(((wolfie))),

Yes, I have said the same thing myself many times. I developed PTSD from an event that took me by surprise and overwhelmed me. I had no idea what PTSD was, nor did I ever expect to deal with all the confusing symptoms that PTSD presents.

Each person is a little different depending on their personal history too. I developed "complex PTSD" and I never imagined something like that could happen. For some reason the trauma I experienced seemed to open up to re-experiencing my past in a way I never imagined could take place. Yes, I found that things would "trigger" me and I didn't "know why", all I knew is that suddenly I would be "struggling" and some days I was struggling all day and I didn't always understand "what had actually triggered me".

People who struggle with PTSD tend to have a lot of confusion and quickly become aware that they are "very vulnerable" and as a result "withdraw" so they can "avoid" experiencing "painful anxiety that takes place when something triggers them". They do not know how to "verbalize" how they are struggling and have this overwhelming sense that "others will not understand it" and unfortunately often people around them simply do "not" understand it and often give off messages that "only make it even worse" because they tend to say things like, "you have to just forget it and you have to just stop dwelling on it and move on". Well, when someone experiences PTSD, there is no "just" that they can do as others consistently suggest to them.

This is why it is "very important" for someone struggling with PTSD to find a therapist and support team that can "validate" the fact that they really "are" challenged and "no, they cannot "just" because the really do have a "genuine challenge or injury".

Yes, PTSD can be somewhat "unpredictable" for a while and that is why it is very important to work with a therapist that can help them slowly understand it. A trauma therapist will help to slowly work through it to where a patient can begin to "slowly" understand what triggers them and how to work through it to where they slowly begin to make "gains" on it instead of being frightened by it and unknowingly feed into it which "aggravates it making them struggle even more".

What I experienced is "my family" was actually "extremely dismissive and even mean to me" and because of that I got worse and worse to a point where my thoughts became extremely unhealthy. I cannot say enough that it is "extremely important" to reach out for help and what eventually helped me is I found a therapist that finally met with my husband and explained to him that I had PTSD and how the family being mean and dismissive was putting me at risk.

Unfortunately for me, I went too long without the right help and support and I really began to suffer and got worse and worse. I cannot express enough the importance of "reaching out for help" and finding the right support when struggling with PTSD. PTSD often does get worse before the person struggling with it begins to slowly understand it better and develops a "self care" mindset where they do "not" begin to "self blame for struggling with something they really cannot help". PTSD happens to "good people, worthy people, and even very intelligent people". It doesn't mean someone is "unworthy or somehow stupid and weak or forever damaged".

The healing process with PTSD takes time and an understanding and supportive therapist who can work with a patient to where that patient can "safely" focus on their healing without feeling they are somehow "unworthy" or "just damaged". The sooner a patient develops a good "support system" the sooner they can slowly begin to actually "heal" and finally "work through the PTSD" and make progress in slowly regaining control over what seems like "unpredictable" bouts of experiencing the reactions to triggers that can bring on "anxiety and very depressive confusing episodes".

OE