Stages of PTSD

[Rainman8772]

Don’t know if my offer will personally resonate to you but I wanted to try. I taught various classes for some of our Forces. Those whom had been captured, intense combat, ect. had stages of non-recognition of their environment when they were jolted out of night terrors or flashbacks. One in particular used an object suspended near his side of the bed that he imprinted to mean ‘safe’. It kept him from going into fighting for survival mode and hurting his wife.

I personally had to go through some training in therapy to assist with my tricks or techniques to ground during fight or flight flash from night terrors. As I began to process some of the trauma or delve in therapy my ‘ball of yarn’ persay began to unravel in unsettling ways.

It was important to me to understand where my responsibilities rested after the initial flush from triggers. I came to rest in that it is OK to feel what I need to feel but how I choose to act on it is key.

Glad you opened up:stay well. You are more than your PTSD...keep the faith!

^^^^^^^^
Yes this is what I do. Before taking my med cocktail and getting my service dog I may even have had to call some of my team members in the middle of the night to make sure they were safe. Prazosin helped a lot with the nightmares. My dog is always beside me and will wake me if I am having one now. She can ground me more than anything.

There are always degrees to mine. Some worse than others. Some I can function with and others are debilitating. Keeping stress in check helps tremendously. I still may blow up but it is not as often as before getting the tools to help me recognize what is going on. Again the dog helps there too. She can sense it far better than I can.

 

[Recovery4Me]

I may even have had to call some of my team members in the middle of the night to make sure they were safe.

They are the ones whom understand the most. It actually takes trust to reach out (even if it is to check). In all sincerity ... I feel honored that you shared with us. Stay strong and true (plus hug your dog for me because they make a world of difference).

 

[pam4him]

Oh, absolutely. I was robbed at gunpoint and went through a few months of ptsd symptoms. Similar to grief, yes recovery has stages. What could I have done differently? Why did he target me? Was it even a real gun? None of that mattered, he threatened and I was scared. I woke from night terrors, parked in a different parking lot for a year, and constantly watched my surroundings (not the advised aware, I mean constant head side to side, walk fast, lock the office door as fast as I can, anxiety attack watching). It took some time, but all of these subsided but I am more vigilant about being aware of my surroundings, so some good came from it. Try to go with the flow of feelings, maybe journal about them if not already, and keep going through therapy. I've gone off and on for several years as things came up. Try to think of It like a doctor visit when you get the flu. You need to go so you can get better. Prayers for continued healing, peace and strength.