Help! Decline over past year - not registering thoughts or emotions

[Linz]

I’ve had PTSD for 11yrs. Almost a year ago my brain shutdown completely! I don’t have thoughts or register emotions mentally anymore. Recently I’ve had a decline…. I don’t know what’s going on and cannot pinpoint why I’m declining! But I’m on the verge of giving up… has anyone ever had this happen and can anyone offer advice?

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Sorry that you’re going through this.
Are you close to the date of a traumatic event in the past?

 

[Lost in the Woods]

Although not in the past 6 months, I have just shut down to the point I can’t talk. I can’t even form a thought. All I can do is stare at the ceiling. My abuse started pre verbal so it makes sense that an emotional flashback tokes me to a preverbal state. Since our thoughts are structure by language it makes sense that I would go to such a state. Hang in there.

 

[Sideways]

Ptsd is a cyclical condition, so flare ups are, unfortunately, normal. Especially when life throws curve balls at us.

Failing to register thoughts or emotions (emotional numbing?) can be dissociative, which is a coping mechanism for stress that is common in folks with ptsd.

However, it might be worth ruling out other possible causes as well, if you can trace the increase in symptoms to the past 12 months. For example, zombie brain or brain fog can be associated with other conditions that may or may not be related to your ptsd. Even some medications can cause these sorts of symptoms.

 

[Linzz]

My brain shutdown about a year ago… I experienced my mother attempting suicide and found her bleeding out Dec. 30th 2023. That event caused me to become homeless as we lived together and were evicted afterwards. Also my mother and entire family cut off all contact with me at that time.. I was homeless for about 4 1/2 months before getting into a travel trailer in a place that was not healthy.. but in August I moved into a safe and secure place… I had a brief relationship that ended in December but by then was already shutdown, I also was able to recognize the toxicity in it and felt more peace when it ended and not any heartbreak! I was doing ok and my daughter lives with me! About a month ago she quit working to go back to college full time which left me responsible for all bills and expenses and live on disability… also she is home a lot more now and sharing her emotions and needing help with homework often! Now.. none of these things felt overwhelming to me mentally or emotionally as I’ve shutdown.. but I can only assume that something within all of that caused me to spiral and self medicate.. and now I have a lot of physical or somatic symptoms that when researched point to me being in a “fight or flight” state… but my brain didn’t register it the way it used to in the past! It really didn’t register it at all! And now I have been in a spiral for almost a month or so and cannot find a way to stop it! I cannot pinpoint the exact trigger or what I’m needing that I require to get out of this state! My brain and body are disconnected and I’m using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal.. and I’ve always used the same techniques to recognize and pull myself out of this situation in the past! However something is different now, the presentation of symptoms has changed and I have no clue how to help myself! I have no support system and am an isolated person anyways so therefore I can’t just simply go find people for support! I don’t know if this is happening because of something very recent that’s small or if it’s all just piled up over the last year or so… I’m exhausted but self medicating and while I still have empathy, I do not register any feelings or have thoughts in my mind ever.. what is happening and what do I do??? I’ve never experienced PTSD in this way until recently!

I’ve experienced dissociation a lot and I’ve experienced detachment a few times over the past 11yrs… this is very different! I thought it was a healed place and have found peace from it… but now I don’t know what it is… because if it were healed then why the spiral!?

 

[Sideways]

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