Is It Possible To Heal (completely) From Ptsd??

[Survivor2Thriver]

count yourself as lucky.

It has nothing to do with luck. Zero. It's about self preservation. For the record I believe you're confusing narcissism with self preservation.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I'm better than my abusers and so are you. There's nothing wrong with saying so. It's incredibly healing.

I'm not "better" than anyone else, nor am I worse.

So tell me, why is it that you know you're better than your abusers but you aren't healed yet?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

It has nothing to do with luck. Zero. It's about self preservation. For the record I believe you're confusing narcissism with self preservation.

Please READ if you're going to attempt to discuss something with me. I said you are LUCKY if you don't have symptoms that can't be fixed by thinking happy thoughts. For example, if my sleeping conditions change, my symptoms flare. This can be something as simple as there not being any noise in the room. I can't think this symptom away!

You're happy. Why are you here? By your own account, you should be healed!

 

[The Albatross]

I really don't think the snark is necessary. Nor do I think it says in the forum rules that it is a requirement to be unhappy to be here.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Such nastiness. I NEVER said you have to be unhappy to be here. I am challenging someone's own twisted thinking. She said that her happiness is her cure. She is happy. Therefore WHY ISNT SHE CURED?

Please read before you make false replies.

 

[NoWhereKnowWhere]

If I honestly thought there was no end in sight. That you learn to deal with symptoms, yet will always have them (or have some not all/ to a varying lesser degree). I would honestly give up and call it a day. Maybe I'm deluding myself but I need to believe it is possible to be "cured"- for want of a better word.

 

[intothelight]

For me, personally, PTSD is just like any other chronic disease. It can be managed, but also make plans to step up the treatment as life cannot always be managed, and those curve balls that life shoots at us can really make the PTSD symptoms flair. Even though I have pretty much worked through everything, I definitely have a lower stress tolerance and sometimes feel pretty hardwired in my responses once the stress levels hit a certain point.

I've learned to manage and even to circumvent the worst of it during a crisis. I don't look at it as a failure, it just is and all anyone can do is deal with it to the best of their ability. Any more it is just becoming how I roll and some days I roll better than others.

 

[Hashi]

Some people have talked about a cure or being cured. I see a cure as a treatment, largely external, that will fix things. I don't think there's one of those. But a healing process and a healing journey (supported by treatment) is something else.

I don't think there's such a thing as a particular case, person or history where healing isn't possible. Healing doesn't discriminate, but it does make huge demands.

I've read about things like OCD, where brain studies have shown altered pathways that are associated with the condition and, after therapeutic intervention that appeared to result in decreased symptoms, those pathways had altered to become more "normal". I think if you can change a normal brain in one direction it stands to reason you can change it back.

I'm doing this by myself with OCD. Very hard to do, but the "righting" of my brain is amazing. It feels so different, and it's definitely a change rather than management. My favourite word is neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to change.

I see a lot of similarities with beliefs about OCD and PTSD, in that it's generally accepted with both that they can only be managed, that symptoms might recede and then re-occur. In my view if you follow techniques and treatments with the goal of managing the symptoms, that's the only outcome that's likely. I've tried the management/exposure approaches for both, and in both cases I could see that they might lead to control but not to healing or being free. There are things that do lead to that though.

It seems circular to me to say the only effective treatments for PTSD are X, Y and Z and then to say that their effect is limited, and then to conclude that you can never completely recover. I think all it demonstrates is that X, Y and Z aren't the most effective approaches. Or that they aren't enough without other things.

 

[Survivor2Thriver]

I've overcome many horrific obstacles during the course of my life. There is/was no pre trauma to go back to. There's only me. There's nothing to compare me to. I'm happy! Its the simple things. I'm no longer in that environment. That alone will keep me happy FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. The smile on my face is genuine! :) Processing pain...:cry:....notsomuch. On the Brightside the added peace I will feel will be priceless! :joyful:

 

[The Albatross]

Such nastiness.

Indeed.

I am challenging someone's own twisted thinking. ...
Please read before you make false replies.

Last time I checked it is not you're place to determine if someone's thinking is twisted proffer your opinion as you like but It is obvious that Survivor2Thriver isn't that into the style of your discussion. Neither am I. In your zeal for discussion, your style depreciates your content.

 

[Survivor2Thriver]

Happiness: The feeling you get with the knowledge not a soul on this earth can steal your joy.

Happiness. :D

 

[Tinyflame]

I have thought carefully about this thread, but after 31 years of this the strangest thought or one of the understandings I came to today (for myself) is that it is actually not the 'ptsd' proper that matters so much one way or another for it to be cured. That is, surely I would rather it was- certainly. But (and I've noticed this when I can identify a trigger- I'm prepared to deal with it as it is, and it inevitably packs less of a punch, I'm glad to say ) , it's actually not the complications of ptsd, or it's essence, that are the worst for me. Rather (for me), it's the small process of healing the pain, or wounds (that perhaps caused the ptsd). With some of that relief, the other is ok, I can accept it as it is, whether it's there for life or not. It's actually - (I can't believe I'm saying this!!!)- quite irrelevant! :wideeyed: :notworthy: :)