Hi lightcatcher welcome to the PTSD forum.

Hmm, you say you have worked in the field, is that the field of psychology/therapy work?

First of all, PTSD is confusing and scary, if you decided to finally get diagnosed, it must mean you are struggling and getting overwhelmed and PTSD symptoms are becoming unmanageable.

Well, you can read about PTSD, but what that will tell you is that PTSD does result from trauma or even several traumas, and a person can go for a while after a trauma or several traumas and be fine, but can develop PTSD, even years after a trauma or growing up in an environment that was dysfunctional and hard on them.

What you will read about is all the "symptoms" a person struggling with PTSD has, that many of their fears are not paranoia, but more that they are actually hyper vigilant, which is not the same thing as paranoia.

Many people who struggle with PTSD practice "avoidance" and some struggle so much that they "isolate". The main reason "why" people react this way is because "reminders" of traumatic events or certain people and places can trigger them to be filled with cortisol or adrenaline, to where they go into "fight or flight" and when that happens it is exhausting, like they ran a marathon and slowly they try to avoid anything that will create this uncomfortable reaction, which we call "being triggered". The other challenge with PTSD that is hard to control is "emotional responses" to different triggers too. For some reason with PTSD, a person can become overcome with emotion, be it sadness, anger, or disappointment even.

Because of these challenges, the person tends to "self blame" and even worry about others suddenly deciding they are completely worthless somehow. So the "normal" drive and desire to "thrive" is jeopardized. Because the desire to "thrive" is jeopardized it is also very hard for the person struggling to be "motivated and engage". Depression comes and goes with PTSD. A person with PTSD is "very sensitive" and other people who have not experienced it first had tend to say all the wrong things to them, which only makes them frustrated and lonely.

It is very important to find a therapist where you feel "safe" and the therapist really knows how to "listen and validate" you. IMHO, the longer someone goes without that the harder it is for them, and PTSD can be helped so much better when the person struggling has the right support. Each patient is different depending on the trauma or if they have a history of several traumas, and went a long time without being comforted, validated and "heard".

I know you want to read about it so you can understand it, my concern is that you read about it and make the mistake of feeding into it. It is "ok" to be aware of the symptoms of PTSD so when they happen you are aware you are experiencing a symptom. However, that doesn't mean you need to get all upset making that symptom worse and then end up self blaming and thinking badly of yourself.

I can tell you that PTSD magnifies normal human responses. Everyone gets angry, sad, tired depressed, has off days, gets frustrated and avoids people they do not like or going to places they don't like. But when someone has PTSD, these normal human challenges and reactions get magnified, and can even happen before the person makes the conscious decision to react. That being said, you can learn to gain more control of that challenge, in fact, you can learn to control many of the PSTD challenges so do not let yourself get
too frightened when you experience a flashback, body memory or any of the PTSD symptoms.

With a therapist who understands this and knows how to work with PTSD patients, a person can spend time discussing whatever they experienced that challenged them where they never really had a chance to properly process these events. Setting up a good support system for yourself is very important. That means having a good therapist, talking to others who also struggle and can validate you and share ways they manage it and also listen when you need it and staying away from people who are unsupportive which can mean "family members". If you have to have family around you, like a husband, at some point your therapist should meet with whomever it is and explain to them what PTSD is, how it is not your fault, and how to best support you.

I can't tell you if there is a cure for PTSD. I think that the most important thing for you is to not worry about that and just focus on getting into good therapy and learning how to manage it and "heal" one day at a time.

You are always welcome to come here and vent, ask, talk, or just get support while you are on your journey to healing. There are lots of people that work, and thrive that have PTSD. The important mindset to have is
willingness to learn and grow and practice good self care and patience.

(((Hugs)))
OE