PTSD-post traumatic stress disorder

yagazn

yagazn

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Is PTSD normal? I'm not a therapist.

Something happened in your life.

Someone did bad things to you.
 
PTSD is among the anxiety disorders. I suffer from it. I don't want to characterize it as "normal" or "abnormal", but people who suffer from it have gone through a traumatic event or a series of traumatic events.

I do not feel comfortable relating the events that caused my PTSD, but I will say I'm being treated for it and doing well.

Here's a link I googled about PTDS:

NIMH · Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 
Well, it would be considered to be "abnormal" in that reactions to certain triggers are exaggerated and outside the bell curve for the majority. However, it could also be considered normal in that it is a very un.derstandable reaction to a traumatic event that was so intense that the brain and the body cannot process it completely.

Oceanbreeze is correct in that it is an anxiety disorder. In my work with victims of domestic violence and rape victims, I see quite a bit of PTSD. I have seen a case or two that was so severe that it, at first glance, appeared to be one of the psychotic disorders. Most cases, however, aren't that severe.
 
jillio said:
Well, it would be considered to be "abnormal" in that reactions to certain triggers are exaggerated and outside the bell curve for the majority. However, it could also be considered normal in that it is a very un.derstandable reaction to a traumatic event that was so intense that the brain and the body cannot process it completely.

Oceanbreeze is correct in that it is an anxiety disorder. In my work with victims of domestic violence and rape victims, I see quite a bit of PTSD. I have seen a case or two that was so severe that it, at first glance, appeared to be one of the psychotic disorders. Most cases, however, aren't that severe.
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Hi OC and Jillo,

I have PTSD, when I was a kid, I almost got killed by pitbull dog (I was terrified of pitbull dog). I love dogs but not pitbull dog--NOWAY!. When I was 5 yrs old, I played outside and ran to get a ball, then the neighbor left the gate open, I was deaf with no hearing aid. (That's why I became HOH with hearing aid today).
That's when pitbull dog jumped and mauled my shirt lucky didn't mauled my skin but just stratch one right on my cheek--scar permanent (not too bad).. I tried to defend myself instead he mauled my shirt-yellow. Someone hitted pitbull with a baseball bat so hard and enough to killed him. I remembered pitbull so aggressive like powerful, you know I was so little. Boy, that pitbull dog was extremely dangerous and strong (Whoa!). I remembered article in newspaper about what happened to me and pitbull dog. Someone saved my life was my sister along with two other person helped.

Also I have to say something about myself for the first time (I didn't want to talk about it).

I was abused in my childhood by my teacher at school and also few people who hurt me in past.

As I'm getting older, you know deal with coping in life. It's not easy for me to socializing with people. I know I'm not alone like other people with PTSD or experience traumatic.
 
Ptsd

I've been working on my MDiv, and I've done a lot of focusing on PTSD in counseling. It's basically caused by a traumatic event that is so shocking that it doesn't fit in with your world picture. Sometimes people can adjust, sometimes they just shut down completely, and sometimes that memory is just walled off so that they can continue with life. These unresolved issues sometimes cause flashbacks when the memories start to return, and sometimes the person is high-strung because they are trying to remain alert for another disaster.

The VA's preferred treatment for PTSD today is EMDR, which involves following a moving finger or object while trying to associate a new reaction with the memory. I've seen trauma that haunted people for decades go away in an hour. Look into it - it works.
 
MeYag2CAL said:
Hi OC and Jillo,

I have PTSD, when I was a kid, I almost got killed by pitbull dog (I was terrified of pitbull dog). I love dogs but not pitbull dog--NOWAY!. When I was 5 yrs old, I played outside and ran to get a ball, then the neighbor left the gate open, I was deaf with no hearing aid. (That's why I became HOH with hearing aid today).
That's when pitbull dog jumped and mauled my shirt lucky didn't mauled my skin but just stratch one right on my cheek--scar permanent (not too bad).. I tried to defend myself instead he mauled my shirt-yellow. Someone hitted pitbull with a baseball bat so hard and enough to killed him. I remembered pitbull so aggressive like powerful, you know I was so little. Boy, that pitbull dog was extremely dangerous and strong (Whoa!). I remembered article in newspaper about what happened to me and pitbull dog. Someone saved my life was my sister along with two other person helped.

Also I have to say something about myself for the first time (I didn't want to talk about it).

I was abused in my childhood by my teacher at school and also few people who hurt me in past.

As I'm getting older, you know deal with coping in life. It's not easy for me to socializing with people. I know I'm not alone like other people with PTSD or experience traumatic.
Click to expand...

