Do We Dwell On Ptsd?

[RussH]

I was talking to my daughter, who has a BA in counselling, and she made the comment that if we did not dwell on PTSD.
I replied to her that I don't dwell on it, but it is always in the back of my mind.

The conversation did get me to thinking though; do we dwell on PTSD? Does it become an obsession with us?
Or is it that we just can't escape it?

And if we do dwell on it; how do we stop? There are so many other things I would rather spend mental energy on than PTSD, but it just always seems to be there.

What are your thoughts on it?

 

[Go Hungry]

I used to ruminate almost constantly on my traumas.. That got some better with proper bipolar meds, as it was preventing me from making any headway. I was still quite bad about it, but have gotten better recently. It's like.. I still remember those things, but I have other things to think about as well. That sort of thing.

 

[The Albatross]

It is there for me, as an impediment. I don't consider being in a mutual aid type support group, or a couple friends to discuss PTSD stuff with "dwelling". I can not say either though that PTSD is always in the back of my mind. It's not. I have moments where I can do tasks and not think of it... some hours, even a good number of hours. Just not days. I set my head straight (or try to) PTSD-wise every day.

 

[Hope4Now]

@RussH it is a question I wrestle with hundreds of times every day. Part of me says the severity of it is my own fault because I think about it so much, dwell on it, that if I stopped thinking about it and just moved on with my life, I wouldn't suffer so much.

The problem is, I can't stop thinking about the stuff. Partly because it is important to take care of myself, and I don't do that very well unless I continue to remind myself how ill/wounded I am. Partly because even when I WANT to think about other things/do other things, sometimes I just can't because I'm too overwhelmed. And partly because when I do manage to think about other things/do other things without the mindfulness of my whole fragmented self, the symptoms get intensified later.

I think there's a difference between "dwelling" on it and being mindful of it.

 

[Justmehere]

PTSD symptoms can also take up a lot of life and attention naturally. "Dwelling" on the symptoms of PTSD can be a way to productively get better. It can also be unhealthy too.

There are ways that some people sometimes do obsess about an illness. It happens in all kinds of illnesses. I used to run an autoimmune disease support group. There were some that spent appropriate amounts of time sorting it all out - which usually varies with how sick they were and how much it affected their life, and where they were in the healing process - including an emotional acceptance process. There are some that spent a lot of time on autoimmune disease because they wanted to give back and support others. There are some that go through a season of spending extra time focusing on autoimmune diseases to work through issues with it, and then when things are better, they spend less time. There were a rare few that were absolutely obsessed with their disease in ways that actually seemed quite harmful. I think this can happen for a very few people with PTSD too.

With PTSD, I think "dwelling" on trauma can be one form of intrusive thoughts, and thus can actually be a symptom of PTSD. I don't think this is any more right or wrong than having a an exaggerated startle reflex. I can’t just stop being jumpy. We can take steps to gradually work through trauma and use coping skills to be less jumpy. But using the word “dwell” is almost like saying we choose the symptoms. Heal the trauma, work on the PTSD, and the thinking about PTSD gets better too. It may also shift to spending time supporting others or spreading awareness.

It reminds me of a silly Bob Newheart sketch. To see the sketch, see this youtube video:

In the video, clients go into a therapist and they state their problem. Then the "therapist" tells them, "Stop it." And that's the sum total of the therapist advice. When clients talk about all kinds of symptoms, the therapist just says "well stop it." The clients push back, and get the same response. It's silly and funny because it's nonsense. Some people do choose to be sick, but that's a whole other diagnosis...

My therapist teaches trauma therapy. She has explained and showed me that they don't actually teach that much about PTSD in graduate school in the US. They teach even less about PTSD in BA programs. Trauma therapists generally become trauma therapists through continuing education courses.

Your daughter’s comment is probably well meaning, but misses the mark. It is worthwhile to evaluate if the time we spend think about and working on PTSD symptoms and trauma is healthy or not. My own therapist tells me to take breaks from working on my symptoms and trauma therapy work – but this isn’t because doing so will make the PTSD go away. It’s still there! She always says that the PTSD will still be with me even during the break.

 

[Dana1010]

@RussH, your daughter's comment sounds very typical of someone who's never had PTSD. Someone should tell her it's a physiological condition rooted deep in the primitive nervous system. Are cancer patients to blame for their illness because they won't just stop bloody thinking about it all the time? Come to think of it, her remark sounds typical of what people with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and pretty much all psychological disorders hear. The translation is basically, "I'm tired of hearing about this so therefore you are making it up."

