• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Isolation

Status
Not open for further replies.
I feel as though I could have written this post many times over myself.

This sounds really awful.
Are there any means for an intervention to stop this behaviour you're being subject to?

Here's hoping your clinical processing goes really well.
And for what it's worth, I'm really glad you're still here with us.

Thank you so much Bell Bird. Through capable counseling, I am hoping the triggers of the past and present can be narrowed and managed.
 
what has been the longest length of time you've isolated?

A few years

what things typically trigger your isolation?

Stress. Fears. Trauma triggers. Mainly stress. I shut down completely. My body goes into some weird overload thing. I isolate first. Disocciate next. All the way to falling asleep for like an entire day. But I can spend an entire day disocciated too. Completely not there. I disocciate very deeply. But isolation is always first. I can work and some what function and still be super isolated. I even isolate away from this site (which was a thread I was writing about but decided to not post...a few times).

Fear is a big isolation cause too. Which is why I think I am isolating from the site. Fear of discussing the things on the site...thus avoiding the site all together. I do weird silly searches and follow staff trying to get some exposure to the site but isolation wins. For now.

-what is a typical length of isolation for you - does it span a particular anniversary period, or continue on after?

There is no typical length for me. I don't know there is for anyone with PTSD really. I can isolate for hours, days, weeks, months, or years. Before a service dog it was closer to months and years. Today a typical isolation (if you can even call it that) is closer to months to weeks. One trauma-versery spans from Christmas to Mid April and it is now mid May and I am still isolated. So that answers 2 questions. One of my isolation times that can be pinned down last months and I am isolated past the trauma-verisery. I usually don't dig my way out of isolation until after the trauma-versery. It could be a month past or a few days past. It's usually after.

Not sure if that answers that block of questions though.


or is there something (internal/external) that signals for you the end of needing to isolate?

Nothing signals me needing to end the isolation. I just sort of dig may way out. But, there needs to be way less stress for me to do so. And no more trauma triggers.

what is the extent of your isolation?

I think you asked that already but currently, months.

do you go elsewhere or isolate within your house?

I isolate within my own mind. I go deep inside my mind. Very deep. Scary deep actually. To the point of laying on a dark bathroom floor for an entire day or more. I can work, oddly. I section of that deep isolated part of my mind to work but after I am back deep inside of my mind again.

Typically, though, home. If not working, I struggle badly to leave the home. My service dog helps that a lot but when isolation is bad like it is now, I even struggle with a service dog. To the point of taking him out to go potty is super painful and super scary for me. But I can work...which is so weird to me!
 
My longest was about 2 months of staying inside. It really messed with my head but at that time it was safer to me than being outside in public.

Nearly all the isolation has been due to fear and depression/anxiety in "context of PTSd" (says doc).

Triggers or scenarios that cause stress overload and or extreme stimulation both causing all the alarms to go off which drains my battery to function or even process the world. When i cannot process much of life becomes fight or flight. Since i am too tired i just hide. When i push myself to go back out in the world during those times i end up having explosive outbursts follwed by active intense SI or continuos thoughts of harming the person that caused the crash..then that emotional vortex starts to suck in other people that have hurt me..the spiral continues. I neglect myself and mother whom i am caregiver to along with my animal friends.

During my isolation there are times whe i doodle or write and later see what i was going through at the time. When i look at the work i do not recognize or believe i did it BUT i know it is my doodles because of the style. Its weird as if i am in a trance state when i write or doodle. Hours go by. I have no judgement of time spent. Yet the work i produce i really like.

Sometimes the TBI magical thinking kicks in during isolation and i think ideas that will change the world. I would think of writing to people and agencies. I think and feel i can build a team to make the world a better place for seniors and disabled folks.
All while neglecting myself and family.

What usually signals me out of isolation.. good question i still dont know but often it was been myself or someone coming over and pop my bubble of isolation..

Now i try manage selective isolation by limiting myself from othets.

You asked a great question. Thank u!
 
Depends what it is.

Emotionally isolating / shutting others off my life even if physically there / totally ready to lend a hand in everything that doesn't require me emoting hard, is something I've done most of my life through.

