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Ptsd

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suzieq70s

Bluelighter
Joined
May 22, 2015
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Hi all. I possibly have PTSD from a very violent traumatic event that happened to me a year ago. My primary care doctor says he thinks I have it but I have yet to see a therapist/psychiatrist to confirm it. I have the strongest urge to use drugs to get relief and I have a little lately. I have anxiety nightmares depression my quality of life is shit. I just sit around all day with no motivation and I am accomplishing nothing. I just sit and my mind won't stop thinking about that night and all the stuff I've dealt with since then. I also have no appetite and I can't make a decision without a lot of anxiety.

I'm curious as to how you all deal with the feelings and the urge to use and what you've done that hasn't involved drugs to help you cope with it and feel better. To get relief without using.
Thankyou
 
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For me the most powerful tool I've come across for dealing with PTSD ( re-living the trauma, the lack of safety you feel, the vague anxiety and outright panic attacks) has been learning to practice meditation and mindfulness. If you think about it rationally, whatever happened is physically over and now it lives in your mind and body continuing the damage. In order to refuse to house it in your own psyche it is important to 1) have a very safe space to talk about it and to explore how it continues to affect you and 2) learn strategies that you can use to retrain your thoughts around it so that you are not continually digger yourself in deeper.

I have used this for PTSD resulting from sexual assault and from finding my son's body. I cannot say that neither of these things affect me any more because they do--and to a certain extent they always will--but I no longer feel like a victim of my own mind. If you were a victim of violence there is often some financial help for counseling if you need it. Ask your doctor for a referral and insurance should cover it better than if there is no referral. If you are not getting anywhere with your current therapist (if you have one) let them know and if need be, look for someone that goes beyond talk and offers strategies. Also look into body work. We often forget that trauma is held in our bodies.

Best of luck. PM if you would like more support. Just keep telling yourself that no matter how tempting it is to numb the feelings and try to obliterate the memories, this is not going to do anything but compound your problems. Being able to explore and then release the power this has over your life is the goal. Caving into using is going to mean you are giving even more of your life away.<3
 
herbavore said:
For me the most powerful tool I've come across for dealing with PTSD ( re-living the trauma, the lack of safety you feel, the vague anxiety and outright panic attacks) has been learning to practice meditation and mindfulness. If you think about it rationally, whatever happened is physically over and now it lives in your mind and body continuing the damage. In order to refuse to house it in your own psyche it is important to 1) have a very safe space to talk about it and to explore how it continues to affect you and 2) learn strategies that you can use to retrain your thoughts around it so that you are not continually digger yourself in deeper.

I have used this for PTSD resulting from sexual assault and from finding my son's body. I cannot say that neither of these things affect me any more because they do--and to a certain extent they always will--but I no longer feel like a victim of my own mind. If you were a victim of violence there is often some financial help for counseling if you need it. Ask your doctor for a referral and insurance should cover it better than if there is no referral. If you are not getting anywhere with your current therapist (if you have one) let them know and if need be, look for someone that goes beyond talk and offers strategies. Also look into body work. We often forget that trauma is held in our bodies.

Best of luck. PM if you would like more support. Just keep telling yourself that no matter how tempting it is to numb the feelings and try to obliterate the memories, this is not going to do anything but compound your problems. Being able to explore and then release the power this has over your life is the goal. Caving into using is going to mean you are giving even more of your life away.<3
Click to expand...

Thankyou so much for the advice and I'm sorry you had to go through that. Basically I left my husband and 2 months later he came out to where I was put a gun to my head and told me he was going to rape and kill me he attempted to rape me but was unsuccessful and we fought for a few minutes (the whole time I was bracing for the pain from being shot) after a few minutes of fighting he shot and killed himself infront of me. I will never forget the sound of the gunshot and the smell of it. Or the sight of all the blood. The memory of it is still so vivid.

You said exactly what I feel when you said the lack of safety. Certain noises I here a thump somewhere instantly makes me on edge and I feel everything I felt that night. The fear the hate the violence. And I also have a strong feeling of impending violence and I actually brace myself as if something bad is about to happen. All this is from a simple noise outside.
The nightmares are terrible and always the same. When I wake I know I'm still in my room but there is an atmosphere to my room of violence hate and fear. Its hard to explain but while I know where I am I'm experiencing those feelings all over again.
Anyway I hope to see a therapist very soon and I will definitely try meditation.
I might pm you one if these days when I need a little support if it's ok.
Thankyou again for the advice and thank you for responding.
 
I am so terribly sorry. Everything about what you went through is tragic and I know that you have a long hard road of healing in front of you. Now that I know the nature of what you are dealing with I wonder if you might also find a women's group for survivors of violence to be helpful. I used to work in a battered women's shelter and the support that the women gave each other was at least as powerful as any therapeutic treatment that went on.

Yes, you can PM me any time--please don't hesitate. I cannot always guarantee how fast I will get back to you but I always will respond.<3

One last question...do you have a dog or have you ever considered getting one? Dogs (service dogs) have been extremely helpful for people with PTSD. I did a quick google search and there is quite a bit of information about service dogs and PTSD.
 
I don't have a dog but I've definitely thought of getting one. My thoughts were for the companionship and one that would be good for protection to make me feel safer. When I hear that certain noise I instantly have images of someone busting through my front door and attacking me.
I will look into a women's support group that sounds like an excellent idea.
Yes it's very hard to resist the urges to use drugs to deal with all of this.
But I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support and I will keep you in mind when I need someone to talk to
Thankyou again ☺
 
I also saw that you are a moderator and I don't know what you think but I though it might be nice to have a specific forum or whatever the right spot is for those suffering from PTSD and wanting to use and discussing and sharing ideas to alternatives to using. Just an idea ☺
 
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