[mj778]

I was diagnosed soon after 'it' happened by my therapist whom I was seeing for depression, anxiety, and ADD. She kept me on my antidepressant. I saw her a few times after, but then the trial went bad (and very publicly) and I locked myself in my house (mostly my bedroom) for almost a month. I didn't go to my therapist anymore, I had lost my job, and it was very rough. Over the years, I dwell on it less, but I now have horrible physical problems. In my research of fibro and Chronic Myofascial Pain, the professionals are saying they could be caused by untreated PTSD. I was wondering if it is just something that goes away on its own, or is it possible that my current pain is caused by letting it go untreated. I really don't know much about PTSD. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

[JustWannaDisappear]

I don't have any ideas, but I'm sorry you went through that. I had (have?) PTSD and was diagnosed by the therapist I was seeing specifically for the trauma. I've had times where I've felt fine but around the anniversary date I would get really jumpy, irritable and depressed. That was almost 9yrs ago, and within the last few weeks it started up again. So I don't know if it ever does. How would one treat PTSD? Trauma therapy? I spent 2yrs in therapy for it and didn't get anywhere. I'm back with a new therapist, but we haven't gotten very far yet because my depression was so bad when I first saw her, she didn't want to push me and make me go over the edge.

[Typo]

Our mental health can very much affect our phyiscal health, the two are intertwined.

I was diagnoised with PTSD when I was 15 after a traumatic car accident, but after working with my T and we looked back on my child hood and the abuse I experinced from a releative, she is under suspcison I have had PTSD for many more years, from behaviors I had as a child that people told me about, to behaviors and fears I have today that are ingrained in me.

I don't think PTSD goes away, I think it is something that stays with us, however you can learn to manage the symtpoms and live a healthy life. I will always have a startle response, I am always going to be jumpy when my anxeity is high, and other issues related to the PTSD.

But I have learned to handle those in healthy ways and the PTSD does not control my life anymore, through therapy I have learned how to properly handle my responses and manage my PTSD so I can live a happy healthy life. Grounding skills, healthy coaping skills, having a mental health team, and a support network are all very important in learning to deal with and manage PTSD or any mental illness.

It isn't going to get better on it's own, it won't just disapear with time, it takes work with a therapist and sometimes medication to learn to control the effects of PTSD.

There are many therapy options for PTSD, and for warning, it isn't easy work, it can be emotionally draining and at times you will wonder if it is getting worse vs. better.

But you have to go through the darkness to get to the light, it is a journey well worth taking.

I urge you to please seek professional help with your PTSD the symptoms will only worsen in time and the more it is left untreated.

Best Wishes
Typo

[Nupoet64]

mj778,
PTSD does not go away on it's own. It becomes more complex, causes more social and physical issues as it is "simmering".
I think another therapist or that same one, maybe...someone who KNOWS PTSD and treatment options. It doesn't improve with your run-of-the- mill therapy either. It needs a trained therapist with a background in treating PTSD. Finding the right therapist is a little tiem consuming and must be taken with as much seriousness as buying a house or car...do research, ask questions and check options. A good therapist can make all the difference in helping you heal.
I have spent 28 years trying to fond out what was wrong with , then finding someone to help me, then being able to afford my needed treatment....I have recently found a therapist that has helped me more in two sessions that anyone else has in the entire 28 years. I had a major breakthrough Monday and I returned Tues for more work, I am now happier and hopeful and being heard! believed! and validated!!
Some treatments and books to look into:

Healing the Child Within by Charlse Whitfield
Recovery of Your Inner Child by Lucia Capacchione
A Gift to Myself by Charlse Whitfield
Family Secrets by John Bradshaw
Homecoming by John Bradshaw

These are some of the resources I have and am using for my healing. The main thing I ahve learned, over the years, is NO treatment and only treating one symptom of PTSD have the same result...no healing and continued distress growing in intensity.
I hope something in this helps you. It is a bumpy road but worth the effort.

[Nupoet64]

Oh, the inner child work, can be done by anyone. We all...everyone in the world...has a wouded inner child...some are scraped adn some are gashed and bleeding, but we are all wounded.

[unico]

The original causes of my PTSD don't bother me much anymore, but whenever I have new social situations that go really bad and I'm betrayed, I start getting PTSD symptoms all over again, even though the triggering situation was not life-threatening or physically dangerous.

[skeksi]

With proper support and treatment, PTSD can be managed and reduced so that we can live rich, full, contented lives. If we fail to address the trauma and its effects on us, the PTSD will continue to haunt us. PTSD does not fade with the passage of time unless we step in and make a decision to move towards healing.

You have been through some terrible, awful times. You can take control now and get the PTSD treated so that you can feel better, physically and emotionally.

[Phtz]

Originally Posted by skeksi

With proper support and treatment, PTSD can be managed and reduced so that we can live rich, full, contented lives. If we fail to address the trauma and its effects on us, the PTSD will continue to haunt us. PTSD does not fade with the passage of time unless we step in and make a decision to move towards healing.

You have been through some terrible, awful times. You can take control now and get the PTSD treated so that you can feel better, physically and emotionally.

One question: HOW?!

[skeksi]

One question: HOW?!

I can't say what the solution is for everyone, but for me, it has been entirely due to the brutal work or weekly therapy. With my therapist's help I was able to make a narrative of my trauma, exposing myself to the story so often that I could talk about it without always being retraumatized. I have learned to manage post-traumatic reactions like flashbacks, dissociation, and freezing through techniques like relaxation training and safe place visualization. My abuser was a family member that I still see twice a year and I have learned to cope with these feelings at these times by writing or talking instead of self-harm. I have also seen a psychiatrist throughout this time to get medication management for sleep and reactivity.

