How long does it take to recover from trauma?

[binchilling]

How old are you roughly?

17

 

[Survivor3]

17

You're still young and have plenty of time to get well. What kinds of things did you used to enjoy when you were younger?

What's your support network like? Family, friends, therapist?

 

[Movingforward10]

My trauma was childhood trauma, and I had no symptoms until one day I started experiencing dissociation. Since then, depression, anxiety, everything has been added.

It's really hard going through this.
It does get better. Holding onto that, even if it's hard to believe or feel right now, will really help.

It's amazing you're 17 and tackling this. That is really brave. I couldn't at your age. I blocked it out for a very long time before I was able to deal with it. So you are already way ahead on your healing journey. Maybe more ahead than you realise?

 

[binchilling]

It's really hard going through this.
It does get better. Holding onto that, even if it's hard to believe or feel right now, will really help.

It's amazing you're 17 and tackling this. That is really brave. I couldn't at your age. I blocked it out for a very long time before I was able to deal with it. So you are already way ahead on your healing journey. Maybe more ahead than you realise?

Even though I've been dealing with this for a long time, I'm afraid I can't say things are going well.

 

[Movingforward10]

Even though I've been dealing with this for a long time, I'm afraid I can't say things are going well.

Yeah I'm sure. Dealing with it is incredibly tough. It gets worse before it gets better.

 

[binchilling]

You're still young and have plenty of time to get well. What kinds of things did you used to enjoy when you were younger?

What's your support network like? Family, friends, therapist?

I don't know what kind of things I liked when I was young, but I was a very cheerful and excited happy child. On the surface, we were a very enviable family. But things weren't like that inside. Anyway, many of my friends now say, "X, you look so emotionless, smile a little." Acting even for emotions feels pretty bad. And as if that wasn't enough, I'm preparing for the university exam. Fortunately, I'm relatively smart, but I fear I'll never reach my full potential because it's hard to juggle multiple things, especially when it comes to mental health. My relationship with my family is as always, I love them and they love me, but sharing my problems with them has never been a priority for me. I usually don't tell anyone about my problems. My friends and family don't know I have PTSD. Officially, there are only anxiety and OCD diagnoses

 

[Survivor3]

@binchilling ok, yes you sound smart. What do you hope to study at university?

 

[binchilling]

@binchilling ok, yes you sound smart. What do you hope to study at university?

Medical

 

[Friday]

How long does it take to recover from trauma? A few years, ten years? Is there anyone among us who has recovered from trauma?

Depends.

I don't think I will ever enjoy life as much as I did before. That I could even enjoy it.

i enjoy/enjoyed life exponentially MORE after trauma.

 

[binchilling]

Depends.


i enjoy/enjoyed life exponentially MORE after trauma.

I remember you saying that you had no childhood trauma. Unfortunately, trauma affects adults and children differently.

 

[Friday]

I remember you saying that you had no childhood trauma.

Correct.

Unfortunately, trauma affects adults and children differently.

PTSD / CPTSD is pretty simple.

Trauma, and the effects thereof, is incredibly complicated.

 

[scout86]

Everything we experience changes us. At least if you're paying attention. I know, beyond any doubt, that I'm not the same person I would have been with a different childhood. Who, or what, that different person might have been, I'll never know. I don't spend much time regretting, or even thinking about, what might have been. It's more interesting to think about where things are going from here. We all have to potential to change going forward. It's pretty much a choice. Not saying it's all sunshine and unicorns, but you're not actually stuck in any one place. It just seems like it sometimes.