I am very sorry that you went through such a horrible experience, and also that you suffered abuse at the hands of your teacher. If your PTSD is affecting your ability to socialize and lead the life you want to live, I would encourage you to get some help in dealing with it. PTSD can be treated. You don't have to let it control your life.
 
HearingHubby said:
I've been working on my MDiv, and I've done a lot of focusing on PTSD in counseling. It's basically caused by a traumatic event that is so shocking that it doesn't fit in with your world picture. Sometimes people can adjust, sometimes they just shut down completely, and sometimes that memory is just walled off so that they can continue with life. These unresolved issues sometimes cause flashbacks when the memories start to return, and sometimes the person is high-strung because they are trying to remain alert for another disaster.

The VA's preferred treatment for PTSD today is EMDR, which involves following a moving finger or object while trying to associate a new reaction with the memory. I've seen trauma that haunted people for decades go away in an hour. Look into it - it works.
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Clarify, please. EMDR? I have yet to see a case of PTSD resolved in an hour.
 
jillio said:
I am very sorry that you went through such a horrible experience, and also that you suffered abuse at the hands of your teacher. If your PTSD is affecting your ability to socialize and lead the life you want to live, I would encourage you to get some help in dealing with it. PTSD can be treated. You don't have to let it control your life.
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Well, as I mention first time on this topic.
.

I did get help but the only things is that I don't like medication which I had before. I handled it okay. But geez, It's hard to explain.

Some people thinks other person with PTSD is not normal. Like for example, I met a person who doesn't have PTSD, his life's normal he was never abused nothing, so mine like not normal, if u know what I mean. That's how I feel.
 
From what I have read about PTSD, it is definitely a normal reaction to traumatic events.
 
jillio said:
Clarify, please. EMDR? I have yet to see a case of PTSD resolved in an hour.
Click to expand...

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a way to allow your mind to deal with the traumatic event.

Think about it this way: When you are faced with something beyond "bad," to the point that your mind just can't deal with it, you basically wall it off. On the plus side, this allows you to go on with life. On the negative side, this will still haunt you. EMDR lets you examine that a bit at a time.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that everything will be all better in an hour. If I said that, it'd be right up there with selling snake oil. But things that have been haunting people for years can be lightened in an hour to the point that there have been dramatic changes. It will take more time and more sessions to work through everything, but it only takes a short time before there are measurable results. Typically, the other method of dealing with PTSD is reliving the incident, hoping that you can deal with it better over time. One of the typical symptoms for PTSD is flashbacks; the person is already reliving the event, and it's not "just going away."

If there's something that has been haunting you, related to a traumatic event, I know of no better initial treatment.
 
HearingHubby said:
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a way to allow your mind to deal with the traumatic event.

Think about it this way: When you are faced with something beyond "bad," to the point that your mind just can't deal with it, you basically wall it off. On the plus side, this allows you to go on with life. On the negative side, this will still haunt you. EMDR lets you examine that a bit at a time.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that everything will be all better in an hour. If I said that, it'd be right up there with selling snake oil. But things that have been haunting people for years can be lightened in an hour to the point that there have been dramatic changes. It will take more time and more sessions to work through everything, but it only takes a short time before there are measurable results. Typically, the other method of dealing with PTSD is reliving the incident, hoping that you can deal with it better over time. One of the typical symptoms for PTSD is flashbacks; the person is already reliving the event, and it's not "just going away."

If there's something that has been haunting you, related to a traumatic event, I know of no better initial treatment.
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I've heard of the method, but I've not actually seen anyone who's actually had success with it. I'm not knocking it. I just think each person has to go with what works for them. I suffer from Complex-PTSD, and I'm seeing a therapist. I also takes medication. I won't say I don't struggle from time to time, because I still do, but life is a lot better than it used to be.

Here a link to Complex-PTSD:

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
 
Oceanbreeze said:
I've heard of the method, but I've not actually seen anyone who's actually had success with it. I'm not knocking it. I just think each person has to go with what works for them. I suffer from Complex-PTSD, and I'm seeing a therapist. I also takes medication. I won't say I don't struggle from time to time, because I still do, but life is a lot better than it used to be.
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Ask your therapist about it. People are generally split about it - they love it or hate it. I've seen dramatic results. Like I said, it won't cure everything instantly, but it's great at helping take off the emotion that blocks dealing with the issue.
 
My dad STILL suffers from PTSD from the Vietnam War, which was years and years ago. For example, any time a loud pop or sound happens (such as a car backfiring or a firework going off) he would jump and automatically dive under something and start yelling for the radio, etc. Then he would start shaking, etc. So sad.
 
