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.
My community college's social work program gave students the assignment to interview someone who is in a support group. So since I've been out of the closet for the first time at work about PTSD, 3 of the students from that class came to interview me yesterday.
Mind you, I'm very clear that while I'm out of the closet about my PTSD diagnosis, I guard the anonymity of everyone else, whether online or offline.
So that said, it was nice to log on here to DS PTSD here for the interviewers. To their amazement, I showed them what we do as a support group for each other. I told them my story of the good it's done for me since I got here in 2012 needing Daily Strength for my PTSD when kidney failure forced my docs to take me off PTSD meds for the first time in 15 years after my diagnosis.
It really helped me take a personal inventory of my time since then at DS PTSD, kind of the way I learned here about making a gratitude list can give us strength when we're down. It was nice to tell them that there's a healing oasis in the world here.
I'd like to give credit to everybody here at DS PTSD with an extra thank you to everybody who is so supportive here. Those 3 students will give you the due credit you deserve when they share their reports now with their class.
Mind you, I'm very clear that while I'm out of the closet about my PTSD diagnosis, I guard the anonymity of everyone else, whether online or offline.
So that said, it was nice to log on here to DS PTSD here for the interviewers. To their amazement, I showed them what we do as a support group for each other. I told them my story of the good it's done for me since I got here in 2012 needing Daily Strength for my PTSD when kidney failure forced my docs to take me off PTSD meds for the first time in 15 years after my diagnosis.
It really helped me take a personal inventory of my time since then at DS PTSD, kind of the way I learned here about making a gratitude list can give us strength when we're down. It was nice to tell them that there's a healing oasis in the world here.
I'd like to give credit to everybody here at DS PTSD with an extra thank you to everybody who is so supportive here. Those 3 students will give you the due credit you deserve when they share their reports now with their class.
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I did the dumbest thing today. I charged my earbuds, unplugged the block and put the block in my little bag instead of the earbuds. I wasn't happy about that when I got to the gym. What a dummy!
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
And, as SC said, hope you didn't out your onscreen ID, I know I'm a total panic freak about that one about *me*!
THat's so awesome that they see what it's like to support, how to support, why we support, the give and take we allow each other. In that sense, I think we do better than "in person" groups not that I've gone to one of those.:-)
One of the most taxing parts of Alanon during my years in South America was that all anyone had to do was mention my accent and I was instantly "outed." Everybody else was from Ecuador or Columbia. What I shared during group never seemed to stay in group and often showed up at unpredictable and sensitive places. Ouch.
Gossip hurts. The anonymity is important to my sense of safety in speaking of my confusion, venting, etc. It shook me to my core to have that sense of safety betrayed.
But it also lead to important lessons on how to be hurt without giving up, the rich rewards of forgiveness and the even richer rewards of taking risks.
And then there are the rewards of helping others with outreach and education. Those rewards are equally worth the risk.
If there are clean, clear lines here, I haven't found them yet. I just rolls my dice and takes my chances. . . I pays my dues when the dice roll wrong and celebrate when the dice roll my way.