I am new to this forum and I have been reading many of your messages and questions.

I want to reach out to all of you and maybe this will help.

Post Traumatic Stress disorder is an injury to your brain.

When you have this brain injury you know that something is wrong and you have many emotions about it.

When your brain injury hurts so bad that you can't seem to get thru a day without crying about it and feeling frustrated and confused etc. You seek a Therapist to help you.

But, you must understand something. First, the therapist's job is to listen to you and figure out what kind of brain injury you have. Sometimes they are not correct. So, you do need to read and research on your own. There is a lot of information out there.

Now, it important that you understand what you are looking for. There is a traumatic event that has happened to you that has injured your brain.
This injury can be from childhood, teens, and even adulthood. Or it can include all of the above.

All of you want the same thing. You want to be free and happy and you want to know who you are or how to fight your way thru it.

When you go to a Therepist you must remember that the Therapist can only help you find the injury. So you do have to talk about your past.

But before you do that you must interview the Therepist to make sure they will understand your injury. And most important, you must like your Therapist. You must also remember that the Therapist is not there to tell you what you are going to be in life. They are only there to help you see your injury and then help you realize that the injury has already been passed thru your brain.

I have been lucky because I started a business that put me around many children and many adults. And I worked around and with many different
personalities. I got to challenge them and interact with them and during the process learned that first, there is no perfect child or adult or teen.
Every single one of them had a weak spot. And, they protected it and even let it limit them.

But, as I worked with each one, I was able to hone in on the secret part and help them work it out, and kind of without them knowing it. Guess what, I opened a door that they thought they would never go thru and before they knew it they were on the other side. I have to say, it was very rewarding for me to watch them suddenly realize that I snuck in and fixed something they thought they had hidden.

I have done this with children too. For example, I can recall one child that was not athletic. Part of what I do is teach riding lessons. This child wanted a pony and yet she was not outgoing physically. So, I had to stop and let her rest and talk and try to get her going again and stop and rest. Then one day I said to her, "If you really want a pony, the only way you will get one is if you stop resting and ride" Well, she thought about it. And after she realized that I was right, she stopped resting and kept pushing. Now, there is another person in this picture, the Parent. The parent would say to me, "Well, shes not very athletic and I don't know how she will do." So here we are, the parent was facillitating the child's weak spot and this happens all the time.

Now, here is something very important for all of you to know. There are many people who have natural talents for all kinds of things, for example,
baseball, football,swimming,art,horse riding, school work, being popular,singing, and the list is endless. BUT, do you know who ends up being the best? It is the person who really wants to do it so bad that they keep pushing until they get it. It is all about desire.

The little girl that I taught may have been written off with another teacher. And she was and ended up coming back to me and then going out again. And, she is still riding and pushing forward. She may not be the best but she is letting herself enjoy it and do it.

I had a similar experience with an adult. This adult was athletic and a good mom and thought she was riding really good. But, she had developed some bad habits. I wanted to correct them and yet others advised me not to. I didn't listen and I did anyway. At first she was completely torn up and self defeating. But I kept telling her she could do it and to keep trying. So, she did and found out that she actually enjoyed learning more and accepting that she hadn't really mastered what she thought she mastered.

Here is one more thing this mother didn't know. She has two daughters and she thought that they were buddies. One day I was with her and her youngest daughter. I stated that the youngest daughter had a secret understanding with the older daughter. The youngest daughter knew that the older daughter was the boss and that as long as she gave in to this fact, they would get along. To the mother's surprise, the youngest daughter immediately responded with big open eyes and said YES, this is exactly how it is. The mother was so surprised that this secret order was in place and that she was not aware of it.

So, here is my point to all of you. Yes, you have been injured and it is hard. And no one is going to tell you who you are or who you will be.
The answer to that question is up to you.

All of you are here because you have a DESIRE to get better. BUT there is only one way to really get better. You are all stopping and resting, just like the little girl I worked with. Now, you need to ride if you are going to get the pony of your dreams, finding you, loving you, learning how to be you and that you don't have to be the best, you can just ride and enjoy.

The only way you are going to find you is to get up and ride life. Ok, I understand that up to this point no one validated you. So, you are very lost. Guess what, the most important person that has to validate you is YOU. Now, before you get angry or upset, think about the mother that I had the courage to tell she had some bad habits. She was mad, and was ready to throw her hat in and stop riding. BUT, she came back and at first was negetively trying. She did get past it. So can you.

For all of you, this is where you start. You have to be willing to hug your own injured brain and get up and ride. It is about seeing where your brain is hurt and where your personal triggers are so that every time a trigger touches an old injury YOU have to do what this ICON is doing.
Everytime it hurts you have to love yourself and tell yourself that it has passed and you will never forget it but you are still going to ride and live life.

YOU CAN DO IT! NO, you are not perfect, but NO ONE IS. AND, everyone has been hurt by someone else or even themselves. DESIRE to get better, RIDE!