And partly because when I do manage to think about other things/do other things without the mindfulness of my whole fragmented self, the symptoms get intensified later.

Bingo. I have been trying so hard to lose myself in reading and writing like I used to but since PTSD hit, it's like the symptoms kick out against any attempt to shelve them or put them aside. The voices get louder, the pictures more vivid, the fear and alarm intensifies. There is energy inside us that wants to be processed and has been ignored and stuffed down for too long.

So I can say for myself that I am not dwelling on it intentionally - quite the opposite. I'd be all too happy to simply put it away if that were possible.

 

[RussH]

@Dana1010 she really didn't mean it in a negative manner. We were just talking, and she really meant the comment as a suggestion, and when I told here that I did not dwell on it, but it was always in the back of my mind, she understood.

 

[intothelight]

This is a great question and it really got me thinking. From my own perspective, I have cancer that is in a pretty good remission and I would say my PTSD is also in a pretty good "remission". With the type of cancer I have, I have minimal residual disease and there is a lot of focus in managing the disease. PTSD isn't that different as there is a lot of focus on managing it.

I can't say that I dwell on either, but Iive with both and the quality of my life is dependent on how I manage both. However, managing PTSD involves maintaining a lot of control of my thoughts and analysis of my own perceptions, so it takes up a lot more space in my head.

 

[Notsowild]

I agree somewhat to dwelling on it. I know if I went out I would not dwell on it so much. Put the PTSD is keeping me from going out. I feel so much different now because of it.

 

[anthony]

Rumination is normal for someone who typically is going through the uncontrolled aspects of their trauma, meaning, they've had zero feedback and work on changing themselves. I don't think people ruminate about PTSD, as PTSD is separate to trauma, yet a by-product of trauma. PTSD becomes a part of your life, there nothing you can do about it even once you have healed your trauma, other than work within the limitations it sets for you.

If people think you can control PTSD... then I would say you're dreaming and on drugs. You can manage your life within the realms of what your specific effect is... nothing more, nothing less. This is why some can work, some can't. Some can tolerate people, some can't. Some have nightmares every night, some don't. And this is all after healing trauma, mind you.

I guess if you really wanted to, sure, you could spend your life focused on PTSD. Not real sure what that would do though... because I don't think it would change you for the better or worse, other than the negative of consume your time. You can't change PTSD... you can heal trauma and manage PTSD symptoms... that's it.

 

[anthony]

A good question by the way...

 

[NovemberStar]

I don't think it's a blanket thing. I think saying people with PTSD 'dwell' on it is a step too close to blaming them for their struggles - the implication being 'if you didn't dwell on it you're get better'.

I don't think 'dwelling' is the cause in any way. I don't think it's as simple as 'don't dwell on it and you get better'. I'm not saying anyone has suggested this directly - although I'd be interested in knowing @RussH if your daughter was suggesting this? I think I have a big problems I that the word ''dwell' as it has negative implications in terms of blame - someone used the word "'ruminate' which I think works better.

I look over my experience and I can see I have periods where I focus a lot on the many problems and struggles and symptoms of PTSD - in much the same way anyone with a potentially olive threatening illness thinks about it a lot (because if the MAJOR impact it has on EVERY aspect of your life). In the worst of my illness, when my depression is severe, I struggle to leave the house and spend large periods of times alone - ruminating yes at times; I see that as a symptom if the illness rather than a 'cause' or even explanation as to the other symptoms. When my depression is less severe I am more able to do the things I know will help - get out of the house and DISTRACT (ie - make a conscious effort to think of other things).


A large part if the symptoms we have however can't be thoughts away by flailing on other things - no matter how great I am at finding 'distractions' , no matter how very very hard I try to AVOID LIKE ANYTHING of thinking let alone 'dwelling' on my PTSD or trauma', the flashbacks come and have a severe effect on my life. no amount if ''not dwelling'' on the trauma stops it from hitting me right between the eyes like a bullet whenever a very small and previously unknown 'trigger', triggers flashbacks. Because my trauma was prolonged over many years and involved many traumas and some of which I can't even remember fully yet, my triggers are every there in everything; so I'm unable to avoid (or do exposure therapy) with things easily able to be determined as potentially triggering. The sun, the clouds, the sky, the weather, the seasons, a song, a smell - anything. As I explained to my T', it's like very other minute of my childhood captured a traumatic memory of some sort and as many minutes I lived in fear / worried I'd be killed by my unpredictable mother, is as many triggers as I have.