The Ptsd Cup Explanation

[browniegirl]

This is a great article and I wanted to thank you - it helps me understand my husband's PTSD and now mine.......and although I've not been diagnosed, I have several facets of it that fit unfortunately due to some severe traumas that my husband did to me over the past 11 years - now that I have finally stood up and said "no more" and he is getting serious help, I am trying to get well myself - this is a great start!! Thank you.

 

[Brontie]

Thanks. It’s so true. I’m the oldest of five and I often wondered why I seemed to be the only one really struggling since we were all brought up in the same household. Stress on stress and PTS looks like the answer.

 

[Powder]

Does this aspect of stress intolerance improve as time passes and one works through the traumas or through reduction of stress deliberately in daily life? PTSD doesn't go away, but does it lessen in some people with time and effort? Or does it just run off into other areas, such as physical illness?

I have seen some improvement in myself over the years as I am more able to watch myself and keep myself from over-reacting all the time, although I can still feel the analogy at work within me, and often when I least expect it.

More often than not, I am able to not react. I feel the pressure build and I am increasingly able to accept it as my burden, and I let it be or let it go. Sometimes, I act it out, but this rarely helps me to feel better in my relationships. I usually feel guilt about letting it get the best of me or start an argument. So it's better for me to just suffer in silence with the pressure and stress in my own body until I can work it off somehow. If I say something, I am not in a good place and it rarely works to build me or others up.

I would be interested in learning more ways to cope and to not take it out on anyone, but to communicate in ways that alleviate the pressure or notify someone that it's on without blowing up, blaming, or lashing out in any way. I think this would help me not feel so much fatigue and pain (right now I just let it sit in my body and you know how that goes).

 

[anthony]

Does this aspect of stress intolerance improve as time passes and one works through the traumas or through reduction of stress deliberately in daily life? PTSD doesn't go away, but does it lessen in some people with time and effort? Or does it just run off into other areas, such as physical illness?

The block that is PTSD, expands and retracts unilaterally with stress. As you are stressed, PTSD expands with its symptoms. As you are less stressed, PTSD retracts in size with symptom reduction. Add stress... PTSD suddenly expands again, repeating the cycle.

This is why there is a two fold process to PTSD, first cognitive therapy, being to reduce as much as possible the negative fear (stressors) associated with past trauma that is a constant within your brain, then secondly, teach you management techniques and cognitive realisation through exposure therapy, to remove daily fears (stressors) with performing normal daily tasks and viewing future events.

The better you nail both areas, the better the outcome. Severity plays a significant role as well for duration of healing.

The biggest problem with PTSD itself, being those who actually have the disorder, is that one traumatic event at 30 years of age that gives PTSD, can then raise every prior minor event within your life as sub-sequent traumatic events, even though everything else is considered normal life expectancies, because PTSD is present, these once insignificant life events now become minor stressors that usually must also be reasoned with, as they invoke a retraumatising experience, regardless how minor, and even false memories themselves, which are just as traumatising as the event now endured, even though false memories never actually happened.

 

[Powder]

Thank you Anthony,
Your answer explains a lot with PTSD and how to tackle it head on. There is a denial factor: "Maybe it will fade away on its own," that is unhelpful. There is a need to face it, understand it, and learn ways to heal and cope.

Muse

 

[Abstract]

Thanks!
This a great visual representation of what happens! It makes me feel a little less useless for having such a low stress tolerance. I can't do what I think I "should" be able to do and still remain stable. I hate that.

The biggest problem with PTSD itself, being those who actually have the disorder, is that one traumatic event at 30 years of age that gives PTSD, can then raise every prior minor event within your life as sub-sequent traumatic events, even though everything else is considered normal life expectancies, because PTSD is present, these once insignificant life events now become minor stressors that usually must also be reasoned with, as they invoke a retraumatising experience, regardless how minor, and even false memories themselves, which are just as traumatising as the event now endured, even though false memories never actually happened.

Wow. very interesting and something I was just starting to vaguely suspect - that my more severe traumas made previous lessor ones seem worse than they had been before.

 

[anthony]

It makes me feel a little less useless for having such a low stress tolerance. I can't do what I think I "should" be able to do and still remain stable. I hate that.

Don't worry, we all go through it. Took me years to sort that one area out progressively... and I still struggle at times, relapse, identify that I have done so, inact corrective action again.

I have tried to work and study in the past, failed on both accounts miserably, but didn't give up. I just acknowledged that I needed more self work, now I am trying again, study first... then I am hoping I can cope with work. What I learnt last effort is to prioritise my days better, ensure I don't create a self destructive thought pattern, ie. I have all these things I have to do, study, assessments, clean, cook, iron, wash the car, etc etc... instead I isolate and allocate specific time to tasks, including rest. As a result, I am functioning better with PTSD... though I also accept that I would fall over including work full-time, as even renovating a house, I fell over ill most weeks due to stress, and I love to build and renovate.

Acceptance of our new limitations is a big part of PTSD, though also we must find and push our boundaries at the same time, and just because we fall over, doesn't mean our boundaries can't be pushed further, it just means we must push gentler next time, and aim at smaller, more incremental expansion to any limitations we have.

Baby steps, pretty much!

 

[Powder]

Yes, Anthony, you said you like doing renovations but the "good stress" even fills the cup quickly. That is the good stress part. This is one of the more difficult aspects of PTSD for me. Even hobbies and fun can turn into a source of anxiety; and this takes away from the desperately needed rest and relaxation that those of us with anxiety so need.

 

[anthony]

Good stress though is not equivalent to bad stress... it is present, but good stress is like a counter to bad stress. Going to yoga, as an example; the act of going may create bad stress, traffic, time, commitments, etc... but the event itself, creates good stress, which is less than bad, and also reduces bad stress. So whilst a small amount of good stress goes into your cup, it removes a lot of bad stress.

Good stress is a good thing to put into your cup... but renovating, it caused me to then worry about x, y or z, which was the bad stress component. That was more myself having to manage that aspect better, which I actually now do as a result of finding the issues, applying better management techniques to them, and I am now using those self techniques to currently manage running forums, studying, building a new venture, looking towards working again, etc, and not falling over as a result.

So whilst an excuse can be, I can't do good things because it creates some bad stress; the more logical method is to identify the bad stressor and apply a better management technique / approach to it, that removes it or reduces it significantly.

 

[Powder]

Okay, I can see what you mean. You're right. Like using rationale thinking to overcome barriers that keep one from getting help and positive reinforcement. You are very skilled at that and can make progress. We all need to remember we have the same ability, too, if we apply what we learn. Thank you for this forum. It's helped so much and I have a lot more to do, as you said, to get better to where I can do more and enjoy life in the present.

 

[LovinHuggin]

This is really helpful, thank you :)

 

[Bruce]

I'm often confused about this suffering I am in....emotional numbness, anxiety, depression, major major fatigue, severe strain, stress, trauma...whatever you want to call it. I feel so alone with this....I get angry an awful lot which only perpetuates my guilt and shame, destroys relationships with family and friend. I'm not the same person and I feel I'm getting worse. I'm scared and lonely.....can someone help?