Complex PTSD

[Fozzie]

I am a 61 year old man who was diagnosed with delayed complex PTSD about 5 years ago. I was in weekly therapy for about a year and only got worse. It wasn't till i went to a live in clinic in Santa Fe new Mexico for two months that i receved what i would consider to be adequate therapy and started on the road to recovery. I still struggle with some things and would like to know if there is a support group here in Ottawa Ontario. Thank you.

 

[Nicolette]

Welcome to the forum Fozzie. I am glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. My sister has CPTSD and I can appreciate the struggle you go through.

I trust you will find lots of useful information around here.

 

[mara]

Welcome, Fozzie. I am in Ontario (Canada, for international members), as well. I also have a diagnosis of Complex Postraumatic Stress Disorder. We are both in the same decade of our lives. I have been in therapy since 1985. Finding support groups is a real challenge. The constant contact with a compassionate therapist (he has worked with Holocaust survivors) has certainly helped me, but, nonetheless, I have found the walls of a therapist's office isolating at times. There have really been periods where I wanted to reach out to others, 'come out,' if you like and share my truth with others who understand in a lived kind of way just what I am experiencing. I learned to "hide" myself, from others, for safety reasons, because of attacks I have experienced for being 'crazy' and having mental health problems. (I would add that my wife, who has witessed some of my most despondent moments, has been very supportive and very understanding, even through her own fears and pain in sharing my pain.)

This forum is about as close as I have come to finding a supportive community with whom I share some common ground. Antony is certainly to be thanked for the good work he is doing here. The information is amazing.

When I was put in a group, during a hospitalization in the early stages of my being diagnosed (clinical depression was the official diagnosis - the CPTSD label came much later),
the dynamics of the group often acted as triggers for PTSD episodes and I ended up being emotionally overwhelmed. My doctor pulled me from the group because he thought it was doing more damage than good.

Be well.

mara

 

[Manic11]

Welcome to the forum, Fozzie.

I'm also in the area and there doesn't seem to be much for support groups around here, unfortunately. PTSD and certainly C-PTSD doesn't seem to be very recognized unless part of law enforcement or something along those lines. Even then I don't believe it's recognized enough. It's unfortunate.
This forum is a very good support group though. I hope you find a lot of information here, find the support you're looking for and much more.

Good luck on your healing journey.

Manic