This has taken me several years, and it has sucked beyond all telling of it for long stretches of time. But it was worth it, because now I have more good times than bad. People used to tell me the same thing and it seemed impossible. But it's not.

[(JD)]

PTSD does not go away. Even with treatment, there is no "cure" for it presently. If you no longer suffer from the original trauma, then perhaps you are numbing and have repressed that, but physical symptoms and other triggers are from the original trauma and PTSD. Sorry.

Many progress in healing through PTSD, some can benefit by EMDR.
You might not have to go through each and every issue, as the PTSD results from the brain chemicals changing at the time of the trauma, and prevents the brain from "filing" the memories correctly. Once you begin to work through issues, the brain "learns" how to file them and similar memories as well.

As others have said, you can heal enough to where it doesn't control your life, and you can enjoy it again.

[Nupoet64]

PTSD has basic set of symptoms and criteria for diagnosis, but the effects on a person and their life is unique to them and the treatment needs to be supervised by someone trianed in truama therapy.
One problem we deal with is minimizing...we think, "Oh, it was a little messed up, but someone elses had it worse than I did, so it means less." WRONG...this is just another way to repress the emotions and not really deal with it.
I keep hearing from my T ( lately...because of a breakthrough in memories) how reall truely aweful my childhood was. I had to lose my rose colored glasses and see the true ugliness, in order to feel the pain and start dealing with it...I am only beginning to heal the wounds and I have been in and out of therapy ( mostly the wrong type) since I was 18...I am now 46. But I have a wonderful T now who is well educated and knowledgable reguarding trauma therapy. We are making great progress...alot of hard tearful anger filled work, but making progress, finally!!
Good luck and I hope you find a great T and do not waste the time I did.

[sisu]

PTSD causes brain damage. Remember, the brain shrinks when exposed to stress. This causes all kinds of other problems.

So, like depression, yes. The original damage can go away. The after effects will take much longer. The diseases set off may get better, but may not.

Things you can do:

-first, get exercise. It's shown to work as well as zoloft. SSRIs are known to work now not by making you happy, but by stimulating brain growth. So does exercise- so get some. Remember, you're not looking for immediate effect, you're doing it as part of a rehabilitative program, so stick to it, and look for results in a year. There WILL be results.

-second, consider meds. SSRI, or even milnacipran, now approved for fibromyalgia. This is important because they do help stimulate brain regrowth, so their effects can be permanent. You have to take them for weeks before you see a result, but they are NOT a get happy crutch- they're a restorative medicine intended to help you combat the damages done to your brain.

-stay in therapy. Talk therapy works, but you have to use it. You have to go, listen, disagree where you need to, take everything you can from it. This is where you relearn how to relate to the world so you can stop injuring yourself just by being in contact with it. Meep. I've been in therapy 4 years now and it's helped. Am I happy yet? No. But life is better. It hurts less to live.

- Get a sleep test. Fibromyalgia sometimes indicated sleep apnea or other sleep disorders (mine was narcolepsy.) So get that checked.

-Be patient. Expect bad days. Plan for bad times and have backup plans as well. Then, when bad times happen, USE those plans.

-meditate. It's not for inner peace, it's for brain regrowth. You might get some peace out of it, but more than that, you'll get self-regulation, and THAT is worth more than any amount of enlightenment. Self-regulation is one thing we haven't got when we have PTSD. You'll find it changes things a lot. I use a meditation tape, your mileage may vary. Whatever works for you, do it and do it regularly.

-Get a good "go to sleep" program, using the same cues every night. This will help you on the bad nights, and give you some familiarity day to day.

-If you are in physical therapy, go to it religiously. If you aren't, consider it for the physical issues. If you can't, get into an exercise program. Start now.

-Remember this. It does not get easier. Ever. It does get better. You will always have stuff to deal with; that stuff will not always break your heart a dozen times a day. The stuff will not always be unbearable. The overall effects of treatment over time are to make it so that you are able to tolerate everyday life, and you will always have an everyday life to deal with. But that gets better. You deal with better stuff. You still have bad days but you know what to do with yourself on them. It takes less effort to get out of bed.

Is my life easier after four years of all this?

No. Really no.

Is it better? yes. It's not all better. There are lots of things about it I still find horrible and terrible. But ... *I* am better. I like me more. I find it more worth it to do the work. I find it less terrible to be me. I feel, maybe not like I have a future yet, but that the possibility of feeling that way exists, and I have choices. I make better choices.

I'm in school at night now. Never could have done that before. I'm in shape. I still have autoimmune diseases but they are not all-consuming. I work. I have a life. Not much of one, but still, it's something. I go contra dancing every thursday and leave early to make sure I still get enough rest for work. I do things, I try things. I don't like my life, but I like being me, and I can feel now as if my choices do have some power to change my life. Not a lot yet, but it's something I can't remember ever feeling before. I don't have nightmares every night and I can have days without a panic attack.

Not every day, but some days, and that's more than ever before.

It's hard. It's worth it. It doesn't go away, but you stop giving it cookies. It stops running your life.

I'm so sorry you have to go through this, but I promise, from someone who's been going through the motions for awhile- YES. The motions do get you somewhere worth getting to, really and truly.

[vampyre love]

ptsd doesn't go away but you learn how to handle it better

[(JD)]

Twenty four years here and maybe 3000 hours of therapy.

It's hard. It's worth it. It doesn't go away, but you stop giving it cookies. It stops running your life.

Well said!