One of the blogs I follow is Emerging from Broken by Darlene Ouimet. She posted her experience on confronting her abuser/mother. http://emergingfrombroken.com/to-confront-or-not-to-confront-that-is-the-question/ Darlene points out several of the issues when confronting. Not wanting to hurt their feelings. Concern that she would be just like them. Lack of self care. I also talked to my counselor…
Today many articles are written about the Fight or flight response to stress. Over the years they added a third reaction to stress, freeze. I call it ‘deer in the head lights’ reaction. Rather than fight or flight, freezing is my reaction trying to assess before moving in any direction. Here is an article that…
My sister shared this article with me on Facebook, thanks Judy. http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/advice/kevlar-for-the-mind/2016/07/11/hopeful-sign-combat-veterans-nightmares-insomnia/86937384/ Shares a method called ERRT – Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescription Therapy This method is not new. What is new they are starting to test it. The frustrating part is no one can make money off of this because it is not a new…
My counselor taught me how to rebel. I needed to rebel against the label of ‘over active imagination,’ ‘unforgiving,’ ‘unreasonable,’ and other negative descriptions that justified my parents treating me like a 3rd class citizen in my home growing up. This disconnect between what the outside world saw and what I experienced. My mother tells…
Finding the therapist that works well with you depends on more than pot luck. Unfortunately, the first counselor you see may not be a person that you can work with. On Facebook I follow Lilly Hope Lucario, she wrote an excellent article on some of the questions to ask a counselor. I recommend going to…
People seem to expect that the final reason a person leaves a relationship is something big. Sometimes this is true. However, many times it is a matter of ‘the last straw that broke the camels back.’ The term refers to the piling on and piling on of events or behaviors that put so much stain…
A comment over on ‘Signs of emotional abuse’ https://ptsd-acceptingcopingthriving.com/2016/06/23/signs-of-emotional-abuse/ pointed out that defending your space, trying to set the ‘record straight’, and other ways of protecting yourself and family may appear like emotional abuse. My DH tried to get me to see that my mother is not a safe person. I argued and suspected him…
I read an article a while back that said in effect that what happens in our early childhood has no affect on later life. Really….I learned to walk and talk quite young and I am still walking and talking. Saying that early life experiences is neglecting oceans of facts studies and life experience that shows…
One of the challenges of looking for help is finding someone that understands PTSD. The second challenge is the mistaken belief that they can fix you. I started counseling with the vague idea that going the therapist would magically fix my problems. Doesn’t work that way. A good counselor in my opinion shares with you…
My counselor lectured me often (read that as at least once or twice a month for 7 years) about lumping/smashing/tangling things all together. He taught me to pull apart problems and separate them into parts. For example, I would complain about some event at work. He would help me sort through what was knee-jerk reaction…
PTSD - Accepting, Coping, Thriving 