PTSD - If You Could Draw It Or Describe It - What Would It Look Like

[starshine]

The first is an image I resonate with.
The second is one of my paintings, from a year ago.

 

[Eeyore]

my description of ptsd

If I was to describe living with PTSD to someone I would say it's like bleeding out from a stomach wound, on the inside. I can feel the pain and pressure building even if there aren't any signs visible to anyone else. But I can feel myself growing weak over time, and so tired.

 

[blueskies]

A big, empty, bottomless ...

... ashen pit. That's what PTSD "looks" like to me. A place with no ladders up on either side, and only sand to grab on to.

What I've begun to learn is that I cannot climb up out of this hole, but that I can be lifted up and out by wings that come in different guises. Including my own desire to move past all the years of wandering lost and hurt towards something resembling a contented life. The kind of life I have to work at finding, because it wasn't handed to me on a platter, silver or not. Or even told by my abusers that it was possible. ("Life is a kick in the teeth" is more the tune of what I heard. Thank God I never really fully bought that stuff and nonsense. There was simply too much evidence in the world to the contrary. I mean, a world where there are dogs and lakes and flowers and babies and laughter and the moon and the uncountable stars? That's WAY better than a kick in the teeth).

As long as I believe this is possible, I have hope. And so long as I have hope, that's the most important thing of all.

May we all be blessed by the touch of hope in these 24 hours. We all deserve it.:clap: Our lives have been too much hell already.

peace,

blueskies

 

[Tessa]

PTSD image

I draw PTSD as a person lying down paralysed. The heart is still full of care but the body will not get up. People are standing over me telling me I must be over it now - get up.
I see my therapist offering a wheelchair so I can get around. I move the wheelchair myself and sometimes need help to push if I hit a rough patch.

Tessa:poke:

 

[liv now]

I really like this thread! It is really helpful seeing how others experience ptsd. Whilst we are all unique and our experience of ptsd is different i see facets of myself in others descriptions. For me how I view ptsd has changed. When i didn't know what was wrong with me I felt like I was living in a parallel universe. Like I could see and hear everyone else and was living amongst them but that there was this invisible barrier or forcefield up and I was trapped and separated from everyone else. They could not hear or see me. I felt isolated and alone. Now I see myself being on the same side of this invisible barrier as everyone else most of the time. But when I am triggered I end up stuck on the other side again. But not for long anymore as I have figured out how to get back. I have tools now so that I don't have to stay stuck for too long. I have also told others what my tools are so they can help me come back if I stumble or lose them. :think:

 

[Steveo]

Barren ground, salt flat level as far as the eye can see,
Every few inches razor edge shards penetrate the surface.
Tiptoe, I can avoid them, but I am tired.
Where will I sleep?

 

[LoveWins]

I draw PTSD as a person lying down paralysed. The heart is still full of care but the body will not get up. People are standing over me telling me I must be over it now - get up.
I see my therapist offering a wheelchair so I can get around. I move the wheelchair myself and sometimes need help to push if I hit a rough patch.

Tessa:poke:

This is exactly what I feel, too! Great description
My heart IS still full of care, yet here I am, in my pyjamas, curtains pulled, and Im paralysed by ptsd. Im looking forward to getting a new therapist. I hope they have a wheelchair

 

[WorkingThruIt]

I don't know all the football (American football) terminology, but all those big guys that line up and tackle each other. I feel like PTSD is like one of them.

I'm just going on about my day to day life and one of those f***ers tackles me and knocks me down. It takes a little while to pull myself together and get on my feet again, but the threat is always there. I know that the football dude will return and knock me on my ass again.

I'm not sure I can visualize or describe the feelings of the symptoms. It would be scribbly, dark and like a tornado.

 

[a3a2]

If you could draw it or describe it

Today it feels like a huge brick implanted in the middle of my head. God, I wish I could get it out.

a2a3

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

It looks like a hole that I'm deep inside of - from the outside it doesn't look that deep - but once your inside the top seems so far away. One day I hope to have a ladder to help me climb out of it.

 

[Manic11]

First photo: The light is there...maybe...if you look really hard but there's so much in the way...its a working progress.

Second photo: Is self explainitory but at the same time, can be looked at in so many different ways.

None of these photos are mine. I just thought they expressed PTSD well.

Manic

 

[TLight]

Thank Manic.........the photos at least have some hope....some days it seems PTSD takes that away.

I like the brick inside your head. I feel like that too............this is awful. Truly an awful thing to have laden on us by bad people...........