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 found this at a really good Web site..the URL at the end of the following.
The spiritual gift within trauma
Trauma enables us to find our purpose in life and equips us to achieve our mission for this incarnation"
(Tim Field)
The collective symptoms of trauma are congruent with the diagnostic criteria for Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a natural emotional reaction to a deeply shocking and disturbing experience. Almost anybody can suffer PTSD although it appears that those most likely to experience trauma are people who are sensitive, empathic, caring, honest, trustworthy, imaginative, artistic and creative. PTSD is a real condition, not imagined; PTSD is a psychiatric injury, not a mental illness. The differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury are listed near the bottom of my PTSD page.
Experiencing growing spiritual awareness as a result of trauma often forms part of the recovery process.
The causes of trauma have three things in common:
* an external cause - you cannot traumatize yourself, something or someone has to do it to you (this factor is important in cases of negligence and personal injury); suddenness or unexpectedness are key components
* violation - your body and/or mind are violated by an unexpected and unwelcome intrusion; with many forms of trauma the violation is of a sexual nature (eg harassment, rape, a violent partner, sexual abuse, contact experience, etc)
* loss of control - the experience is unexpected, overwhelming and beyond your control (and would be beyond the control of most people)
The effects of trauma are surprisingly commonplace, and many people suffering "stress", regardless of cause, will find they are experiencing many of the symptoms of trauma. These include:
* bewilderment and confusion, an inability to understand what is happening or why it happened
* a strong sense of denial, an inability to convince yourself that the experience was real; your denial is reinforced by the denial of those around you and especially of people in authority
* irritability, short-temperedness, sudden intense anger and occasional violent outbursts
* hyperawareness, an acute sense of time passing, the seasons changing, distances when travelling
* an enhanced environmental awareness, a greater respect for the natural world, a feeling of "wanting to save the planet"
* hypervigilance, which feels like but is not paranoia, and which may be (sometimes deliberately) mislabelled as paranoia by those around you
* sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
* flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
* impaired memory, forgetfulness, memory which is intermittent, especially of day-to-day trivial things
* inability to concentrate
* exaggerated startle response
* panic attacks, feelings of nervousness and anxiety, excessive sweating, trembling, palpitations
* hypersensitivity - almost every action or remark is perceived as critical or threatening, even when you know it isn't
* a deep sense of betrayal
* obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
* joint and muscle pains with no obvious cause
* depression (reactive, not endogenous)
* excessive shame, embarrassment and guilt
* undue fear
* low self-esteem and low self-confidence
* a deep sense of unworthiness, undeservingness and and non-entitlement
* physical numbness, especially in fingers, toes and lips
* emotional numbness, anhedonia, an inability to feel love or joy
* detachment, avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
* physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience
One of the most common causes of trauma I have come across is bullying, which includes all forms of psychological violence, harassment and emotional abuse. My experience and research suggests that at least half the population are bullied (click here to identify the bullying in your life), either at work or at school, or by a partner or family member, or by people in authority, or by neighbours. Bullying causes prolonged negative stress which cumulatively results in trauma. For more information on how stress causes ill health, see the injury to health page. For more information on the symptoms and effects of trauma, including the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD, see the PTSD page.
Bully OnLine identifies bullying as a common form of psychological violence which is a major cause of stress and trauma; bullying is also identified as the underlying behaviour of harassment, discrimination, prejudice, abuse, conflict and violence, as well as the current limiting factor for human evolution.
www.successunlimited.co.uk/spirituality/spiritual.htm
The spiritual gift within trauma
Trauma enables us to find our purpose in life and equips us to achieve our mission for this incarnation"
(Tim Field)
The collective symptoms of trauma are congruent with the diagnostic criteria for Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a natural emotional reaction to a deeply shocking and disturbing experience. Almost anybody can suffer PTSD although it appears that those most likely to experience trauma are people who are sensitive, empathic, caring, honest, trustworthy, imaginative, artistic and creative. PTSD is a real condition, not imagined; PTSD is a psychiatric injury, not a mental illness. The differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury are listed near the bottom of my PTSD page.
Experiencing growing spiritual awareness as a result of trauma often forms part of the recovery process.
