Why Are There So Many Members That Don't Post

[suzie q]

If you are in pain, I would think this would be the place to start your journey. I have seen many here with therapy histories and have read a couple hundred threads of persons who have posted and they seem to be saying the same thing...you're in a place of healing, we can help. So many that just register, complain about their situation, ask a question or two that doesn't seem to be about PTSD, then they stop. There are those who also stay on for awhile until they feel like their current trauma is finished. Did they not understand that PTSD has no cure and must be worked on for life?

Maybe I'm just a little harsh, but the only way I've ever found serenity in my life was to embrace my symptoms, and when they pop up, I go searching for relief. I've been through therapy and medications and treatment centers and meetings for my addictions. All this helped,until recently, when I realized I needed to find a different style of help. I've never tried the internet for support, but when I found this link and began to investigate, I couldn't stop trying. I know it's a process and I'm willing to go to any length to feel healthy. I'm not tooting my own horn, I just feel very passionate about people getting the help they need!

Is there any way that this forum can encourage more to continue? I know we are not councelors, and I sure as hell don't want to be one, but I just feel that there has to be some way to help others open up in a safe and informative way. I just haven't been around this long enough to see what that may be and I don't want to step out of bounds in ANY way. Are there really THAT many people who freak and never come back?

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

I think part of it could be the fight or flight response. People come on here - get afraid by what they see - and run the other way. Let's be honest, it's much easier to continue to pretend that "nothing is wrong" and to try to stuff our emotions down. Also, if your not in a place where you are willing to accept your diagnosis, then your not going to stick around because you really have to be committed to healing. Lastly, I think that some people are in such a sensitive place when they first come here that they don't know how to accept comments etc.

Just my thoughts - I personally have benefited so greatly from this forum that I can't imagine not having found it. But I was definately at a place in my life (and it took me a LONG time to get there) where I was aware of how much my symptoms were effecting me on a daily basis.

 

[Grainne]

Sometimes it's hard for people to feel like they belong somewhere. I know when I first came to this site, I read a few posts and although I wanted to join in, I wasn't sure if I would be welcome. I always feel like I'm intruding...somehow. I actually felt guilty, the first time I posted because I thought - Geez, these people have so much on their own plates, and they all seem to know each other fairly well. I'm an outsider here - why would anyone want to read about MY trials and struggles. Then, I just did it. I thought, well, what's the harm....how can it hurt?

I'm so glad I did.

 

[melody]

This is the way it is for me, I feel like I'm an intruder. I read what people have posted and think ME too. Then I write a quick response, and I'm pumped about what I'm writing... I feel almost normal because I finally fit in somewhere. :smile: But then when I go back to proof read what I wrote I start thinking, this person doesn't even know me and what if I trigger them? Or what if you guys think my responses are lame?? Or whatever?? Then... Instead of submitting my reply, I just sign off...

And here I thought no one was even noticing. :smile: I will definitely try harder to always click the submit reply instead of logging out.

Melody

 

[Allen-deckard]

I have to agree with Grainne I myself at times find it very difficult to discuss my issues sometimes i can alot of the time I feel like I am beating a dead horse so to speak. I know i want my life back I want it back what it was and am still trying to find a way to get there.

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

Melody -

I still worry about my responses sometimes - I think alot of us do to some extent - that's out PTSD "talking". So respond away - it will be fine (smile).

I look forward to seeing you around more.

 

[Zolicor]

I am so glad everyone is honest about this issue ;of fight ;or flight. I joined this forum a few days ago and since then I haven't been sleeping, I feel as though I have slipped back into a dark hole, crying all the time, had a screaming off-the-chart yell at my son, not sleeping, crying.
Last night was the worst. So today I wrote to my older sister, who is the wisest person I know, telling her I wondered whether joining this forum was a good idea (and mentioning that Anthony had written that my reaction of slipping back is a normal one) and she wrote back to say she approves full-heartedly that I have joined. So I will take the plunge and try to start and post more (especially after my big final exam in two weeks) I'm looking forward to participating more.......

 

[Mina]

There are those who also stay on for awhile until they feel like their current trauma is finished. Did they not understand that PTSD has no cure and must be worked on for life?

Please don't judge others so harshly. Some people are able to work through their trauma and get on with a relatively normal life; some aren't. Just because there is no cure does not mean everyone's PTSD needs to be actively worked on for the rest of their life. Personally I believe PTSD can be like cancer, going into remission...the possibility of a recurrence is there and you do things to lower your risk, but it doesn't mean you need active treatment forever.

 

[Allen-deckard]

I must also say that I dont think I could go on with things if I thought that there was no end in sight or at min diminishing problems. I cant entertain that I wont come to term with my issues and am willing to do anything to come to those terms. If my doctor said I needed a tack hammer to the head I would grab a ball pene just to make sure the job was done correctly. If I thought all this was for naught then there would be no purpose in any of it since I have vertually ceased to function normally.

 

[louisa]

I find it very difficult to post and take part in the forum in the way that some do. I think we all respond differently to our condition. I often find it hard to string a sentence together both verbally and in writing, and in addition, my concentration is severely impaired at times, again this can make it very difficult to post. Pre-ptsd - except during periods of severe depression i was a very good communicator but my ptsd has sadly effected me badly in this area. This does not mean that i don't find the forum helpful. It has been extremely helpful for me. I read a great deal of posts and info here, and hope that at some point I will become more active but that is not possible right now. At times I try to provide encouragement to others here, but again my ability to do this is limited at present. I also have problems remembering my password - having to change it at one point because I had completely forgotten it despite having chosen - or so i thought - something I would remember easily. I also, frequently, forget my current password - and forget where I have put my diary, which contains my password! I have memory problems and lapses. The other issue which effects my ability to take part - is a frequent lack of energy and motivation - and a feeling of hopelessness, along with a string of other ptsd symptoms. All these factors effect how I operate within the forum. Basically, I think that although we may all have a great deal in common, our responses and our forum behaviour can sometimes differ vastly. Good luck with your journey. This is such a good website and its great that you have so enthusiastically embraced it, best wishes, Louisa

 

[2quilt]

It could be that the people who come here to lurk but don't post are either testing the waters and read everything they can but don't want to post because they fear that their abuser will find them and figure out which one they are and there might be consequences of that, or maybe the lurkers are doing a research project on PTSD or web forums. Maybe they are too shy yet to introduce themselves.

 

[PerfectEmpire]

I think that there is a lot to be gained from this forum just by reading. One can work through his or her problems in therapy and with family support and come to the forum for references and to see that he or she is not alone. Many times I log in here when I am feeling isolated and just lurking for a few minutes is very therapeutic for me. What we put on this forum stimulates conversations that occur in therapy and don't necessarily have to take place on the forum itself. I've been to a lot of forums and this one seems to have just enough participation for me - not so much that I can't keep up - and not so little that I feel alone. So it doesn't matter to me that there are many lurkers. I kind of like knowing that we're being watched!