littledoodot
New Here
Hello, I'm Dot, 56F and new to this forum. 
I have recently been diagnosed with Complex PTSD stemming from Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse in the AOG Church 20-30 years ago and triggered 3 years ago by the death of my mother followed by verbal abuse and betrayal 6 months later by a male friend who had been helping me through the loss of my Mum (a friend who I had gotten back in touch with after Mum died who I had met years ago in the AOG church). So I am not only dealing with the trauma of grief and loss but relational trauma as well and this has resulted in severe avolition over the past couple of years which caused the inability to function on a daily basis, especially in relation to work and which has also recently seen me approved for the Disability Support Pension, which makes things a lot easier for me.
Being able to finally put a name to how I have been over the last 20-odd years—lots of guilt and shame, being nervy and jumpy, hypervigilance and avoidance, rumination, relationship difficulties—also makes things easier, too, knowing that it is not my fault for how I am and that it was a result of how I was treated. And now I know, now I can heal and I am on the healing path—I've been doing a lot of reflective writing this year and I attend a weekly Tai Chi class—I engage in a lot of meditation and mindfulness activities and in general, I enjoy engaging in language and literature pursuits. Most importantly, I still have my faith, although I consider myself more spiritual than religious now but my faith is what drives me and keeps me going.
I look forward to engaging with likeminded souls on here. 
Warm regards,
Dot
I have recently been diagnosed with Complex PTSD stemming from Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse in the AOG Church 20-30 years ago and triggered 3 years ago by the death of my mother followed by verbal abuse and betrayal 6 months later by a male friend who had been helping me through the loss of my Mum (a friend who I had gotten back in touch with after Mum died who I had met years ago in the AOG church). So I am not only dealing with the trauma of grief and loss but relational trauma as well and this has resulted in severe avolition over the past couple of years which caused the inability to function on a daily basis, especially in relation to work and which has also recently seen me approved for the Disability Support Pension, which makes things a lot easier for me.
Being able to finally put a name to how I have been over the last 20-odd years—lots of guilt and shame, being nervy and jumpy, hypervigilance and avoidance, rumination, relationship difficulties—also makes things easier, too, knowing that it is not my fault for how I am and that it was a result of how I was treated. And now I know, now I can heal and I am on the healing path—I've been doing a lot of reflective writing this year and I attend a weekly Tai Chi class—I engage in a lot of meditation and mindfulness activities and in general, I enjoy engaging in language and literature pursuits. Most importantly, I still have my faith, although I consider myself more spiritual than religious now but my faith is what drives me and keeps me going.
I look forward to engaging with likeminded souls on here. Warm regards,
Dot
