Sufferer From PTSD to a Graduate Degree

[AmyBerger]

Hi everyone! My name is Amy and I have C-PTSD from extreme child abuse. It's been a difficult ride as you all probably know. I'm 48 years old and have been in therapy for 40 years. The thing I've struggle with most is terror - can't handle that one well. Though I can handle everything else pretty well.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I went back to college as a coping mechanism to distract myself from fear and it was very helpful. I'm now a senior at Worcester State University, majoring in Biology with a 3.77 GPA. I'm planning to go to WPI for graduate school for a double major in Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. It seems I actually have a future.

 

[Friday]

Welcome to the community!

Putting on my Mod Hat, for a moment?

I’ve removed your YouTube links.

Please check out our Community Constitution. We only have 4 rules, on site, and 1 of them is ‘no self promotion’. We’re peer to peer support, not a way to drive traffic to your page/ site/ insta / NADA.

Taking my mod hat back off?

University was exactly the kind of flexibility I needed, as a new mom (I started school when my kiddo was 2mo old) and spent the next 9 years in school, working, & parenting. Only 2 days per quarter I couldn’t miss, without making arrangements for??? (Midterms & Finals). Only 10 hours of childcare needed per week??? (When I was physically in class). 50k per year in grants, and up to 200k per year in scholarships??? I couldn’t recommend university more highly to ANY new parent, and maaaaaad useful for dealing with PTSD. Keeeeerazy flexibility, academia, even in highly competitive programs.

Again, welcome.

 

[Survivor3]

Hi @amyberger just wanted to congratulate you on your achievement. It's just awesome.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

Hi everyone! My name is Amy and I have C-PTSD from extreme child abuse. It's been a difficult ride as you all probably know. I'm 48 years old and have been in therapy for 40 years. The thing I've struggle with most is terror - can't handle that one well. Though I can handle everything else pretty well.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I went back to college as a coping mechanism to distract myself from fear and it was very helpful. I'm now a senior at Worcester State University, majoring in Biology with a 3.77 GPA. I'm planning to go to WPI for graduate school for a double major in Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. It seems I actually have a future.

I went back to school as an adult and went to grad school (law school) too. What I found is it seemed like I had to work harder than anyone else. I did well, law review, etc and I passed the Bar exam on the first try. It was one of the most rewarding accomplishments of my life. I am the only one of my siblings to get a degree but I am still the problem child. F them. I didn’t do it for them, I did it for me. Perhaps prat of it was to prove to myself that I could.

 

[Sideways]

Welcome to the community! I relate a lot to keeping my brain learning stuff as a way of coping. One of my more functional coping strategies!!

 

[PamelaS]

Welcome to the community! I relate a lot to keeping my brain learning stuff as a way of coping. One of my more functional coping strategies!!

Me too! Sounds like quite a few of us hyper focus on learning in order to cope. Congratulations everyone for your achievements in spite of everything you’ve been through. We’re quite an accomplished bunch! I was the first in my family to get a college degree. Going to college was running away from everything back home. Even flunked, my major the first semester, but kept on going. Graduated with honors. Flunked computer science because I’m dyslexic and didn’t know it. Back in the day you had to type out cards and feed your stack into a giant machine and wait for it to spit out what you coded. Then you got to sit at tables and find all of your typing mistakes.. I had no idea what I was getting into. But, it was a learning experience and it kept my mind focused on something safe and good.

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you fit right in. Hope this safe place is a blessing to you as much as it is to me.

 

[Susan Jane]

Hi everyone! My name is Amy and I have C-PTSD from extreme child abuse. It's been a difficult ride as you all probably know. I'm 48 years old and have been in therapy for 40 years. The thing I've struggle with most is terror - can't handle that one well. Though I can handle everything else pretty well.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I went back to college as a coping mechanism to distract myself from fear and it was very helpful. I'm now a senior at Worcester State University, majoring in Biology with a 3.77 GPA. I'm planning to go to WPI for graduate school for a double major in Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. It seems I actually have a future.

Welcome to the forum… Fear is also my biggest challenge! It grips me into total non functional mode… I really relate. Congrats on your studies…

 

[DSkyler]

Congratulations. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the next chapter and continuing to recover.