Quite depends where are others in isolating, too. Isolating in pair wins. :sneaky: I can do tango where the timing is totally wrong, but the exchanges are exactly the level of need to know & can handle. More likely to kick into a work mode & back to functional from that one.

To where? If I'm able to handle buildings / being in them? I ain't that bad off. More seclusion & sheltering off than isolating, that. It is when I stop being able to deal with anything that feels too permanent & trapping & someone else's schedule, get me OUT, now., I'm in worse lands.
 
Depends what it is.

Emotionally isolating / shutting others off my life even if physically there / totally ready to lend a hand in everything that doesn't require me emoting hard, is something I've done most of my life through.

Quite depends where are others in isolating, too. Isolating in pair wins. :sneaky: I can do tango where the timing is totally wrong, but the exchanges are exactly the level of need to know & can handle. More likely to kick into a work mode & back to functional from that one.

To where? If I'm able to handle buildings / being in them? I ain't that bad off. More seclusion & sheltering off than isolating, that. It is when I stop being able to deal with anything that feels too permanent & trapping & someone else's schedule, get me OUT, now., I'm in worse lands.
Sound alot like me.
 
Hi there,

Isolation is one "thing" (of many) that before joining this forum, I thought was just a me-thing, but now I realise it's a pretty common PTSD-thing.

Obviously I'm not promoting Isolation, but as I'm currently isolating to some extent myself, I'm curious as to the patterns of isolation in others.

- what has been the longest length of time you've isolated?

- what things typically trigger your isolation?

-what is a typical length of isolation for you - does it span a particular anniversary period, or continue on after?

- or is there something (internal/external) that signals for you the end of needing to isolate?

-what is the extent of your isolation?

-do you go elsewhere or isolate within your house?


For me, at the moment, I'm isolating after a symptom flare up that followed a pretty stressful week (including 2 trauma anniversaries, a prowler on my property while I was home alone, and the resurfacing of two pretty massive sets of repressed memories).

So far the extent of my isolation has been limited to people I know IRL (i.e. I've still been on the forums to some extent), and have a tonne of unanswered texts/ missed calls.
I've also had to see some family members today, which I've followed through with as they don't know I have PTSD (or any mental illness), so I've been able to tolerate it knowing it will be better in the long term, but I can foresee myself needing to up the extent of my isolating from tomorrow to compensate.

I've been isolating in my house. My flatmate did come home yesterday, but she doesn't really talk to me, so if I don't speak to her/ hide out in my room, she doesn't flinch anyway.

Otherwise, I've only left the house to get food/exercise, but during times I know I won't run into people I know. Sometimes I won't leave my bedroom except to use the bathroom/ heat up food curtains closed, and other times I've felt ok to open my curtains and windows etc.


What are your isolation patterns?
I’m am doing the exact same thing right now. My curtains are closed, I’m in bed, and I will literally only get up for the bathroom or food. People are worried and ask if they can come over and just be with me. I am so alone, but for some reason I can’t get myself to invite them over. I’m so tired, but I don’t want to close my eyes.
 
I’m am doing the exact same thing right now. My curtains are closed, I’m in bed, and I will literally only get up for the bathroom or food. People are worried and ask if they can come over and just be with me. I am so alone, but for some reason I can’t get myself to invite them over. I’m so tired, but I don’t want to close my eyes.

I hide in the dark too! My black curtians are never opened. It feels so much safer!
 
I isolate for long periods of time. I have 2 dogs so I am not totally alone. Winter is much worse, so I am in deep isolation. Was invited to dinner tonight and declined. Most people have forgotten about me and rightfully so. One long time friend asks me to do something occasionally and I really try to push myself to do it, but that is because I really do not want her to worry about me. Same with my daughter. So there are a couple of people that I push myself out of my comfort zone for. I like staying at home alone, and I really like staying in my bed, yet I feel wrong for it. The more I do it the easier it is. I just cant pull myself out of this.
 
Oh boy its good to be back.... i miss you all and have been isolating. Symptoms piled up and whatever energy I had it was used towards looking after mom (dementia).

Its a double whammy now because it is a different form of isolation... CV19. Day 11.

Anxiety has been high. Even getting mail freaks me out. The amygdala just wants to run and hide.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top