Relationship Question about the future with sufferer

[Sephira]

Hi everyone,

I have a question for long term supporters. After years of balking and managing his PTSD himself, my sweets has finally entered therapy. I know that the start of therapy is rough...but how is life with your sufferer after he or she has been in therapy for a while? I'm so used to the roller coaster. Do things even out? Does your relationship ever approach normal? I know PTSD is lifelong, but will things with my sweets ever approach what they used to be like before PTSD? I'm just wondering what to expect in the future. Thank you!

 

[EveHarrington]

As someone who has PTSD myself, I don’t think you can really expect anything.

Some of us do a great amount of healing and things even out, while others don’t even out so much.

I know you’re looking for something more hopeful than that, but nobody can predict the future when dealing with mental illness.

 

[Sweetpea76]

Like they were before PTSD? I think once somebody is traumatized there's no going back to who they were before.

Part of being a supporter is getting over the "what if" scenarios... what if they get better? What if there is a cure? What if his PTSD goes away? It's our own little escapism/fantasy, but it's just not something we can hang any kind of real hope on.

 

[Freida]

As a sufferer one thing I have to accept is that my ptsd will never go away. I will learn to manage it better, learn coping skills, blah blah, but it will ALWAYS be there. When will it explode again? Who knows.

Knowing I'm dragging others into that mess is hard. Knowing they can deal with it makes it easier