The causes of trauma have three things in common:
* an external cause - you cannot traumatize yourself, something or someone has to do it to you (this factor is important in cases of negligence and personal injury); suddenness or unexpectedness are key components
* violation - your body and/or mind are violated by an unexpected and unwelcome intrusion; with many forms of trauma the violation is of a sexual nature (eg harassment, rape, a violent partner, sexual abuse, contact experience, etc)
* loss of control - the experience is unexpected, overwhelming and beyond your control (and would be beyond the control of most people)
The effects of trauma are surprisingly commonplace, and many people suffering "stress", regardless of cause, will find they are experiencing many of the symptoms of trauma. These include:
* bewilderment and confusion, an inability to understand what is happening or why it happened
* a strong sense of denial, an inability to convince yourself that the experience was real; your denial is reinforced by the denial of those around you and especially of people in authority
* irritability, short-temperedness, sudden intense anger and occasional violent outbursts
* hyperawareness, an acute sense of time passing, the seasons changing, distances when travelling
* an enhanced environmental awareness, a greater respect for the natural world, a feeling of "wanting to save the planet"
* hypervigilance, which feels like but is not paranoia, and which may be (sometimes deliberately) mislabelled as paranoia by those around you
* sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
* flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
* impaired memory, forgetfulness, memory which is intermittent, especially of day-to-day trivial things
* inability to concentrate
* exaggerated startle response
* panic attacks, feelings of nervousness and anxiety, excessive sweating, trembling, palpitations
* hypersensitivity - almost every action or remark is perceived as critical or threatening, even when you know it isn't
* a deep sense of betrayal
* obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
* joint and muscle pains with no obvious cause
* depression (reactive, not endogenous)
* excessive shame, embarrassment and guilt
* undue fear
* low self-esteem and low self-confidence
* a deep sense of unworthiness, undeservingness and and non-entitlement
* physical numbness, especially in fingers, toes and lips
* emotional numbness, anhedonia, an inability to feel love or joy
* detachment, avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
* physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience
One of the most common causes of trauma I have come across is bullying, which includes all forms of psychological violence, harassment and emotional abuse. My experience and research suggests that at least half the population are bullied (click here to identify the bullying in your life), either at work or at school, or by a partner or family member, or by people in authority, or by neighbours. Bullying causes prolonged negative stress which cumulatively results in trauma. For more information on how stress causes ill health, see the injury to health page. For more information on the symptoms and effects of trauma, including the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD, see the PTSD page.
Bully OnLine identifies bullying as a common form of psychological violence which is a major cause of stress and trauma; bullying is also identified as the underlying behaviour of harassment, discrimination, prejudice, abuse, conflict and violence, as well as the current limiting factor for human evolution.
www.successunlimited.co.uk/spirituality/spiritual.htm
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theatre and I are there already. I'm having a very berry tea with crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes and she's having a joint with some beer and we're both on really comfy recliners on thick pile carpet. we need some help with the decor if anyone is around??
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I'm trying to exercise daily. I was doing fairly well until I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago but now I'm getting back on the horse. Today I walked over a mile with my arm weights that are about 22lbs total. I was out of shape and it was hard on my arms. I also did my 30 situps. I'm also going to drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy. I do tend to have a sweet tooth but I'm cutting...
Thank you!
As I read through the list of symptoms, I was able to identify with 90% them.
Just to see them up in print and recognized almost makes me want to weep in relief.
A long time ago I was the recipient of a violent beating for no other reason than I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There were around nine of them (some of whom were armed with pipes) and only one of me with my bare hands.
At the time, I wasn't in the least bit frightened, as strange as it may seem, but in the days following the attack, the fear set in and just got worse ever since.
It has slowly ruined my life and cost me nearly all of my relationships.
the main problem is that I find even talking about it a humiliating experience and I don't really trust anyone enough to confide in them any longer because I feel that by giving them that information it will weaken their perception of me.
Each time I look at the Title of this post, I am thinking of Transformers...Optimus Prime on the Brain...that's what happens with little boys that like Transformers.
Guess you could kinda think of PTSD like a Transformer as well....Hmmm....