[Open Eyes]

In my time coming to PC I have been struggling to try and learn as much as I can about PTSD. The one thing everyone complains about is how much they hate it. And while one can look it up on the internet, I did something different last night, I searched under cures for PTSD and found even more information. Ofcouse my old computer didn't have speakers and it did finally just stopped working and I got a new desktop. And now I have speakers and can listen to videos etc.

I just thought that I would share that I found a site www.giftfromwithin.org and I got to listen to Dr. Oshburg talk about what all the new studies are discovering about PTSD and how the brain is effected. There is more information emerging on it and with that new hope for not only understanding it better but finding new ways to understand it. It is worth the time to check out this information and there are lots of videos where he explains it. I found it very informative.

Open Eyes

[Open Eyes]

Oh, I wanted to add that in my search I also found a forum for PTSD that looks interesting. This forum is from Australia and the man that started it has some videos to listen to as well. I didn't join the site, I am just going to check it out and read some of the posted questions and answers before I make up my mind. It may be something else in addition to just being a member of PC. The site takes the approach of people who are interested in working on dealing with the PTSD and taking steps to improve their lives. And this man that started the site also has PTSD and stays on top of the developements being made to help those who suffer with PTSD. There are over a thousand active members all over the world and many more that access the site. He does talk about how important it is to find the right doctor that truely is informed about PTSD as many doctors and even therapists are truely not up to speed on the reality of it and other disorders can be mistakenly diagnosed, when actually it is PTSD. And here in the States there it is addressed with medication as a cure, while some medications do help there can be alternative lifestyle changes and theraputic ways to work through it as well.

I did notice on one of the posts that someone mentioned a drug called ganaxolone which is supposed to be like a benzo to treat the anxiety only it has no side effects. It might be something worth looking into.

Anyway, the name of the forum is www.ptsdforum.org so if you want to check it out just to read and gain access to more thoughts it may be helpful.

The idea behind the site is to learn how to improve your life and not just sit and wine and give into despair. And I like that, my PTSD is crippling me at times and I want to learn more about it, become my own health advocate as I have been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and then finally diagnosed and it had not truely been explained to me. I really learned a lot by visiting the site I gave above, things about actual changes in the brain that had not been explained to me. It is very interesting how much they are learning about PTSD and there are also reasons why certain therapies help.

Open Eyes

[meadowsweet]

Very good, thankyou open eyes.

[Rose76]

Open Eyes, I am so glad that you are discovering for yourself resources to aid you in recovery. The health care professionals make a contribution to our wellness, but they absolutely will not give us everything we need, not even all the information that we need. That is just how it is and, partly, that is because they just don't have the time. Also, there aren't two professionals who see everything the same way. Ultimately, we must gather information, decide what to believe, and decide what is important to keep in mind. To recover, one must be ever so pro-active on one's own behalf.

[Open Eyes]

Thanks Rose, I do feel your right, I am trying to understand it and get information where ever I can. Anytime I find something new, not old but new or something explaining what is going on in my brain I find it very helpful. My husband doesn't think I should be searching for answers so much, in fact he told me that this morning. And that just frustrates me because I honestly struggle with it, I truely have a bad case and I am trying very hard to understand why I struggle so much. It is sooooo frustrating, I just want to know what is going on in my brain, because I feel so helpless sometimes and I get so angry that I can't just push it away or get over it or all the other suggestions that are implied by people who give advice and truely do not understand how hard it really is.

I have a lot on my plate with trying to figure out how I am going to get through the winter, I have never been this broke before. And it truely aggrivates the PTSD symptoms and I have bad thoughts because I can't seem to be my old self.

I hate to say it but when I ask for help I get a bad response and it just reminds me of all the times I asked for help and no one understood that I was serious. And then all the times where I didn't ask for help because I figured it would just disrupt others around me and create even more issues and damage, well, I have to say, that is exactly where I am.
I am totally frustrated. I am trying to tell people around me that I am getting worse, no one is listening, no one gets it.

If I didn't have people here that understand how painful it can be and the emotional/psychological struggle, I don't know what I would do.
Open Eyes

[Susan Quinn]

I just read Sound Mind, Sound Sleep: 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night by Barry Krakow, M.D. In it was a reference to a workbook called Turning Nightmares into Dreams through Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. Go to turningnightmaresintodreams.com and sleepdynamictherapy.com for more information.

Has anyone read Dr. Stephen Joseph's book What Doesn't Kill Us, which is about resiliency and PTSD? Susan Quinn

[Susan Quinn]

Originally Posted by Susan Quinn

I just read Sound Mind, Sound Sleep: 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night by Barry Krakow, M.D. In it was a reference to a workbook called Turning Nightmares into Dreams through Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. Go to turningnightmaresintodreams.com and sleepdynamictherapy.com for more information.

Has anyone read Dr. Stephen Joseph's book What Doesn't Kill Us, which is about resiliency and PTSD? Susan Quinn

Opps! Need to edit: Go to nightmaretreatment.com to find the workbook reference Turning Nightmares Into Dreams. SQ

[DelusionsDaily]

Thanks open eyes. I came to this forum looking for info and saw this thread. I just found out that I suffer from PTSD. I know in a vague way what it is but I wanted more info. It shook me up when my T told me she believes I suffer from PTSD today. Still process in that and figured a good way to do that was to become more informed.

[Open Eyes]

Your welcome Mellissa, and thank you Susan, I will have to check into that link and also think about that book.

Open Eyes

[Rose76]

I listened with interest to the video of Dr. Oshburg on the site you reference.

[Open Eyes]

Yes Rose, I like his demeanor and the fact that he feels that there are ways to find help and heal.

[Susan Quinn]

"I hate to say it but when I ask for help I get a bad response and it just reminds me of all the times I asked for help and no one understood that I was serious. And then all the times where I didn't ask for help because I figured it would just disrupt others around me and create even more issues and damage, well, I have to say, that is exactly where I am.
I am totally frustrated. I am trying to tell people around me that I am getting worse, no one is listening, no one gets it.

If I didn't have people here that understand how painful it can be and the emotional/psychological struggle, I don't know what I would do.
Open Eyes"

When I grew up, our dysfunctional family did not communicate effectively; thus, we earned the title of dysfunctional. I married and repeated the pattern until I got into therapy where I learned to use I-statements:

"When you do __________, I feel ________." (stop there if the feeling is positive; this validates the actions of another in a positive reinforcement. Continue if you are having a negative feeling by saying) "I would like you to do __________instead."

Powerful way to own your needs out loud, negotiate the fairness of such a request, and then get on with your life by not giving your power away resentfully. Instead you will be sharing your power with someone who is worthy of your respect and wants to build a healthy, trusting relationship. Should you need "prompts" in how to do this, there is a game called Emotional Bingo which guides to various feelings with a deck of cards (about $40 online).

Another excellent and inexpensive board game is called Ungame. Comes with some general get-to-know-ya' cards. I've been with my husband almost 50 years and we learned some new things about each other, and also reflected on many sweet things we already knew. You can add additional "pocket" cards for Families, Kids, Couples, Teens, etc. The board game is only $8 or so and the added pocket cards are less than that through Amazon. It's a totally non-competitive game, which is a nice change, for those of us who have had to compete for emotional crumbs in struggling families who didn't know how to thrive. Many of our family members got this game for Christmas this year. May you find N-Joy-ment in the journey! Susan Quinn