Reading Forum Increases Symptoms!

[Iam]

All good points Anthony. Thanks.

 

[Srain]

Great article!

 

[The Albatross]

Iam said: "I have read your article on how long most sufferers should be on the forum ...".

I would like to find this article can someone give me the name or link... I'm out of time this morning. Thank you.

 

[cherryblossom]

Not sure - this could be the post?
[DLMURL]http://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/when-is-the-right-time-to-leave-the-forum.13888/[/DLMURL]

 

[The Albatross]

Hey thank you Cherryblossom!

 

[Phaed]

You make many great points Anthony and are truly knowledgeable on PTSD and exposure therapy and how it works. Please keep sharing.

 

[Brontie]

I think it's worth mentioning that exposure therapy is difficult for those of us who dissociate (involuntarily) when things get tough or we begin to feel stress. Personally, I back off and come back later for another go. I get there slowly but surely. And I do believe in taking time to process, analyse and reflect upon the information that has been taken on board. I think that's where I am now. I began to feel low so I got busy with some decorating thinking it was the usual stuff but I don't think it was. I think it was all the reading I've been doing on here over the past week. I think it's time to take a short break. I think I would like to come back and check out some more article titles though from time to time.

 

[anthony]

I think it's worth mentioning that exposure therapy is difficult for those of us who dissociate (involuntarily) when things get tough or we begin to feel stress.

Sorry, but this sounds like an excuse to me. People don't dissociate voluntarily at any point, so unsure why you feel you are worse off than another who does exposure therapy! Please explain?

Personally, I back off and come back later for another go. I get there slowly but surely.

That is the correct method though for exposure therapy... you are doing it right. When people do it incorrectly, is that they either do it too long, or too short. If you don't allow the distress to come through, then it is too short, and if you allow the distress to be present until your ready to kill yourself / physically breakdown, then too long.

And I do believe in taking time to process, analyse and reflect upon the information that has been taken on board.

Couldn't agree more... that is exactly what you should be doing. You seem to have it correct for the most point... just unsure about the opening statement made.

I think it was all the reading I've been doing on here over the past week. I think it's time to take a short break. I think I would like to come back and check out some more article titles though from time to time.

The forum is a constant source of exposure therapy... and I could only congratulate you Brontie on recognising when you need to step away to give your brain essential rest.

 

[Philippa]

I think I feel the same way Anthony, and it is helping me to see, by being here on this forum, just how far I have come in my own recovery. I did a lot of journaling for years, as well as art therapy off my own back, and things were miserable for a very long time. I had some sort of breakthrough the other day and something shifted in me, and I felt really joyous for the first time in ages.

I don't feel the need to spend every day here, and often avoided support groups in the past, as I think they can end up being unhealthy and detrimental even to recovery if people become too dependent on each other. I don't really subscribe to the theory that "people who need people all the time are the luckiest people in the world." That just sounds like co-dependency and enabling each other to stay stuck.

Too much neediness can feel stifling and end up where everyone feels obligated to have to check in in case others are wondering where they are, when they 'should' be checking in because they WANT to or feel like they need some help or just to vent or journal or catch up on the latest information or articles etc.

At the end of the day, we still need to work through this on our own. Support is good and essential for a time, but being able to stand on your own two feet is as well. It does still do me a lot of good to read what other people say that I relate to, as it makes me feel not alone and that I really do have this thing I had such a hard time accepting that I have to live with, and that all the things I have experienced really were because of ptsd, and I wasn't just weird. I'm still learning new things about it.

I remember reading one persons diary here, and it affected me so much, as I am pretty empathic and still learning how to not take on other peoples stuff. I felt this persons pain and expressed the anger they weren't able to and I woke up not the same the next day. It's not good for me to read other peoples trauma at this point, and I feel like it would be some kind of morbid fascination for the wrong reasons if I did.

 

[Brontie]

Anthony,

I didn’t say it was voluntary.
I put in brackets ‘involuntary’.
Either you missed that or I didn’t explain myself very well. Sorry about that.

 

[Abstract]

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for all the information and articles. They are very interesting and helpful.

 

[AmyO]

I can see why you say that the forum increases symptoms. But I would have to say as well it made a difference for me as I was exposed to some of the things that I never would have realized about myself. As well as how I interact with my children. I know now that I need to step back and take those little time outs for myself or can't be on my game to care for them. But I do appreciate the advice and support because all of the posts made me break down some walls in my head and think of things relating to my abuse that were just to terrible to process. It became that by increasing some of the symptoms now I can move ahead.

I took that time away, even though I would check back from time to time, because I have always been the kind of person that feels like I can't unload my problems on anyone else. Case in point, all the friends I have here saw one of my flashbacks and she told me that I shouldn't let myself get to that point. Just push it off into the past and leave it there. And thinking that my problems didn't matter, that is what I did. Not a very good idea after this newest batch of depression. But I found that I should try not to listen to everyone, especially if they really don't know what PTSD is.