How to Cope With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is what I have. I used to think that only veterans had it after coming back from the horrors of war. I was wrong. PTSD was developed in my mind when I was being sexually abused, physically abused; when anger and violence were thrown onto me from childhood abuse. It was too much for my mind and body to carry. I want to help others to understand themselves so they can find their strength emotionally and mentally. Coping with Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a challenge for me but I do know that it is possible and that knowledge is power.
I felt alone, worthless, angry, and sad from the pain of living and suffering with this disorder. It is very hard to express and most people find it hard to understand. But it is very real. In a way it feels comforting to know that I am not alone. In one survey I found that 23% of American adolescents have been physically or sexually assaulted as well as witnesses of violence against others. Approximately 1 million U.S. teenagers are now suffering from PTSD. Can you imagine how many people around the world are actually suffering from this? I am not alone and neither are you.
This is a list of Post-traumatic Stress symptoms. I have many of these symptoms of PTSD.
• Flashbacks, feeling that the trauma is happening again
• Bad dreams/ nightmares
• Very startled by loud noises
• Becomes very startled by someone unexpectedly coming up to them from behind
• A feeling of being shaky/sweatiness
• Pounding heart or trouble breathing
• Feeling upset when reminded of the trauma from our senses – by something seen, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted
• Fear/anxiety – feeling of being in danger again
• Trouble controlling emotions because things that remind you of it give sudden anxiety, anger, rage, or the feeling of being upset
• Difficulty thinking clearly/ concentrating
• Difficulty falling asleep and or staying asleep
• Agitation and a constant state of being on the lookout for danger
• An emotional shutdown or emotional numbness
• Difficulty having loving feelings or feeling any strong emotion
• Feeling that surroundings are strange or unreal
• No interest in things that were enjoyable before
• Difficulty remembering important parts of what happened during the trauma
• A feeling of disconnection from the world around them and the things happening to them
You can develop PTSD when you are a survivor of some traumatic event that involves some type of actual or threatened PHYSICAL injury or assault. When we survived through a terrifying situation in which we could not control what was happening – it was only normal that our minds and bodies react with PTSD. We were terrorized and we survived.
Smoking a joint, doing a line of coke, along with other drugs, and getting drunk were some things I did to try to escape from my moments of terror…from the large silver blade of a knife gleaming in the night, to the helpless feeling when I was sexually abused, to being tortured in water when I couldn’t swim, to being beaten black and blue as I was hit and thrown about like a rag doll. But it didn’t matter how many drugs I did or how much I drank… I couldn’t seem to kill the thoughts that raved about, tormenting my mind.
Social isolation, uncontrolled anger, eating disorders, self-destructive behaviours, depression, and addictions can lead to causes of suicide. This can stem from the roots of Post-traumatic stress disorder – from the terror that lives inside our mind.
We can have hope because effective therapies for anxiety disorders do help. We need to reach out to a qualified therapist or a counsellor to receive the acceptance and acknowledgement of our past. I took a risk and found therapy along with expressive writing to be very helpful. I needed somebody to believe me, accept me, and acknowledge my pain. Do not give up. I want you to know that if you have Post-traumatic stress you are not alone because I am with you.
© 2013 Karen Phillips All Rights Reserved
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