I Started As A Carer But Now I'm Confusued Am I Suffering Too?

[becvan]

Carmela:

From both my career and personal experience, when dealing with any kind of sexual trauma it does not just simply get resolved after one bout with professional help. It is a lifetime improvement course. Those of us that have gone through it have to work on it, on and off or continuously, throughout our lifetimes. I don't think any of us get closure on it.. we just move on to another aspect of healing from it. This is very normal. Anything can trigger a bad phase of it, at any time. When it is time to re-deal with it, anxiety, depression, paranoia, shame etc... all rears up again.

I'm glad your willing to go back and work on this with professionals. But don't stick yourself in some box either with time or diagnosis. What you are dealing with is not something that just magically gets better after the first time facing it.

Oh.. and sexual trauma is very serious.. don't knock yourself thinking it's so much less than the rest of us. Many of us have experienced it and it leaves deep scars and changes us in ways most can not understand.

bec

 

[Grainne]

There was a HUGE part of me that did not want to write about my "trauma" when I know there is SO much worse out there. I've read it here, I see my bf with severe ptsd and so I know what it looks like.

Carmela

Just one little thing I forgot to say earlier.....one thing I have learned is that everyone hurts the same, regardless of the trauma. I hate to hear you diminish your struggle because there is "so much worse out there". I was badly abused, but, cannot even imagine how bad it must be to have, say, been in combat and developed PTSD from it. What is important for you now, it to be properly diagnosed, like Bec (and others) said above.

And I still think you rock for voicing your experience. :)

 

[CCurry]

Hi guys,

I have gone to therapy for over 3 years. The reason I stopped was for 2 reasons, one being I really was starting to feel better and two it gets to be really expensive to go on a weekly basis.

After not being in therapy for about 2 years I now see that my mental health has to be a priority again.

There have been times where I feel I don't have a right to whine about my past when I see my bf whose had over 100 traumatic events happen in combat (that number's a guess on his part) and I know that any one of those on their own could have caused ptsd. Having said that, I know you're right Grainne in that everybody hurts the same, regardless of the trauma.

I'm happy to have found this site. Thanks.

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

It shows a lot of your strength to be able to admit that you need to seek out counseling again. I think it's common for people to have to return - especially when daily life stressors begin to upset the balance again.

Never feel like you are whining - you are not. Don't discount your trauma in that way.

I'm happy you found this site also - I look forward to seeing you around.