I took an extended leave of absence from writing my blogs. I simply didn’t have enough in me to do one more thing. My cup ran over with too much. To stop the emotional hemorrhaging, I cut back on so much. I dropped into survival mode and just tread water. Life is like that sometimes.…
One of the top issues and symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD is Flashbacks. Like many psychological events, these experiences come in a spectrum from the benign Deja vu to the ferocious being dropped back into a hellish memory. It wasn’t until I had an extreme flashback that I finally understood the horrific power that past…
Mid-life crisis is often condemned and pointed out as something bad. I believe that it can be what we make of it. Brené Brown is one of the people I check out her Ted Talks and posts. She is studying vulnerability. I like her no nonsense approach and her sense of humor. Someone shared this…
We would all fly off the planet. This past year is beyond frustrating. I pulled back on everything. I dumped myself into full out survival mode. I played video games and crocheted. I also worked on learning Spanish. However, I am living proof that given enough time I would not clean my craft room. I…
One of the struggles I had was the whole Fight or Flight concept. I didn’t run but I didn’t fight either. I felt like a worm or a doormat. The whole concept seemed to be lost to me. Then I read one of Pete Walkers articles about the 4 F’s http://www.pete-walker.com/fourFs_TraumaTypologyComplexPTSD.htm He explained that Fight…
This question was in one of the PTSD facebook pages. I decided to share my answer here too. Q: How does one connect to emotions in therapy? I have a super strong social/protective self which is hindering my progress. A: Wow. That is a tough question. I survived by disconnecting then my counselor wanted me…
I love this definition: I found it on FB, I think I found the right link to UsaReturn…but not sure. Hoping to find more information. It is something to think about.
One of the questions that pop up about once a week on the PTSD/CPTSD groups I follow is “What if I heal, who am I?” I am a photographer and I think in imagery. I kept thinking about this. The image I came up with is the filthy miners that come out of the coal…
I grew up learning about the Fight-Flight responses to stress. My mother taught us to either run or fight. I watched my brothers polarize their responses…one ran and the other fought every one and every thing. I didn’t feel like I fit either one. Then I learned about Freeze….closer. This is that “deer-in-the-headlights” where you…
Quite often when reading articles on healing you will encounter the suggestion to journal your thoughts. For me, that was down right scary and seemed impossible when my thoughts are all over the place. I do not journal every day. I do use writing as a way to organize my thoughts, put things into words…
PTSD - Accepting, Coping, Thriving 