Well JD, you have made me torn TBH, because I "have" asked several times, and will again tomarrow about "no cure". My therapist has worked with "many" PTSD patients and he has told me that I "can" learn to get better. He did however tell me that his patients "vary" with the amount of "time" it takes them to work through the "healing" stages of PTSD.

I do understand what you are saying, yes often there is a feeling of "no identity" with PTSD, one of the symptoms. I have had to learn about PTSD, recognize that I did have the symptoms that are discussed in the literature as well, but in becoming aware, it is important to make sure that while these symptoms are there, you can self observe and work on decreasing their severity.

Oh yes, I have truely experienced "all the files dumped on the floor" and the horrible anxiety of sorting through it. As I mentioned, I have a troubled history that goes all the way back for me, what I didn't realize is that while I survived it, I also was scarred by it all in ways I didn't realize. There were just always things I did, reacted to that I never realized "why", but only that I "did" have a way of "always looking over my shoulder". There were things in my past that I "avoided" as well, I didn't think of myself as very "smart", I focused on my ability to, be "creative and resourceful" instead. I honestly didn't realize that being that way and what I had managed to achieve meant that I was actually "above average and intelligent". For me it is sad because of the things I avoided because I assumed I was just not smart enough and it has been hard to see the "whys" to that that I see now and didn't long ago.

I am in my 50's so there is alot of pieces to sort through, a lifetime of who I was and why that has been hard to look at the way I have been looking at all these pieces.
Yes, I have often felt my entire "identiy" was very lost and confused. And it was awful because other people, family, friends didn't have a clue how bad I was, and as I mentioned, they were mean to me and said all the things that no one should say to someone crippled with PTSD.

Yes, at first I had to learn what it means to have PTSD, that it is real, and it isn't "me" that is now somehow a big "baby" or "being lazy or selfish" or "using it as an excuse somehow", which are a few of the reactions people have to it. Yes, I had that kind of response even in PC, this psyco central as some have called it.

Well, it has been alot of work to sort through all these pieces, and then mourn them and it is important to be "comforted" and "validated", so important, so yes, it is not as effective in "healing" if you work on it alone. And yes, a therapist can talk to "family members" and that doesn't mean they are then going to totally refrain from making comments that can still be mean. I still have to deal with that, only I am dealing with it in a more knowing way, and I teeder with how I see it and I still have days where I struggle because of that.

I don't want to "lie" to others, but I also don't want anyone to think they can't make gains on PTSD to where they can function better and regain their "identity" in a new way. Yes, once you get PTSD, you are forever changed, but you don't have to determine that you "can't" still grow and learn and also learn to manage it.

Last night on the News they were talking about five of the first responders at the Newtown incident and how they have been out of work struggling with PTSD. They are starting a fund for them to cover the loss of work and income as they have not been able to go back to work. I wonder, if they will ever be able to go back to work in that field ever again. I can't imagine how anyone can recover from seeing something like that tbh. It is pretty sad that there has to be an "awareness" of PTSD because of something like that taking place, however notice how they are not getting into the depth of the real battle these first responders will now face for the rest of their lives. At best, they will only learn to "manage it", but no one has said anything about that. I have to admit that it is hard to know what I know of the challenge and think of them, I didn't sleep well at all last night tbh. I find myself wanting them to discuss PTSD more instead of just referencing it the way they have been doing in discussing tramatic events. My husband was sitting next to me and I can see how he partly doesn't want to "hear about it" or "think about it" because he knows he treated me so badly when I was so bad with it.

I can't imagine these first responders at this point of time being told, "there is no cure" for the PTSD they are now dealing with. However, I am so glad that they will have alot of support.

For me, this will be year six since I was pretty much wiped out, suddenly dealing with 8 crippled animals that were my life, two have died and a few will remain crippled for as long as they live. Yet, I have been on the densive for all this time, still, any time I could get a call to finish being deposed, I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER ALL THE DETAILS ANYMORE. GOD, I WISH IT WAS REALIZED HOW HARD THIS IS, HOW WRONG IT IS TO KEEP ME IN THIS PROCESS. I have to admit that I don't know if I can ever go back to doing what I did, I am deeply afraid to love anything anymore and feel safe with it tbh. I hate being ashamed that I struggle with that on a daily basis. It is very hard to look at the animals I have left and be able to feel the same about them the way I used to. I don't know how to love them a safe way "yet" and I don't know how to talk about it with others who don't understand PTSD. When it comes to discussing values and losses, there is no money that can ever replace what I want to be replaced. It is sooo hard not to be emotional, how can I not feel? I feel very deeply and it is sooo hard to feel like I am not suppose to show it for I won't be a very good witness or might seem "crazy" because I loved what I had so much, it was such a big part of me that I have had others just not understand.

The PTSD is "not" a part of my lawsuit because I didn't want my history openly discussed and have to defend that part of myself as well. I do feel however, that the system should be designed to take that into consideration so that the process is not allowed to go on so long and only make the PTSD worse.

Well, I guess I got off track here, after all I still do struggle with it. My point is that it is important to be "careful" when it comes to saying "no cure", perhaps that is something that can be discussed "gradually" so a patient can first "make progress" and realize that "the no cure" doesn't mean they might stay at the worst point of PTSD. I do remember that very "crippling" stage and at least I am not as bad as that now.
Personally, in my effort to support others, I do listen, I hear others discuss the symptoms and I validate them, but I also try to "encourage" them to find a good therapist, no just a therapist, but a good one and begin a "real" healing process verses just sitting alone with PTSD and not making the gains that "can" be made that really "help". Yes, I am aware about making "gains and being strong for a length of time" and then having "set backs". However the point is "knowing" that while it does happen, so does the abliity to have the capacity to also get back on track again once the "skills" to deal with it have been aquired.