Healing From Ptsd?

[Chosen]

So I'm wondering if it's possible that PTSD goes away or gets a lot better.

Criterion B: In my situation, my sleep is uninterrupted (except by loud college students partying); I rarely have nightmares, and when I do, they usually aren't related to the specific trauma.
I don't have flashbacks, nor do memories usually show up involuntarily. I haven't dissociated in two years.
I do get triggered, but I'm usually able to calm down within 30 minutes, sometimes within 5 mins or less.

Criterion C: I do still avoid talking too much about the trauma because I find it's overwhelming to do so, and I also find little to no need to do so. It's not applicable to my life now, and when I do talk about it, I'm usually able to function afterward albeit with not as much energy as normal.

Criterion D: I don't have persistent negative beliefs, nor do I blame myself for what happened. While I can't remember everything that happened, it was also 12 years long, so I don't think anyone can remember a whole lot of what happened over a 12 year period. While I feel somewhat distant from others, that's more of a result of being raised in a different culture (which would have been different without the trauma involved too). I'm certainly interested in my activities, and I can feel positive emotions fairly readily.

Criterion E: I'm definitely hypervigilant, easily startled with an extreme response.

And in the 4 years since I was diagnosed, I'm feeling a lot better, stronger, and more able to just live life without being impaired by the trauma. I haven't gone through and examined every aspect of the trauma to de-trigger it, and I don't quite know if that's necessary.

Have any of you experienced huge improvements in your symptoms? Is it possible to no longer have the diagnosis of PTSD? Do you think it's worth exploring with my T to see if PTSD is no longer applicable to me?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Yes, yes, and yes.

I am pretty sure that I still hold the diagnosis even though my symptoms have improved dramatically. It's worth bringing up with your therapist. I'm not discussing it anytime soon as I need my diagnosis for the next few years.

 

[greenleaf]

Lots of things definitely can improve greatly, and lots of us have long periods with no symptoms. Having a Real Life is an excellent plan!

I doubt the scientists have really explored how much our brains heal from this, because they are just finally starting to get a clue about parts are doing what with basic things like blood flow increasing in certain brain sections when something goes wrong, and have a long way to go in understanding what is "normal" too...

Statistically, ptsd folks seem at risk for various things that you can research here and elsewhere. However you can minimize long-term problems to some extent. For instance, keeping your stress levels down via good stress-reduction skills, and being sure to keep those good activities a regular part of your life, might help your physical and emotional health even more than some people never diagnosed with ptsd. Exercise is great, surrounding yourself with good honest fairly safe people is great... (in my opinion).

We can also have some strengths partly as a result of going through this too; empathy, understanding of people on a certain level, compassion. Then there is my sometimes-favorite: abusive person detection radar!

 

[arfie]

At the very least, my own is manageable. I continue "emotional maintenance" as a precaution but kinda feel like emotional maintenance is part of a healthy self-care plan for just about anybody.

Absolutely, I think it is worth exploring with your therapist.

 

[franciemarnie]

Anything is possible. You know just by your quality of life now, and you will know for sure by and by.

I am so happy it doesn't significantly interfere with your life.

I was numb for a long time, a state of dissociation, which was good insofar as I didn't have too much hypervigilance and other symptoms. But I couldn't feel joy either. I felt nothing. That wasn't healing.

Now I feel joy, but great sadness too. A lot of symptoms went away for me - night terrors, flashbacks, hyper vigilance is much lower, sleep is better, etc. But I am still moving out the trauma energy. It is in my body, in my muscles, and that hurts - but it comes and goes.

 

[intothelight]

Do you think it's worth exploring with my T to see if PTSD is no longer applicable to me?

Follow your own needs and if you want to have your T evaluate you, then by all means do it. Validation can be very positive and keep the recovery momentum going. Congratulations on the progress you have made.

 

[Recovery4Me]

Have any of you experienced huge improvements in your symptoms?

I have had wonderful periods (of fewer pervasive symptoms) with excitement at healing from some of my traumas. However for me, no matter when I go to a T for a tune-up (or a new situation), I remain branded with our favorite acronym. :cautious: Sometimes I think I should just come with an ink stamp to speed up their charts for note-taking.:clown:


I haven't ever lost my hypervigilance (since childhood), although it has calmed from grandiose knee jerk reactions: my sleep is still like long naps with an built in body alarm. Yet, to me that is success! Sleeping without regular night terrors, flashbacks all the time is success. Going out and often enjoying the scenery (like loving the skyline or really looking at the beauty of the trees) instead of looking to see if danger is lurking above or behind is progress. I have been told, mine is with me, forever. So I try to see my PTSD as just another part of me that I chose to take care of, you know? Self care is a good thing.

Perhaps it will be different for you and you will not need my ink stamp!
Miracles can happen, why not for you? Congrats on your progress.
I am truly happy for you.:)

 

[Ricanoland]

PTSD gets a lot better, it just takes a long.. a long time. (I didn't see any real recovery for honestly 5 years) This time last year, I didn't have a GED, I wasn't in college for Political Science. Granted I am still on Disability, but I plan on being off this aid within the next year. I hope nothing but the best for you, just remember to think about how far you have come, not how far you are falling.

 

[NovemberStar]

Yes it's perfectly possible to live a life without PTSD. I became better to the point I had no symptoms (and therefore no PTSD) for over a decade. A new trauma triggered PTSD again and I've been fighting it for almost 4 years. During that time I've had definite periods of less symptoms - ie no flashbacks for months or no depression for months, but have struggled with anxiety (and an eating disorder). Last year, the first 6 months I felt 'normal' again but the symptoms were re-triggered by a series of relatively minor stressors. I've been quite stuck for most of the past year - but I haven't had a flashback for over a week this week - hopefully the start of a longer period without them again. Still have a lot of trauma to work through, so not 'cured' this time just yet.

One day at a time.

I can lose hope at times for sure. But in my more positive spaces, I think 'well I overcame it before and lived a life free of it completely for all those years and my life was awesome then - if it's happened once then surely it can happen again"

Only this time I know what I didn't now before - if you've had PTSD once, you are a lot more susceptible to getting it again if you ever experience another trauma, compared to the 'average' person.