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can ppl with severe ptsd improve overtime?

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@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.

Unfortunately for me my PTSD/Depression is the direct result of being a 1st responder where some of the symptoms of PTSD are actually well engrained in me because of training (i.e. hypervigilence). I would say that for some, sure PTSD can fuel you in emergencies but for others, especially 1st responders it is a curse!
 
Yes kinda. Not being suicidally depressed or worried about it. Big improvement. I never said this before I don't think, but there could be grades of trauma or types? Not referring to severity.

Some of the examples were talking about getting back to somewhere. I don't have that. Since my earliest memories are involved more or less with my trauma and it went on so long I think some of the formative stuff never happened like it should have.

Idk what it would be like having had some kind of normalcy and then be thrown off that. I did have some, but underneath there was always an undercurrent. The "undertoad", I think that was in "The world according to Garp".

I hope you feel better.
 
I have come a very long way; From hurtling down a self destruct path, with eating disorder, self harm (cutting, etc) drinking myself into oblivion, much other risky behaviour, trauma reenactment, Suicidal ideation and deeeeep depression, zombie-like numbness and chronic dissociation, near mutism, psychosis, drug addiction, teen parenthood, codependant and very abusive relationship(s), constant dyregulation etc etc etc to, mostly, peace and wellbeing (with health issues, still), sleeping well, most of the time, a loving and mutually supportive relationship, being a solid and supportive parent, a talented artist (music, mainly), a trained "Peer Worker" (for mental health) and a, relatively, stable and solid person.

It took a long time to get here and I still have my wobbly days. I have been in T for many years and still am. I don't have a job, at the moment,, nor do I drive (yet). I did ( and/or still do) a lot of music, physical T, as in walking, yoga, dance, "Trauma Release Exercises", "mindfulness" type stuff, eat really healthy (mostly), live a quiet life, am on a disability pension. I journal here, most days, spend a lot of time in nature, have been in inpatients and group therapy, in the last couple of years, I have to manage the stress, pretty hardcore, and triggers still wobble me out and send me spiralling and, sometimes, taking days to recover. I don't have an."easy" life, by a long shot, but I laugh a lot, cry, most days, I like myself and am a decent human I think, but most people still frighten me and I avoid most of them, most of the time.

I don't know if I will ever live a "normal" life whatever that is, but, I have c-ptsd and Aspergers/Autism 1, so my normal is going to look different to other's. I am now in my mid to late 40's and it's taken solid work and brutal honesty and accountability to get this far and it's still a daily battle and an ongoing recovery journey and I want to become still more functional, but I don't know if I will, I hope so though.
 
Jumping in late here.

I wondered the same thing. Recovery is messy, but it is possible. While the PTSD is still present, the challenges I have at 4 years into recovery vs when I started are vastly different. The biggest difference is that I started out with no tools to keep my symptoms under control and now I have many.

There is no timeline or crystal ball that can say when recovery happens, but it can.
 
Jumping in late here.

I wondered the same thing. Recovery is messy, but it is possible. While the PTSD is still present, the challenges I have at 4 years into recovery vs when I started are vastly different. The biggest difference is that I started out with no tools to keep my symptoms under control and now I have many.

There is no timeline or crystal ball that can say when recovery happens, but it can.
Not going to lie....it's a 24/7/365 job staying ontop of your symptoms but........BUT.....it is possible !!
 
What symptoms are the most bothersome after a few years? Are there symptoms that have gone away for good?

For me the angry emotional outbursts have ceased which is a good thing. I am now much better at being aware when I am triggered and stopping the cascade of negative emotions from continuing on. My flashbacks have ceased as have the nightmares, vivid dreams frustration and irritation and intrusive thoughts. The hypervigilance is still quite strong and the emotional numbness is still quite prevalent as well as the lack of interest in once enjoyed activities.
 
For me the angry emotional outbursts have ceased which is a good thing. I am now much better at being aware when I am triggered and stopping the cascade of negative emotions from continuing on. My flashbacks have ceased as have the nightmares, vivid dreams frustration and irritation and intrusive thoughts. The hypervigilance is still quite strong and the emotional numbness is still quite prevalent as well as the lack of interest in once enjoyed activities.

May I ask if you are or have taken any meds or therapy types which you feel have helped
 
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May I ask if you are or have taken any meds or therapy types which you feel have helped

When I was diagnosed I threw everything I could at it. I've done yoga, meditation, coloring, gardening, aromatherapy, journaling, daily affirmations, peer support groups as well as reading everything I can on PTSD........knowledge is power which gives me power over it. I am quite cerebral about it about my approach to recovery. I do weekly therapy with a trauma trained therapist and have behavipoural Activaion for Depression, CPT, CBT and have had great success with EMDR. I have consciously chosen to make my recovery happen instead of waiting for recovery to happen. I have been able to do all this without resorting to medications (so far).
 
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.
Hell yeah.?
 
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