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Understanding Ptsd - By Anthony Parsons

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BBQ sauce,

Maybe I am wrong, but there is a "share this page" to facebook via the recommend button at the bottom of this page.

It could be shared it that way, unless I am wrong Anthony?
 
You may now consistently only fit GAD. Again though, if highly stressed or exposed to another traumatic event, that will change back to PTSD if you display the symptoms again. Eventually, you will become worse and worse if constantly exposed to traumatic events within your life. The less stress and issues faced, the less likely you are to endure PTSD again. It may only take a normal life event, such as the death of a friend, to bring back your entire past of trauma and PTSD. Yes, even though normal death is not traumatic enough to give you PTSD, the normal death is only the trigger... the PTSD will come back due to all your past trauma, even though you healed it, your brain will drag everything up again.


This last paragraph leaves me very hopeless. To have to re feel everything everytime a normal life event occurs is quite enough to make you wanna give up.
 
Each time you go through those feelings and rationalize them, you become more familiar with what puts your mind at ease; thereby making it easier for you to set those overwhelming feelings aside and deal with the current feelings in real time. By not stacking new distress or trauma on top of old trauma and distress, you give yourself the opportunity to deal with stuff as it comes with only minor setbacks. In other words, it does get easier to manage PTSD symptoms, once you're familiar with what triggers them and what puts them at rest.
 
For most of my life I have been an "alternator", passive and catering to other people's needs and then after I would get fed up with it, I switch to a more aggressive position and back again. I have been working on improving myself by becoming more assertive and not being so afraid of conflict, but I am concerned because I have difficulty with conflicts and expressing my needs in a healthy way. I am in a relationship with a PTSD sufferer and I am committed to having a good relationship. Is there anyone who has specific advice on this? Anyone who has been through this? I know that if I apply myself, over time I can improve, but I feel pretty discouraged sometimes.
 
Each time you go through those feelings and rationalize them, you become more familiar with what puts your mind at ease; thereby making it easier for you to set those overwhelming feelings aside and deal with the current feelings in real time. By not stacking new distress or trauma on top of old trauma and distress, you give yourself the opportunity to deal with stuff as it comes with only minor setbacks. In other words, it does get easier to manage PTSD symptoms, once you're familiar with what triggers them and what puts them at rest.

This is like less than a week old new diagnosis too me and almost 35 years I have developed bad habits and a slight unawareness. Though, a lot of the "remedy" to manage PTSD I've found were things I already did or do. The worst stress of my life put me where I am now but thankfully, so I can fix this. I had no idea about secondary ptsd that I likely put my ex through. Is there any civilness that can be created for us to co parent? He hates me though he cheated many times and left. But really my questions are: How do you know what kind you are? Passive or aggressive or are we all just both? How do you know if you are or if you do pile trauma on top of old trauma? How do you stop? How do you recognize triggers or real triggers? Sadness triggers or angry ones what do you do with those? Right now nothing puts me at rest and I have no hobbies or outside life. I'm become a pretty flat affected person. I hate it. It's not me.
 
I printed this off and gave it to my H to read. He found it very helpful Anthony, clear and easy to understand.

I think it helped him to understand why one day I seem to be able to do a task but can't the next. Or why I can go somewhere one day but not the next,

He found the section on combat stress, although not reverent to my PTSD, extremely eye-opening (he is x-military).

It cleared a lot up for me too and has encouraged me not to be so hard on myself.

Thanks for the hard work you put into it Anthony. :):tup:

CC
 
Dear Anthony and Nicolette:

I only joined this forum yesterday,by reading from yours and others helped me understand a lots more about PTSD, I just want to say big thank you to you for now, as I know there is lots lots more for me to do now. i will keep on reading, (somehow i feel a light somewhere now.)

At moment just want let you know I really appreciated about what you do.

God bless you! lots of love !
 
Iam, you can no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, thus you no longer have the diagnosis. It doesn't mean your cured...


Reply:
This is explaining exactly how it is for me, what a wonderful article.

I am wondering if these arguing and sometimes physical lash outs between my daughter and myself are "daughteris filling up my stress cup to overflow".

I feel terrible. My ptsd although less severe now, is getting filled up and triggered by my daughter's ptsd.( which I now think could be secondary PTSD because of me)

The doctor diagnosed us both but my daughters much later and I am wondering if she has a secondary ptsd as my suffer.

What can I do, she goes out of her way to bring as much stress into my life until i explode. I know teenagers are difficult at the best of times but she had gone around causing herself to be public enemy number 1 and bringing all the fights on social networking sites, school home. I have tried all the losing phones laptops etc.

