The Ptsd Cup Explanation

[anthony]

or is this representing some neuroscience/PTSD research

What is represented here is the physiology of how our bodies handle stress... just simplified.

Good stress easily removes from us as positivity and such, whilst negative stress removes from us as we talk about it, resolve it, sleep and such. If we don't talk, don't resolve, have nightmares and aren't sleeping to naturally remove stress, then our cup starts full and we have less room the next day, rinse and repeat.

 

[Julie50]

Thanks @anthony I'm mostly interested in the "overflow" to try and better understand why some negative stress that isn't dealt with in a healthy way results in (in our case) a dissociation that is completely consistent in symptoms and progression. Thanks to a testimony about Naltrexone I'm researching opioid and NMDA receptor pathways. Just wondered if you've come across any research that would narrow down any certain prefrontal/limbic areas of the brain that have been identified as being involved in PTSD or dissociation. Thanks again ...this site has been very informative to me/my husband and I.

 

[anthony]

The overflow (stress) directly correlates to anxiety, and anxiety then leads PTSD to create further symptoms such as, sleep, anger, mood, dissociation (coping mechanism), hyper-vigilance and on goes the list. Just understanding the impact of stress on our body gives a very quick picture: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/stress-on-your-body.13777/

You then have aspects in relation to emotional regulation as the cup overflows: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/the-iceberg-of-emotions.13731/

Fight, flight, freeze... again all part and parcel: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/autonomic-nervous-system-ans-with-ptsd.13839/

 

[blackswan]

My understanding is that disassociation is an innate coping strategy for inescapable trauma, and that once it is "activated" it becomes more and more utilised and therefore more and more available because it's actually pretty effective (in the short term). It makes sense to me that it would present and progress in a consistent manner.

And I'm sure if you searched Google Scholar you could find a meta-analysis or other review of the neurophysiology of PTSD. Just set it to only look at recent papers, cause my neuroscience degree is 10 years old and pretty useless these days because the field progresses so quickly. All I'm pulling out of my memory is "amygdala", but that's not super helpful.

 

[Julie50]

Thanks to both!! @anthony I'll read those links.
I found this current research today that looks promising. .
Nociceptin: Nature’s Balm for the Stressed Brain..
I couldn't post the link but it will come up uf you google it.

 

[anthony]

the field progresses so quickly.

Absolutely... what they think is the answer today, suddenly is out and they're onto the next theory. To my current knowledge today... they still don't have the answer to PTSD, and still only theories. To me personally... that's about as exciting as developmental theories... which are all boring and all claiming to be the answer to human development.

 

[brokenWing1974]

Thank you, Anthony...much appreciated.

 

[MelanieH]

So @anthony do you have any suggestions for how to handle an overflowing cup day after day when the stress reaches the breaking point? And by breaking point I do not mean anger or lashing out but a feeling of being overwhelmed and hopelessness about not being able to handle the stress. Any links you could recommend or coping exercises? Thank you so much for this post- it's a wonderful explanation of how stress is not the same for everyone.

 

[Truthful_Whispers]

I don't know about anyone else's cup, but mine's been pissed in..

 

[anthony]

So @anthony do you have any suggestions for how to handle an overflowing cup day after day when the stress reaches the breaking point?

There aren't any -- not valid suggestions, that is. An overflowing cup, day after day, like you outlined, is simply a breakdown in motion. Not if, but when. Depending on the level of overflow and the duration, will depend on the breakdown severity, whether huge meltdown for months or years, or death by suicide.

Nobody can function day after day with an overflowing cup. Normal people do not overflow very often. Their cup fills up, it goes down, it rarely overflows within a lifetime.

There is good reason why suicide, hospitalisation, medication and so forth are prone in disorders like PTSD, because there are no coping skills to maintain overflowing.

You have to stop the overflow by hitting the issues head on. People can sustain short-term overflow -- they cannot long-term.

People often think their cup is overflowing, when really its just full. Overflowing is melt down -- you are no longer functioning when overflowing.

 

[MelanieH]

Thank you @anthony - that is what worries me for my friend. He talks to me about his stress a little bit but I'm worried that he's just trying to cope day after day without making any changes and that it is going to break him. Your honest and candid answer will hopefully help him seek change. I gave him the link to this post as it describes what I have been seeing for the past couple of months. Thank you again for your swift reply and this wonderful forum!

 

[Deedee187]

Anthony, I just signed up for this site to find this post! Thank you. I don't have PTSD, but my boyfriend does, I have my own craziness and well, Im basically not trying to add to his cup of bad stress.