InvisibleSun
Confident
My PTSD originally stems from severe medical trauma..and then compounded by childhood physical/emotional abuse, as well as multiple sexual assaults. My PTSD symptoms began around the age of 3 (although I showed severe trauma responses in infancy as well) and became progressively worse the more I was traumatized. Nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation, and anxiety defined most of my childhood and have followed me ever since. I would have a flashback in the hospital and the doctors just thought I was being unruly, completely dismissing my mothers concerns of possible psychological damage as 'personality traits.' By 22, I was a complete train wreck. It took me years to understand what was wrong with me, and it has been difficult to accept. But validating at the same time..I'm not just 'crazy' anymore..