My stress cup is like one of anxiety there days but it doesn't take much for the cup to over flow. I do not get much sleep and am in pain from fibromyalgia which i think I got due to my ptsd being uncontrolled. I did get medicines and therapy which brought me to a low level or severity. In fact I felt cured with the odd tip over the edge when things reminded me of the trauma

She wont learn, she has been thrown out of school permanent. I don't want to defeat her. I want to build her up but I cant believe her side of the stories all the time, and neither the others. I have tried bringing her self worth up but she has gotten violent, and abusive if there is nothing wrong with her. So how come when she gets stressed out she explodes.

The doctors and social workers have been useless and think I am the best person to support her. When she is bringing wheelbarrows of stress to my cup. And reacting now the same way I do when I cant take any more stress?

Should I be the one to walk out so she can get help? The doctors will not do anything to help because she says there is nothing wrong. The mental heath team said they do not force people to do therapy and she did not want any.

I'm so sad and guilty, everyone knows I love my daughter and will do anything to try help her get better. Even if it means moving out myself . I'm thinking living with me exploding at her terrible dangers she puts her self in and me stressing/exploding is doing her no service whatsoever as a mother and perhaps I am damaging her.

Any advice my dears x
 
IMHO, the best thing you can do for your daughter is to manage your PTSD symptoms better. By ending the outbursts yourself, you will show her the way to control her own PTSD. Just because you have a good reason for your overflowing cup doesn't mean you can explode unchecked when someone is stressing you out. Don't allow yourself that luxury. Also, there's a good chance that many of her symptoms will disappear when yours are under control. She may be responding to you the way you respond to her; and so, if you begin to respond to her more respectfully - even when angry, then her reactions to your reactions may be easier to handle.

There are rules to living in your house and those rules must be respected. There are consequences for breaking those rules. List out what the rules are, believe in them. Post them. List out what her favorite privileges are and post them to show her you are willing to take those away if she breaks the rules. Then give her 7 free spaces in front of those privileges. 7 freebies. Everyone makes mistakes, and you cannot expect perfection from yourself or your kids. Each time she breaks a rule, let her know that she's lost a space and mark it off. If she gets to the privileges, take the one she values LEAST first... so she can see her favorite ones are really going to be lost if she keeps breaking the rule. Don't sit there in an argument with her, saying "That's one space, that's another, you just lost another, keep going little missy and... that's another one! Do you want to lose anymore?!?!" This is bad. She loses a space, and if an argument ensues you need to give her a time out and take one for yourself. Send her to her room.

One of my rules comes from my son saying "I hate you" to me almost constantly. I felt so guilty, and he would say "I hate you" and I would feel it more than he meant it. He was just idly saying it, using it because it worked, and it was tearing me up. So, he's not allowed to say "I hate you" to me. Instead of getting all stressed out about it, I started responding "Strike" and marking off a space. He stopped saying it. He still expresses his unhappiness with me, but not in that triggering phrase. I can handle the other stuff, but the phrase "I hate you" is part of my traumas. Don't allow your child to push your buttons just for fun. As I said, my son can still express himself.

Take back control over what you have control over, and let go of what you cannot control. Feeling guilty about how you've raised your daughter thus far will only further damage her and your relationship with her. If you feel guilty, then deal with that in therapy. Don't bring it out around your daughter. She's only going to see "opportunity" with that guilt, or she's going to feel bad about herself because you feel bad that she's had it so rough. It's really not about her. It's about you, so you can fix that in therapy.

Let her be responsible for herself, validate her feelings NOT the bad choices she makes. Listen to her and really hear what she's saying. Ask questions, express concern. Then tell her, "I understand that you felt _____, and I get why you felt that way; but choosing to _______ was wrong." If a rule was broken, then give her a strike... if that leads to taking something away then take something away.

I hope this helps. It's very difficult to make these changes, so be kind to yourself (and your daughter) along the way. And get a good therapist to support you while you're working through this. You will lead your daughter out of this through your own recovery. THAT is how you help your daughter.
 
Muzikluvr

That is a wonderful idea!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me. Think I will start it will all three children even though they youngest is 14. Possibly I have overcompensated them too much through guilt of losing there Dad and them being there when it tragically happened. They got stuck with the crummy parent(so they say) but that's not my fault.

I think they have had mixed messages from me letting them run wild then flipping out when they go too far. You are so right about kids hitting our weak spots and somehow finding out and using our hurts to push buttons.

I guess I am not so bad so will try not to feel guilty thanks. If I was I'm sure the social workers would have taken her away by now.

I will draw up the strike lists and explain it to them all tomorrow.Thanks again Sunny D
 
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