My counselor helped me to understand that PTSD was my survival tool for extreme situations. The issue that arose was using extreme measures for every day living. He pointed out that wearing full body armor in war times is reasonable. However, when the bombing stops carrying around all that armor wore me down and tired…
I was once asked by a counselor what aspects of my life were impacted by PTSD. Simple answer, “All of it.” There is not one part of my life left untouched by PTSD, or some people are calling multiple event trauma Complex PTSD. I struggled with understanding how deeply I am affected. I was raised…
I’ve mentioned before that before starting with a new counselor it is important to interview them just like any other person you would hire for a job. I decided not to go with one counselor after the second visit because it was so obvious by her actions that she knew very little about working with…
I entered counseling with the idea of getting marriage counseling. After years of raising kids I felt like there was this stranger in my house that I was married to. I was in for a real shock when after 2 months the counselor explained that my reactions to the homework assignments were not what he…
I’m in my third week of school and I feel like I am 2 weeks behind. I’m doing homework for school at home. I’m staying a little late each day just trying to tread water. I’m not gaining ground. So what do I need to do to reprioritize my choices so that I am at…
Communicating respect and hope is an on going challenge with an abuse survivor. https://www.blueknot.org.au/Workers-Practitioners/For-Health-Professionals/Resources-for-Health-Professionals/Best-Practice-Guidelines The problem is getting the client to know what it is. A long term abuse survivor only knows disrespect and cruelty. The whole respect thing is like a foreign language. Also a survivor can spot insincerity in a heart beat. If…
This question worked great for me. My therapist used it at the beginning of every session for 7 years. However, my sister was less than impressed by the same question. It sounded too much like our mother stating, “You’re doing the doing do it your way,” unfortunately we learned painfully in spite of the words…
I am always looking for more and better ways to cope with symptoms of PTSD/CPTSD. (Reminder, I was diagnosed with PTSD before Complex PTSD became an accepted term so I usually refer to PTSD.) I follow two PTSD groups on Facebook. I don’t remember which one shared this but it was an interesting list of…
Sometimes when I talk about having PTSD the response I get is “You’re too normal.” First off, normal is a setting on a drier. Yes, I am high functioning because I worked hard at it. People seeing me now don’t know about the 3 years in bed, the 7 years towards recovery layered on with…
One of the things pounded into abuse victims is they are not worth caring for or even getting the basics like enough food, proper clothing, or bathroom breaks. Conditioning trains them to view self-care as selfish and how dare they not meet the needs of the abuser first. Then comes a change and the victim…
PTSD - Accepting, Coping, Thriving 