I've Been Barking Up The Wrong Tree

[FUBAR1]

It's been years now that I've been trying to 'heal from' or 'cure' my PTSD. I've tried so many methods and it's just not happening. I'm considering asking for electroshock. I'm also considering the fact that my PTSD may be a permanent condition that rather than try so hard to eradicate, I need to accept, and learn how to live life with PTSD, not keep waiting to cure it. Because I've put my life on hold in a sense, that I'm waiting to have a better life and be more functional and then my life can really start. But maybe this is my life every day and maybe this is how functional I am/am not. And maybe I have to learn to cope with that.

 

[Wagon]

I hear you Fubar. I've beat the crap out of that horse. You can't be cured.....but you are not completely f*cked.

How did Superman deal with having his powers taken away. Well he went work at the newspaper, gave up on that high class bitch Lois, got himself a girlfriend with a better disposition and now goes skydiving on weekends. He dealt with it.

Hang tough Fubar. Your logic is spot on.

 

[WarBreed]

I've been putting a lot of thought into the same thing lately. I think there are some parts of it that will never go away. They'll always be there just under the surface. I think the key is learning to live with the non-destructive parts, while recognizing and getting treatment for the destructive parts.

 

[Spock]

Keep your eye on coping. Don't wait for a better life, go after a better life. It will take many different methods: meds, exercise, distraction, new interests, camaraderie of battle buddies, identifying & avoidance of triggers, developing coping skills for different challenges...many baby steps. If it was easy, most of us would not be here, leaning on each other to acknowledge the pain and share our tricks. I wouldn't expect "better" life to mean easy, great all the time (who really has that even without PTSD) but I hope, with practice, you'll be able to focus more on things you want and minimize the PTSD beast somewhat. You might get better at seeing a PTSD shit storm coming, taking cover, and hiding out until it passes. We all fall down and the beast will knock us down again and again, many times it happens simultaneously. It is the getting up we all have to do to get on with living.

 

[Ned]

Learning to live with it was the biggest single step forward I made. That doesn't mean surrender. Your thinking is sound, Fubar.

 

[Raven]

The only way to get rid of PTSD would be to go back in time and change what happened. These are probably the wisest words my therapist said to me in trying to explain that it can't be cured. There is only forward.

 

[Chin Strapped]

Acceptance is a thing I juggle with, although I am making real progress with that of late. Trying to do what Ned said is almost impossible to do right, until full acceptance is there.

We are all guilty of doubting the beast at some point.

 

[woodsie]

I'd be able to accept it more fully if the damn thing would just be consistent. It comes and goes and there is all these nuances and facets I haven't experienced as of yet. My heart is still broken from my last shit show of a relationship. My small circle of friends say I'm better for it. But WTF do they know.

We are all right there with you and I hope vice versa.