PTSD Sufferer. How can I recover?

I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and wonder what all experiences others have gone through the feelings and the motions. I am having a very hard time dealing with this, and I'm wondering if anyone has recovered and what my future might be like. I'm in therapy but I"m still lost and suffering deeply with this disorder.

Hello Cyborg24,

Welcome to PC You've done the right thing joining PC there is so much support and information here that will be beneficial to you.

There is a PTSD thread and quite a number of people who suffer with the disorder. I have it, I have made progress through REM therapy but I still can't stand anyone creeping up on me, they do so at their own risk.

Certain situations or buildings set me off, men I don't know coming too near me, certain images will do it too. I prefer not to talk about it too much though. I have opened up about it here but I still feel a bit raw in doing that.

There are many folks who will be supportive and understanding and as you go through therapy you will see and feel improvements,

Rhiannon

Welcome Cyborg, yes we have a forum for PTSD Post-traumatic Stress where you can share your experiences and find support. Depending on the trauma and how long you went through it for can be an indication on how long it takes to feel ok again. Talking about it and getting support and finding that you are not alone in this and therapy will help.

I have the deepest hope for you and your future

As far as my own bipolar illness I feel 900% better than I ever ever dreamed I could!

I deeply believe in the hope that you can get past this, with a bit of time

I have ptsd and in the beginning I just didn't understand. Why me and why now -kept popping into my head. How could I get through those moments in the past and now they come back to haunt me. I still do not understand but it is real and the right therapist does help.
__________________
"well behaved women rarely make history"

I have had PTSD for a long time. However, I wasn't correctly diagnosed until about 2 years ago. So, I've never really dealt with it. I've also had so much going on because of it that I haven't been able to really deal with it. I have been to many therapists and been put on many different drugs. I am just starting to be able to talk about it. I wish you luck and I think you've come to the right place.

Hi, I am suffering from PTSD sxs as well. A friend of mine told me about a form of treatment called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) that is supposed to take MUCH less time than talk therapy. It has been used to help military vets with great success.
I would suggest researching it online. Then, if it is something you feel you would like to try, do a google search for EMDR + your area to find someone close to you.

Hope this may help some!

I tried EMDR and I would trigger too easily that my therapist had to stop it. I wish you luck with it.

It is a long hard road, but there is healing , with the proper treatment and there is hope. There are some very good videos on Youtube, about PTSD. The one I liked best was about the statistics presented for the short term treatments and long term affects. It was done by the University of Washinton. It compares various treatment options and shows how they maintian over a long term period. It is rather lengthy, so watch it as you can. If you choose to. But there are others there too. May be a place to start for learning about it.

My grandfather was a doctor adn he was the only stable male figure in my life. He was far away, so I only got brief times with him and he gave me great nuggets of information. One of his greatest says was "You can have the disease, or the disease can have you. It is your choice." I know he was not referring to PTSD, but i have applied that to my situation with PTSD and it helps.

Much comfort and support....safe hugs

I am deeply sorry Cyborg. I have read many of the comments listed, and none match anything I have been through. It is difficult for me to believe much of what I have read on this site today. Too much Freudian Analysis, and not nearly enough physical testing. Diagnosis is always highly subjective, and in the case of PTSD it appears far too easy to extrapolate past events, amalgamate them, and conclude that it is indeed the proper diagnosis. Given the number of people who have been struggling, with treatment, for years, I would have to submit that the diagnosis is often wrong.
In my case. I cannot speak of those events, cannot recall those events, indeed just writing this makes me grit my teeth, shake all over, and cry. Leaving now...can't do this. Sorry.

Phz is right about PTSD. I was that way, especially when I was not dealing with the memories. I still repress and move into my head to take a break and distance myself from the pain. If I deal with it all the time I would break.
I was misdiagnoses for many years. I was diagnosed as Clinically Depressed and Genralized Anxiety Disorder...this is what they were treating. But the more the treated, the worse I got, like my body and subconcious was screaming that I was on the wrong track...not being heard. Then I had my first flashback. Before that people thought I was just a scatter brain...after my flashback I was tested adn diagnosed as PTSD. I learned that the anxiety is part of it and that some symptoms mimic BPD. I also learned that the unresolved issues are what was causing the depression.
But looking back I remember my mother laughing adn telling stories about me sleepwalking...she never took me to the Dr about it. Never asked why it started suddenly adn never did anythign but make homemmade alarms to wake her so she could turn me back toward my bed and walk me back to bed. I remember her telling me I would "fall asleep" standing up. I remember her always saying, "You wake up in a different world everyday!" All of this is dissociation....I was very young.
Don't know why I am rambling, sorry...lost my train of thought and spaced out...I hope you find the answers you need and some support here too...hugs.