Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group
Find support with others who have gone through a traumatic experience. Whether you have chronic or acute PTSD, we are here for you.
I have been avoiding the news lately in order to avoid any possible PTSD triggers. But I keep wondering "Am I hurting myself by lacking public knowledge?" Because of my personal background with abuse & my passion for psychology, I have an even bigger passion for helping child abuse & domestic violence victims. When I finish with school, I hope to be a therapist working with abuse survivors & people with eating disorders. Even though I have this passion, I can't handle people constantly talking about Madeline McCainne and all the horrible things that may or may not have happened to her. It was the same when Jaycee Dugard was found. Strangely, I did not feel the same about the Elizabeth Smart case. It's possible that that's because a.) I was still being abused at the time and b.) I am her age exactly. So maybe, in some odd way, I feel closer to it and can handle it because I feel we survived it together...? Make sense? Does any of this make sense? Thoughts?
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
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First, I hope everyone is doing well, and continuing to fight that good fight! Keep up the great work on yourselves; I'm rooting for all of you!So, I started doing therapy at the beginning of the year, when I was in my most depressed state, but with my therapist, I made big changes and steps in the right direction. But, over a month ago, she couldn't take my insurance anymore, and I had to stop...
I definitely agree with your worry that burying your head in the sand is psychologically damaging, but letting the talking heads get me reacting all over the planet was devastating.
I have developed a habit of going to the source for my news. When I want to know the particulars of a congressional debate or a court case, I read the transcripts. When I want to follow a body of research, I keep up with the researchers rather than seeking journalistic opines.
Just me.
There is a certain amount of dissociation needed to be objective. I avoid things too. Domestic Abuse shows, movies, images...since they cause me extreme reactions. PA, AA's and falling out of my skin dizzy feeling.
Before this gets too far you might try a guided trip with your therapist to a shelter for abused women and children.
My goal involves working with cancer effected children, but I had close to 45 days during my husbands illness to be exposed in the cancer ward, to others. At first not good, but after a 28 day first hospital exposure, while he was diagnosed and treatment started, on through 9 months of aggressive treatment. I could be there for others new to the experience.
But -- like smoking -- I'm under NO illusion that it's good for me.
95% of what I see makes me anxious. The other 5% just outright triggers me.
It's a habit that I should drop, but -- as a visually impaired person -- it's an easy thing for me to access.
And I simply have no interest in sports ;-)