Impact Of Future Trauma Starts Early, At Home?

[MisterCatLady]

I've been thinking lately about the difference between people who develop PTSD after trauma and those who don't. I just finished Elizabeth Smart's book. She describes every day in captivity longing for her warm family. She recovered quite seamlessly. Never went to therapy. Just decided not to let her abductor steal the rest of her life. I thought about creating a poll on the poll forum asking how many of us had warm and nurturing families growing up. The more I thought of it, that seemed like a no-brainer. Most of our posts describe non-supportive and even abusive families. I don't know if that's because it is indeed a common trait amoung PTSD sufferers or if it's common among people who come to a forum for support. Perhaps our brains are formed by our early childhood environments as more able or less able to cope. Maybe the difference is having a support system to fall back on. Thoughts?

 

[Gamera3000]

I've heard this before. I had a terrible childhood and then had several traumatizing experiences later. I have PTSD both from my childhood and from the later experiences. I think I would have responded much differently to the later experiences if I had a good childhood.

Also, my adult nephew by marriage tried to go into the army a few years back. He does not know this, but his mother severely abused and neglected him before he turned 1. It was so bad that my mother in law pulled a gun on the mom and refused to give my nephew back to her when she saw that condition he was in. My brother in law was in the military, deployed overseas at the time. He had to come back to take care of my nephew. All this was taken care of in court before my nephew was aware of it and the family didn't tell him about it. The rest of his childhood was pretty unremarkable. My brother in law got back together with the mom a couple times, but generally he took care of my nephew and things seemed okay. He loves his mom and truly does not seem to know how bad she is.

But then when my nephew went into basic training and the officers started yelling at him and stuff like they do, he started crying uncontrollably. Didn't know why. He had severe, obvious PTSD symptoms and was discharged. I believe he was triggered by the abuse when he was a baby.

 

[MisterCatLady]

I've heard this before. I had a terrible childhood and then had several traumatizing experiences lat...

Woah! That tremendously supports my theory. How very interesting...

 

[Esterio]

Hi there MisterCatLady
Thanks for the post. I really believe if I had not been abused as a child life would be a lot different for me. It seem after that start to abuse it just spread it was like they passed me around. I found out later in life that they knew each other and were friends. I looked after a teenage boy that had been abused he lived with us for several years and he told me about all of his child hood abuse. We got him into therapy and he was doing good When he turn 17 he wanted to get out in the world he told me that he had spoken to an army recruiter and he told him If he could get His mom and I to sign off he could enter the army. I went with him to see his Mom and she gave her consent and he went off to boot camp and being yelled at from morning till night and was discharged after about 3 weeks with full blown case of ptsd. He had a hell of a time getting home we got him back Into therapy and he started to do ok again. All of this triggered my PTSD and now I was suffering as well what a f*cking cycle. my life as been in the toilet ever since. I really feel if I was not sexually abused as a child I would be In a way better place than I am today. I don't know if that helps. I hope so.
Peace be safe

 

[Llith]

I definitely think that without having ever really known what it is like to be stable and also having had alot of strain on us all our lives any further trauma is alot more likely to cause PTSD.

Personally I most likely had PTSD for most of my life if I think about it... Odd thought. I guess that is kinda what CPTSD is though lol.

Found @Gamera3000 comment really interesting, regarding how even abuse before 1 can impact your mental stability. I personally know I was as well so find that kinda curious

 

[Parley]

I always thought the parent child relationship is what made cPTSD. It's the power exchange? maybe i'm saying that wrong but I do believe it makes a difference. I don't know if I would have responded differently if I had better parents but mine were good enough. I don't have a lot of symptoms that many people have with their ptsd. I've never hated or blamed myself. I've never self harmed. I'm not even sure my depression is really depression. More of a sadness but not debilitating. there are other things that I notice and makes me doubt my PTSD but then I find out someone had childhood trauma and I think it makes a difference.

 

[Deleted member 541]

I'm not sure. I'm kind of on the fence here. What's to say that Elizabeth Smart might develope PTSD sometime later in life, if she sees something, smells something, hears something that reminds her of her captor or something else that she went through after being abducted??? I do believe that childhood trauma makes it double the likely hood of someone developing PTSD.

I hope to God she never does, but there is always the possibility. She's a beautiful woman and a gifted musician,

 

[Friday]

I thought about creating a poll on the poll forum asking how many of us had warm and nurturing families growing up. The more I thought of it, that seemed like a no-brainer. Most of our posts describe non-supportive and even abusive families. I don't know if that's because it is indeed a common trait amoung PTSD sufferers or if it's common among people who come to a forum for support. Perhaps our brains are formed by our early childhood environments as more able or less able to cope. Maybe the difference is having a support system to fall back on. Thoughts?

I did. In point fact, in addition a warm nurturing family, I had a totally golden childhood. Still have PTSD. As do many many others whose first CritA traumas were later in life.

If you look at the poll that breaks apart where people's PTSD came from? The vast majority here on site are from childhood trauma / abusive families. Which is why you'll see so many posts. Sort of like asking how many people in church are christian.

 

[MisterCatLady]

I did. In point fact, in addition a warm nurturing family, I had a totally golden childhood. Still have...

I didn't mean to imply that those with strong support systems never develop PTSD. That's not what I mean at all.

 

[Leighlee87]

Actually, I've talked to my therapist about this. And yeah, those who are abused as children are more likely to develop ptsd as adults. Our parents are the ones to teach us coping skills, both by actively teaching and through demonstration. As children we are exposed to small stressor and parents help navigate, but shield from things that would be too overwhelming. As the child grows older the parents allow to take on tougher and tougher challenges, building up those coping tools. It kinda happens naturally. But for kids who are abused, often the parents don't have the coping tools themselves and therefor can't pass them down. Added to that is the fact that these children are not at all sheltered from situations that are too overwhelming to handle. So basically, the kids who need the coping skills most, are the very ones who don't have them. Most of us enter into adulthood without these skills and it makes us more prone to ptsd. We don't have t

 

[ladee]

I have been symptomatic my whole life. I know that I always feel so hurt for those who had a good childhood and then end up with PTSD,,,, How does someone make sense of that??? I cant imagine being a grown up and being hit with things I have lived with all my life.... to just go to a restaurant and eat and laugh with friends or family.... without all the planning and breathing and vigilance once I get there.... How does someone who presents with PTSD later in life, not caused by childhood trauma deal with that?
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it is a legitimate question...

 

[Llith]

How does someone who presents with PTSD later in life, not caused by childhood trauma deal with that?

I have always wondered this, I essentially don't know how to be any different having panic attacks, dissociating and flashbacks have been with me as long as I can remember. But if you are suddenly hit with all this after a specific event sounds like it would be a serious adjustment. Also it would be a serious adjustment for your family and friends etc.

I have also always be curious about having memories of yourself 'before ptsd' that is such an alien concept to me. I can't decide which is worse. I think knowing how you were and you could never be them again sounds incredibly hard.

Sorry if I am adding to the thread hijacking xD