How Do You Know If You Are A Sufferer Or Survivor Of Ptsd?

[therapybankrupt]

I continue to survive while I suffer or do I suffer as I survive? :wtf: I put survivor on my profile because it made me feel empowered. What did you choose and why?

 

[Tanishq]

That's great you survived, therapybankrupt.

I am undiagnosed. I believe I am a sufferer, I have followed online research notes and symptoms Dr. has put there. I meet few of them. Like childhood neglect, beat up mentally and physically and nightmares. It's all loopy and it has kept me stress all the time. It took away my mind's peace. So I am a sufferer.

 

[Sailorgal]

Technically yes we suffer from PTSD, but from the healing standpoint, we are SURVIVORS....or better yet VICTORS! I believe every step forward is a victory. Even gold medal athletes lose other matches and games, but they keep going. It doesn't make them a loser. Survivors I believe just exist. Victors keep pushing forward and that's what I believe for all of us. :tup:

 

[GreenFrog2]

we are SURVIVORS....or better yet VICTORS!

what a great analogy Sailorgal. We are here and moving forward. That makes us survivors and victors - despite the occasional loss!

 

[Britt.f7]

When I was in PTSD in patient, we talked about being a survivor or thriver. I prefer to think I am a thriver. One day I hope to be a victor.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Me too.

 

[The Albatross]

I preferred "survivor" to "sufferer"... for the same reasons others have already shared, empowerment. That and also to help me remember to "play the memory all the way to the end" where I was safe. I needed that at the time.

I frankly don't how to describe myself now. Not really thriver. I'm trying to accept to a certain degree that PTSD is one aspect of who I am. I am more than that. Maybe "overcomer". I don't expect to ever be "normal", but I try to set my expectation now more toward "overcoming" episodes when the happen as quickly as I can with the least amount of creating new problematic situations as possible. Thrive, I think is too high a bar for me to set for myself somehow, but who knows. It could happen someday.

 

[Loner]

To be alive is to suffer, ptsd or not. Theres a lot of beauty, but no one who is alive does not suffer every day.

 

[intothelight]

Funny, but I no longer think of myself as a "sufferer" or "survivor". I have suffered many things and have survived, but that is how life is. I just think of myself as me now and am focused on living life to the fullest.

 

[The Albatross]

Kudos Deb, may we all be able to say that one day.

 

[Ruckster]

I think we are all winners! In sports, even if your team loses the championship, your team is still a winner. It played the game all the way to to the finish. It played fair, no cheating or poor sportsmanship. The team is not a "loser" team. We are all playing this game to the finish. WE are playing fair (its the abuser that cheats). We are winners and even if the prize is more of an Endurance Award, we worked hard to achieve it. Heads up proudly team!