can ppl with severe ptsd improve overtime?

[Ptsdmiracle]

trying to find hope.
It's been a year since diagnosis and trauma.
Is it possible to recover to a certain degree with therapy or am I stuck debilitated forever?
Would be helpful to hear from those who have improved and can offer hope.

 

[Freemartin]

It’s possible, absolutely!
I’ve recovered a tonne and I’m still improving. And I intend to recover a lot still.
When I was at my worst? I lied on the sofa, day in day out, puking and crying every time I had to go to the bathroom. For months. True story.

Now? I’m working on my Master’s thesis, running, boxing, having a good social life... still not perfect, some days far from it, but it’s so much better than it used to be. Really.

I’d say having a good therapist is really important. For years I was stuck with one I thought was good, but when I got to work with this other one? That’s when things really started to improve.

Also, good self care is important. Annoying as f*ck sometimes, all this healthy eating, exercise, sleep hygiene... but, it makes a huge difference.

Hang in there. There is hope, there is healing and there really is good stuff in life awaiting. Promise.

 

[Kamorth]

It absolutely gets better. There's no time limit, it takes longer for some people than others, but it really does get easier over time and you can be happy again. You might never be completely over what happened, but you'll get better at not thinking about it and being happy about other things. You just have to give yourself time.

 

[Friday]

It took me roughly 5-7 years to get back to what I usually quantify as 92% &/or “an orgasm of sanity” ;). But since the rest were things I just DGAF about? Weren’t worth it to me to put any effort into sorting? Not really sure how fair that assessment is. I don’t know if I could have gotten 100% if I’d tried... or if in trying I’d just have made myself miserable, when I was perfectly happy exactly as I was. Shrug. What if’s and maybes are like that.

My major problem is that time “all” I did was go after symptoms. Essentially made a list of what I didn’t like and came at them on the basis of how much they annoyed me. I also wasn’t in therapy. I’d been lucky enough to have my first panic attack in front of someone who also had panic attacks, and then we -and a few others- spent the next long weekend deliberately triggering them, until I had a handle on what was happening, and could get back in control very very quickly. So I treated everything like that. Don’t like it? Change it.

The downside/my major problem is that after a solid decade of 92% sane? Living a totally badass life I loved and adored, and had never been happier? By not going after the root cause, when new trauma, stressors, and loss of coping mechanisms hit? ALL the old stuff came whirling out of Pandora’s box. I was right back where I started, with new problems, to boot. Major. Pain. In. The. Ass. I didn’t know any better, the first time, like I said,,, I wasn’t in therapy, I was just winging it.

So, this time, I’m doing shit differently. Symptoms AND RootCause. It’s taking longer. And I’m a helluva lot less functional than I was the first time through. But I also did this once before. I can do it, again.

 

[laverite]

Yes, absolutely there is hope! I had PTSD for years, tried to stuff it down, pretended a lot, until I felt dead inside. You didn't say what caused yours, and it can be lots of different things, but for me it was rape. Each person's triggers will be different depending on what caused the trauma. I am healed and free from all the things that plagued me then: hatred, desire for revenge, nightmares, self-loathing, disgust, emotional/mental instability, rage, fear, and despair.

One thing to do first is to separate "then" from "now." What happened then does NOT define you as a person. Yes, trauma hits us deeply and hard, but you have a decision to make: will you let it own you/control your entire future, or will you put it in its place (the past) and take control of how you will live your life now? Don't believe lies that you are damaged goods, that you are permanently ruined, that you are unlovable, that you can't get past it, etc. These are unproductive and they are LIES. You are a precious person, loved by God, with gifts and talents to share with the world...don't let the thing that happened steal from you the life that God intended.

I do highly recommend therapy, with someone who specializes in YOUR type of trauma. The way PTSD is treated depends on what happened. War is way different than a sexual crime against you. Witnessing a murder is way different than being in a horrific accident. So make sure you find a counselor who is highly recommended and isn't a newbie (experience counts for a lot).

I was helped in therapy, but the thing that helped the most was a support group, led by a therapist, guiding a small group of women through a one-year program of healing (all had been sexually abused in some way, as had the therapist). It was faith-based, held in a church, and it was the hardest, most healing, most productive thing I did in my years of seeking help. I also have a wonderful husband who held my hand through all the ugliness and darkness. Having at least one person in your life who will sit with you, cry with you, hold your hand, hold you when you weep, pray for you, whatever...you need that. I hope you have one trusted friend or family member who can be this support for you.

You have to walk towards the pain, face it head-on, and defeat it step by step. It's hard work, but pure worth it. Seek God's help, too; He's right there, waiting to be asked. He desires nothing more than to come alongside us in this challenging thing called life...to comfort, heal, guide, and listen. He is FOR you, not against you. He has restored me and my life is joyful and peaceful for the most part (but not perfect). I haven't forgotten what happened, but it doesn't trigger me any longer, it's more like a scar that has healed but is noticeable. It has enabled me to offer comfort and encouragement to others as well, which adds to the healing. May it be so for you.

 

[Rani G2]

Is it possible to recover to a certain degree with therapy or am I stuck debilitated forever?

