This is my first post. I suffer from PTSD, as a result of physical & sexual abuse at the hands of my father. I also have a spinal chord injury, as the result of a work injury, and am in constant pain. The good news is that I do not want to live in the shadows anymore; I have been in therapy many years but now I want to participate in life. I have a part time job, and joined Toastmasters, and am introducing myself as an artist, when people ask me what I do. My question is how do I get beyond the panic and triggers? Just typing this paragraph and sending it out is causing me anxiety. I realize I may not have the lifetime of happy memories one can usually expect, but I do have today. <font color="blue"> </font>