[SUNNY2009]

So I am in T and its been 10 mos. I am dealing w/CSA and well it is tough. I struggle alot w.anxiety and prob a little depression. We had done EMDR on a few diff occassions and each time I go into a tailspin of confusion, anxiety, pain, depression, a funk for days and weeks. When I finally come out of these episodes I am just confused at what it is.

Last week my T suggested again that I see a Pdoc so I can get on some meds that will help with the anxiousness I feel. I am a little stressed about it but agreed to have an open mind and try to follow thru. I got an appt set up.

Today I met w/T and he expressed agn the need to follow thru. He sz I am highly anxious and he wants me to be able to feel better. He also explained I have all the symtoms of PTSD but explained that it is diff then PTSD when a person has 1 episode that are trying to work thru. He says the EMDR will be on hold for now because I have so many episodes/memories that I lived thru and ...well he thinks it is causing me to relive through the act/mem and that is not the intent in EMDR.

So he wants me to focus more on the fact that I am a survivor. I asked if he thought Ihad ADD and he sz absol not, but PTSD and severe. He asked me if I knew much about it but I dont. So he explained a little. But I want to know more about it and need to understand it and how it works or affects people. I need to know from people who have experienced long term abuse and now suffer from the effects of PTSD.

I am just coming out of a bout of anxiety/panic/depression over the last 3-4 days. Until now I have always just dealt with it and got through it and then got back to life. But I really do hate these episodes and I want to relate and pull it apart so I can understand it and wrap my head around it. I want to know what I can do to manage it and get through it without it ruling my life or days that I suffer.

I hope someone has input ..... thanks

[reg12]

Yes you do need to focus more on the fact that I am a survivor. T said you had PTSD and severe what?? Depression??

Long term abuse can cause many different symptoms. It affects everyone differently since the circumstances vary. The age of the survivor, the length of the abuse, the living enviornment, the parents, siblings, etc. all effect the person and how they have adapted to this.

Usually there is a whole lot to understand about these things. If the abuse included sexual abuse then is very, very complexed.

[SUNNY2009]

Originally Posted by reg12

Yes you do need to focus more on the fact that I am a survivor. T said you had PTSD and severe what?? Depression??

Long term abuse can cause many different symptoms. It affects everyone differently since the circumstances vary. The age of the survivor, the length of the abuse, the living enviornment, the parents, siblings, etc. all effect the person and how they have adapted to this.

Usually there is a whole lot to understand about these things. If the abuse included sexual abuse then is very, very complexed.

Thanks REG12

I meant the PTSD is severe I guess. Up until now I have always known I was a survivor but never dealt with the childhood sexual abuse I suffered.
7yrs old,,,or somewhere around there and lasted for at least 7-8 yrs, father.
Thats pretty much it in a nutshell.
I just want to know more about it and try to get input from people who know it or have suffered from it or have studied it.

Thanks again

[reg12]

Ok. Yes your PTSD will seem severe. Keep in mind that you specific symtoms will be yours alone. You may or may not share what others do. What meds works for them may not for you.

[Yoda]

I know that Zoloft is prescribed for PTSD (tried it but my head was so scrambled then that NO drug could help me).

I thought that it was therapy that was more beneficial for anxiety than drugs. Dunno. I have used xanax for anxiety for a decade starting when the domestic violence started but seldom use it now except to sleep. For me many many hours of therapy were what unscrambled my brain enough to reach the level of function (dysfunction?) that I am at now.

[VickiesPath]

These are the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder given on the National Institutes of Mental Health website:

Symptoms of PTSD fall into three main categories:
1. Repeated "reliving" of the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity

• Flashback episodes, where the event seems to be happening again and again
• Recurrent distressing memories of the event
• Repeated dreams of the event
• Physical reactions to situations that remind you of the traumatic event

2. Avoidance

• Emotional "numbing," or feeling as though you don’t care about anything
• Feelings of detachment
• Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
• Lack of interest in normal activities
• Less expression of moods
• Staying away from places, people, or objects that remind you of the event
• Sense of having no future

3. Arousal

• Difficulty concentrating
• Exaggerated response to things that startle you
• Excess awareness (hypervigilance)
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Sleeping difficulties

You also might feel a sense of guilt about the event (including "survivor guilt"), and the following symptoms, which are typical of anxiety, stress, and tension:

• Agitation, or excitability
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Feeling your heart beat in your chest (palpitations)
• Fever
• Headache
• Paleness

Not every person will experience all of these symptoms so combinations of these will vary from person to person. Treatments vary according to how the symptoms impact the person.

Hope this helps some.

[SUNNY2009]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I know that Zoloft is prescribed for PTSD (tried it but my head was so scrambled then that NO drug could help me).

I thought that it was therapy that was more beneficial for anxiety than drugs. Dunno. I have used xanax for anxiety for a decade starting when the domestic violence started but seldom use it now except to sleep. For me many many hours of therapy were what unscrambled my brain enough to reach the level of function (dysfunction?) that I am at now.

vERY FUnny cOMpUTEr sTOrY

[SUNNY2009]

Originally Posted by Vickie in Phoenix

These are the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder given on the National Institutes of Mental Health website:

Symptoms of PTSD fall into three main categories:

1. Repeated "reliving" of the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity

• Flashback episodes, where the event seems to be happening again and again
• Recurrent distressing memories of the event
• Repeated dreams of the event
• Physical reactions to situations that remind you of the traumatic event

2. Avoidance

• Emotional "numbing," or feeling as though you don’t care about anything
• Feelings of detachment
• Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
• Lack of interest in normal activities
• Less expression of moods
• Staying away from places, people, or objects that remind you of the event
• Sense of having no future

3. Arousal

• Difficulty concentrating
• Exaggerated response to things that startle you
• Excess awareness (hypervigilance)
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Sleeping difficulties

You also might feel a sense of guilt about the event (including "survivor guilt"), and the following symptoms, which are typical of anxiety, stress, and tension:

• Agitation, or excitability
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Feeling your heart beat in your chest (palpitations)
• Fever
• Headache
• Paleness

Not every person will experience all of these symptoms so combinations of these will vary from person to person. Treatments vary according to how the symptoms impact the person.

Hope this helps some.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this. It is helpful. Actually it is exactly what I was looking for...I like to have a starting place (other than whats in my head) and be able to compare what I have going on to what the medical community/mental health community has. I know the PTSD will vary from person to person, since we are all individuals but it really does help me to better understand and also to relate to others who understand me and the issues I am dealing with.

I am very thankful for the people on this site who open there personal stories up and respond when needed.
So thanks again. hope you have a great day!

[phoenix7]

have a look at the sticky at the top of the forum for grounding techniques they will help wiht flashbacks and anxiety

the best book - and i have read heaps lol - is "

the PTSD sourebook by Glenn Shiraldi"

it is brilliant - it has heaps of different techniques for helping PTSD is well written (even I could understand it so it must be lol)

it has lots of things in it you can do.= did i say that lol - hmmmm getting to the not making any sense part of my evening lol - anyway the important thing is that when i first got PTSD i was numb - then the emotions came back and were overwhelming - anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks , nightmares - but what i wanted you to know is that its gotten better for me (gotten? hmm lets pretend its a word ok)

I have had DBT, CBT, TFT, Hypnotherapy EMDR hmm an prob otherthings i cant remember lol but they have each helped and i suppose waht i reallly want to say is hang in there cos it wil get better - its hard work and somtimes you do it second by second but you;ll get there and Psyche Central has really helped me too - that and some very supportive friends.

take care and let me know if I can help

P7