Wow, I just stumbled upon this thread and I think I'll take some more time to read through it.
I think there is something to helping re-connect left and right brain hemispheres. Something interesting about yoga, there are exercises designed to help, can't remember all the names, but example "alternative nostril breathing technique" to help reduce anxiety. I think there is a primordial psychology out there, where the old masters did have some important insight and methods.
Interesting thing about fish oils, Omega-3 and Omega 6s. . . I went to some dietary counselling to manage my cholesterol level. There's an intesting connection between PTSD-Cholesterol and Cortisol production. I've recently trained myself to accept eating sardines!!! ;-) Probably the fish oil supplements might be a better idea, more practical and to make sure I have a good level of it in my system.
I was lucky in that while I practiced drug use at one time, I don't have the addiction gene in me, not like my brother has, when one beer leads to many more, he doesn't stop-- so he needs to stay away from it altogether. It was less physical, recreational and for a while, it was an escape, mentally, emotionally and a scene that tolerated my craziness (too stoned to notice what was really up with me ;-) )
Ativans-- I should be more careful about my advocacy for them then. I get prescribed a controlled amount, I'm aware of their addictiveness and that tolerance can't be built to them, so I manage okay (really last resort, when other coping fails and only when having to deal with that and a public situation-- I'm good at avoiding taking them and it's not hard for me to keep rules about that). But I should be more mindful of where others are with it. It's a quick fix and it should replace development of good coping skills.
Attending to the physiological makes a lot of sense. My symptoms come through the body before the mind apprehends it, and I'm noticing that even more with the practice of Mindfulness. I'm working on practice my breathing techniques to help cope with anxiety, post flashback recovery, reduce hyperarousal.
Cool thing I've recently been introduced to and which I've heard others talk about here is the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, e.g. book, Full Catastrope Living by Jon Kabt-Zinn, that's basically what I was taught in the course-- easier to learn it via course instruction-- many important elements in that book, once one gets how important and relevant each piece is. There are some CDs available by same author and his collegues. Really useful stuff, IMO.
Anyway, I'll come back to this thread as wow, there's 15 pages, so I have more reading to do. Very fascinating and glad it was brought up.
I believe PTSD is curable. Patience is good along the way. I believe the brain is really pliable and adaptive and it can learn new things, new neuropathways and especially I think when the body is engaged in the healing, the mind-body.
Anthony-- I identify with the earlier beginings, Interesting. As for schizoid, I know there's been times in my life, the PTSD re-traumatizations, so crazy and no break, that my mind literally got spun into a psychosis-- I remember how that was :/
