Undiagnosed I Don't Know If I Qualify As Ptsd

[Miami89]

You are so right. Trauma is trauma. I've endured several types in my life. One of which was being held up at gunpoint. That faded into the background long ago, or did it?

 

[intothelight]

Welcome to the PTSD Forum! :)

 

[Miami89]

Yes, a lot of pain came from not living up to my expectations of myself. I have to let that go. What is, is. There are other things for me to do, and fortunately I have a supportive husband.

Thank you for the reference to the book "Invisible Heroes".

 

[Whitneys story]

Miami89, Welcome to the Forum. Take your time learning your way around. The Home page has some very informative reading. I wish you success on your journey.

I am sorry for why you are here but so glad you arrived!

 

[KBE]

Hi. I actually laughed when the shrink told me I have PTSD. I'm a secretary, not a CO! But there you have it. Google up 'PTSD checklist', there are 17 major symptoms associated with PTSD and you can self evaluate. Knowing why I feel and react as I do has provided me with some relief, and so reading thru the checklist may do the same for you, confirming what you already suspect is true. Then see your family doctor about a referral to a professional that can help you start to work through this.

I hope you get the support you need.

 

[findinghelp21]

hello, I am sorry to hear about your trauma, as I have never seen anyone die I can honestly say I have been at the receiving end when my brother beat me till I felt I could no longer move and every breath I took was like a knife stabbing my chest, so believe me when I say when you wake up to someone helping you heal, or giving the comfort they are longing for, it is a relief that no one can describe unless you've been there yourself. God bless you.

 

[AS1975]

You are so right. Trauma is trauma. I've endured several types in my life. One of which was being held up at gunpoint. That faded into the background long ago, or did it?

Yeah, I think we all have to reevaluate just how well we have dealt with seemingly long ago trauma. God knows that I've 'apparently' coped with serious trauma many, many times, in situations where other people just didn't cope, froze, faffed about, or just freaked out. I coped, I did extremely well in fact, but there is a cost and that is reliving those instances. Personally I have found that I never really knew what fear was until I started reliving things, in full, while awake. That gut-wrenching, sphincter-tightening fear that just leaves you unable to function, I've never felt that in the most extreme situations, but I get it every time I relive things in safety, go figure.

 

[LC23]

God knows that I've 'apparently' coped with serious trauma many, many times, in situations where other people just didn't cope, froze, faffed about, or just freaked out. I coped, I did extremely well in fact, but there is a cost and that is reliving those instances.

It's not uncommon for PTSD survivors to be, subsequently, in other situations, very cool under fire. If it's a trauma situation but somehow or for whatever reason your personal trauma isn't being triggered - then it's like they're in a situation that you're already familiar with, used to. So while other people are wigging out at their trauma happening at that moment, the PTSD person in the scene is cool as ice, able to think and act clearly and sometimes take actions that other people are stunned at later.

There are certain schools of martial arts that specifically train in such a way as to intensify the stress on the person training - physically, mentally, emotionally - to push someone past where they think their boundaries are, to show them where their boundaries REALLY are. Sort of leveraging a similar mechanism as PTSD but in a more controlled fashion, to get past the fight-or-flight reaction and forge the student into something stronger. There's a good book that delves into this called "Living the Martial Way" - it mostly would be of interest to martial artists, but might be of interest to people who want to explore that process & mentality.

 

[AS1975]

I couldn't post what I wanted to post - there is a novel called Musashi, it is useful to read and it can change how one views being tested.:)

 

[anthony]

Welcome to PTSD Forum.