people.

It is weird she would put that blurb in there, in such a broad way, as if she would know what all people with PTSD would feel. It's inaccurate in every way. And arrogant.

 

[Lilmssunshine]

I felt her writing about PTSD was a bit misplaced in this book. Kind of a random topic. I have loved her other books but I'm not enjoying this book as much as the others. There's too many random topics and not enough about the topic at hand. I can see how this description would affend a reader who has the illness.

 

[WillyKat]

That's a perfectly plausible personal experience of PTSD, but I don't think you can necessarily generalize that to how others experience it. In my experience, I would often go numb after being afraid. That was how my life was for decades. It was only recently that my anger became an issue.

PTSD is a diagnosis mental health professionals use. It's not exactly a precision instrument. I reckon you could have separate diagnoses for each one of us; it's that varied.

 

[Fadeaway]

I am calling bull. While it is a possibility that some may do that and others may do that occasionally, I find that to be a dangerous assumption that everyone experiences it, and that those that do experience it every time.

For the majority of my life I couldn't feel anger at all period. It didn't exist as an emotional range for me. I learned early on that anger was a punishable offense. I lost the ability to know how to be angry. I am better now ;).

Also pain is not the only thing that can break you out of numbness. Sometimes it just fades away, other times just a change of scenery can do it.

 

[Chava]

Yes, too generalized. The author writes some specific stuff...like which feelings and how they are managed, but without any sort of "my experience" or even "some people." So, it's just awkward. And the pain bit is confusing...I read it as indicating self harm, which makes sense to me, but if I was reading this with no personal experience of it, this description would probably just be more confusing than helpful. I'd take away that people with PTSD have just a few feelings and can't manage anger, but just lash out.

I, for one, do NOT lash out. I back away, immobilize. Maybe I lash in. But I don't really even experience anger at all, like it's not even an option. Maybe I go from fear to numbness. And most of the time, if I'm numb, I prefer to stay there. :dead: My self injury was not about feeling real...maybe more like lashing in. Once I could get numb more often through hard liquor (love me my numbness), I simply quit cutting. Anyway, just a too-generalized description...

 

[anonymous]

This is literally the stupidest most potentially damaging thing I have ever personally read about PTSD...

 

[seedling]

I used to go from intense anxiety to depression, mixed with numbness. Or maybe, very numb about some emotions (love, affection connectedness) and intense about the others.

The anxiety was more energizing but draining, the depression was calmer and quieter and also draining.

No lashing out here, like @Chava said: "lashing in", maybe, for me, depression, instead of anger at others. I still don't feel my anger completely. When I tell my trauma story I see others' anger displayed and try to feel that level of it for myself.