HearingHubby said:
Ask your therapist about it. People are generally split about it - they love it or hate it. I've seen dramatic results. Like I said, it won't cure everything instantly, but it's great at helping take off the emotion that blocks dealing with the issue.
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No need to. I'm doing well with the techniques my therapist currently is using. But, thank you, anyway.
 
HearingHubby said:
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a way to allow your mind to deal with the traumatic event.

Think about it this way: When you are faced with something beyond "bad," to the point that your mind just can't deal with it, you basically wall it off. On the plus side, this allows you to go on with life. On the negative side, this will still haunt you. EMDR lets you examine that a bit at a time.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that everything will be all better in an hour. If I said that, it'd be right up there with selling snake oil. But things that have been haunting people for years can be lightened in an hour to the point that there have been dramatic changes. It will take more time and more sessions to work through everything, but it only takes a short time before there are measurable results. Typically, the other method of dealing with PTSD is reliving the incident, hoping that you can deal with it better over time. One of the typical symptoms for PTSD is flashbacks; the person is already reliving the event, and it's not "just going away."

If there's something that has been haunting you, related to a traumatic event, I know of no better initial treatment.
Click to expand...


Sounds rather gimmicky to me. I would suggest cognitive restructuring regarding the event for long lasting results. That would allow for deep processing of the event, thus leading to healing, and resolution of the events leading to the PTSD. EMDR is a distraction technique. One could do the same by flipping oneslf with a rubber band worn around the wrist to distract themselves. MIght work for awhile, but as soon as you become sensitized to the feeling of the rubber band hitting your wrist, you have to find another gimmick to distract. I prefer that which actually deals with the cause of the disorder, thus promoting long term healing rather than distraction from it.
 
deafbajagal said:
My dad STILL suffers from PTSD from the Vietnam War, which was years and years ago. For example, any time a loud pop or sound happens (such as a car backfiring or a firework going off) he would jump and automatically dive under something and start yelling for the radio, etc. Then he would start shaking, etc. So sad.
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Exactly. Reactions based on PTSD triggers are immediate and intense. Once hardly has time to stop and think about distracting themselves before they react. That is why they are called triggers and reaction. Otherwise it would be known as an "action", something one can control. Cognitive restructuring allows the individual to perceive the trigger for the reaction in a different way so that the trigger no longer precipitates the reaction.
 
HearingHubby said:
Ask your therapist about it. People are generally split about it - they love it or hate it. I've seen dramatic results. Like I said, it won't cure everything instantly, but it's great at helping take off the emotion that blocks dealing with the issue.
Click to expand...

How exactly, does distraction deal with the emotional issues underlying the reaction?

Are you a behaviorist in your theroetical perspective?
 
deafbajagal said:
My dad STILL suffers from PTSD from the Vietnam War, which was years and years ago. For example, any time a loud pop or sound happens (such as a car backfiring or a firework going off) he would jump and automatically dive under something and start yelling for the radio, etc. Then he would start shaking, etc. So sad.
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Yeah. For me, it's smells, or seeing something that reminds me of the trauma I endured. I have so many triggers, it would take days to list them all. Thankfully, though... I'm on a good med regimen and I have a really good therapist. Life doesn't suck as bad now.
 
jillio said:
Exactly. Reactions based on PTSD triggers are immediate and intense. Once hardly has time to stop and think about distracting themselves before they react. That is why they are called triggers and reaction. Otherwise it would be known as an "action", something one can control. Cognitive restructuring allows the individual to perceive the trigger for the reaction in a different way so that the trigger no longer precipitates the reaction.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Those of us with PTSD understand triggers all too well, and the pain they cause. :(
 
jillio said:
Sounds rather gimmicky to me. I would suggest cognitive restructuring regarding the event for long lasting results. That would allow for deep processing of the event, thus leading to healing, and resolution of the events leading to the PTSD. EMDR is a distraction technique. One could do the same by flipping oneslf with a rubber band worn around the wrist to distract themselves. MIght work for awhile, but as soon as you become sensitized to the feeling of the rubber band hitting your wrist, you have to find another gimmick to distract. I prefer that which actually deals with the cause of the disorder, thus promoting long term healing rather than distraction from it.
Click to expand...

It's not really like that. It's not a constant distraction, but more a means of distraction during the therapy session. It's not a gimmick, but a means of releasing the tension. Think of it more like if you have a tight muscle in your back keeping your spine out of alignment. A chiropractor might put things back, but without the muscle relaxing, it won't really stay that way. That's why he'll probably try a massage or something to get you relaxed first, and then he can work on the other problems. Studies have shown greater results from this than Cognitive Therapy; as good as that is, it can't really take a deep effect without relaxing the "emotion" on it first.
 
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