@Ptsdmiracle
If one is born into a warzone, meaning = Prenatal abuse, Violence/sexual abuse/ chronic traumatization then base material is pretty much missing. From Identity issues to Mental illness...I was pretty much isolated from a "Normal" society for many years. Made visits to paychiatric/psychosomatic wards, and had years of different kinds of therapy.
The Normal of Today is acceptable to me,I can work, and my Body is no longer an enemy. This normal existence is pretty much okay to liveable and even sometimes there are small glimpses of "curiosity"which makes me wants to live (After the whole inner work is done!) But still there is a few construction work that needs to be made and its always moving back and forth.

 

[Renestel]

First off, I love your name and love that you are asking questions. Good for you, it shows your spark. While I don’t believe in god helping everything and blah blah blah, I believe im the beauty and strength of people. You are still here. Some days, that might be the one thing at night you say you accomplished. Sadly, it’s more of an accomplishment than we sometimes realize. I’ve been through a really, REALLY rough road. My advice is pace yourself, be gentle to yourself, and absolutely appreciate anyone who sees you through this. Therapy is a must, but don’t just choose anyone because you need a good fit. Last advice-get into nature any chance you get. Nature is the best healer and will listen to anything you want to say, while embracing you with color, beauty and wisdom.

 

[somerandomguy]

I've gone through three distinct phases of PTSD.
First - untreated, lasting 15 years. My PTSD manifested as a deep depression interspersed with suicidality that no antidepressants could touch.

Second - initial phase of healing. Unfortunately it really does get worse before it gets better as I worked through accepting what had happened to me. Lots of emotional dysregulation and occasional derealization, dissociation, flashbacks, etc. I cried pretty much every day. But with work, I got to the phase I'm at now.

Third: improvement. I still dysregulate but it's not as extreme, and I am able to bring myself back with greater ease. It's also clear how cyclical it is, since now I can go up to a couple of weeks without any symptoms. I expect that non-symptomatic lengths of time will increase.

A note that I'm probably PTSD and not C-PTSD, but still, it can be done.

 

[blackemerald1]

Is it possible to recover to a certain degree with therapy or am I stuck debilitated forever?

^Short answer is yes.

You've got to persevere and make it happen.
But it will still take it's own time regardless of how much you want it to be done.
Accept the setbacks, be grateful for the gains and look at success, recovery and the meaning of forever differently.
All of these I've struggled mightily with and every now and then, more than I want to or think I can, I struggle again.
But each time I cycle out of the downward spiral and move forward I have conquered another seemingly inescapable void.

Time takes on a different meaning when dealing with this condition. There is acceptance and healing that takes longer than you want, the impatience & frustration to be better because you haven't got time to be be unwell and the longing for the time when you want back what you once were or now should be.

And then the delightful surprises with the leaps and bounds you never expected you would make, when you've all but given up.

And around it goes again.

 

[Lionheart]

My therapist told me years ago, that I had experienced, severe, prolonged child abuse. I used to drink a couple of fifths of whiskey, cut myself with razor blades, and pray to die. I put myself in dangerous, abusive circumstances and could have died as a result.

At first, I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel....hell, I couldn't even see the tunnel :) But all joking aside it seemed as if it were never going to be any better. Then as I worked in therapy, things got more intense and difficult, but eventually, the symptoms decreased in frequency and intensity and I healed from the core issues.

I am by no means cured, I still struggle with some of the symptoms of PTSD, but it is light years away from the "Hell" I experienced when I was early on my healing path.

I no longer drink, cut myself or pray to die and although I needed professional help to heal from the effects of trauma, I now enjoy a much greater quality of life than what I had previously known. So my answer is Yes.

 

[Rleathen]

Absolutely. Your perspective and attitude plays a major factor in your recovery howevere. If you don't really believe you can recover you likely won't. If you just wait for recovery to happen it likely won't. For me after being diagnosed with severe PTSD and severe Major Depressive Disorder with significant suicidal ideation (I was able to step back from the point of no return when I made my suicide decision) I had to make a choice, assume the role of a victim and let my PTSD/Depression take me over or fight it with everythinb I have. I chose to fight it! How did I fight it.....firstly I made the decision to believe that I could actually conquer it ! Secondly I chose to make my recovery happen instead of just waiting for it to happen and thirdly I learned everything I could about my symptoms, PTSD and Depression....not just at a high level but at a deep fundamental level...I jokingly tell people with the amount I have learned I am an almost full on psychologist, minus the post-doctorate education and multiple degrees but pretty damn close!! One of my PTSD mentors would always say that knowledge is power and gives you power over that which is trying to destroy you. Like others have said, it's not easy and requires a ton of effort, it truly is a battle unlike anything else but oh so worth it.....so long story short........ABSOLUTELY you can recover from it!!

 

[Renestel]

@Lionheart777 , you bring up a good point that might be helpful to this person. I still live with symptoms of PTSD as well, even though I’m now not living the nightmare of cutting myself to the point of passing out, breaking TVs, and having panic attacks to the point of pooling drool on the bathroom floor. But while some of these symptoms are a constant challenge that you need to workout, meditate, or other to keep that little monster in its cage, I also have noticed how amazing it is in emergencies. I have become trained in wilderness first responder and CPR. It fuels me in emergencies. Do other people have experiences where PTSD actually comes into play and becomes a help/gift? I think that is worth mentioning as well to Miracle. While we all do have to live with this at SOME level the rest of our lives, the light in the dark is that at times it is truly there to help you.