Can C-PTSD and PTSD be treated as an addition?

Anyone have success using the 12-steps to treat C-PTSD or PTSD?

Anyone have success with Buddhist or non-Buddhist meditation to treat C-PTSD or PTSD?

I dont know about buddhist or non buddhist, but I do use something called mindfulness, which is similar to meditation. It does help somewhat. The trick is to do it when you don't need it and practice. Then when anxiety hits, your mind and body are already conditioned to act in a certain way when you begin a mindfulness exercise. Most often, with me anyway, my anxiety is about something that happened in the past and I am reliving it or something that might (or might not) happen in the future. Mindfulness helps to bring me into the present moment, thus away from the past and the future.

There are books you can get on this practice, some of the religious, others not.

I like using the free mindfulness exercises on youtube. Most of them just have you focus on your breath.

Hope this helps you some.

God bless you.

Thanks, MDDBPDPTSD. I have tried mindfulness and have used it. It helps somewhat but it does not stop my C-PTSD thoughts. My C-PTSD thoughts are VERY powerful, often causing me to jump out of my seat and to lose sleep. I will explore the mindfulness exercises on YouTube.

I am thinking that my recurring C-PTSD thoughts are like an addiction - something over which I have no control. I have ordered a self-help book on a gentle way of using the 12-steps. I have done a 12-step program before (CoDA) with poor results. The poor results were, in part, due to other people in the program who did not understand me. I tried to use the program agressively which may have been a mistake for my personality type. I think I need to learn more flexibility. I have no idea how to do that! I cannot be someone else. But, I guess it is always possible to learn a little. And, I do mean "a little." Since I seem to have no control over my C-PTSD thoughts, then mindfulness can only help me deal with them after they have occured. By that time, I am in their grasp. So, it is a quandry. I may try a 12-step program at my church as the people there are more spiritual. When I tried Buddhism, it did not go well as I am not a naturally upbeat or goodlooking person and no one wanted anything to do with me. I have ordered some self-help books and hope they help a little. But, I am leaning towards treating my C-PTSD as an addition. My mind is addicted to getting even with my enemies. My religion teaches me to forgive. I have prayed for help with that. So far, though, there have no been few results. Instead of getting frustrated, I am going to try to mindset that I still have more work to do.

Again, many thanks for your response. Additional comments are welcomed.

My mind is addicted to getting even with my enemies. quote unhappyguy

This is hard to control unhappyguy, you are angry and angry with good reason. I find a good way of lowering that anger is to learn about "what makes these kind of people" there is always a reason for it. People who pick on others just because they are quiet or not like them are just people who have no real "empathy, knowledge of respect for others, and are typically all about themselves" These people are often "terrified of feeling and having compassion" and it can go way back to their childhood and lack of "real nuturing"or they could have been very "spoiled" as a child, given too much and just feel entitled and don't know to have empathy because they don't know what it is to do without.

unhappyguy, it is better to stop thinking you need to "change" yourself, we can not "change our past" the only thing you can do is commit yourself to growing and also to remember that our subconsious consists of what we learn all our lives "including the negetive messages we send ourselves". unhappyguy, you have to make a decision to "care" about yourself and be "your own best friend". You need to give yourself permission to enjoy some of your life and that is not all about "working" either. It is about continuing to grow and find things that you like to do and learn about.

My parents are in their late 80's now and I am middle aged and I think to myself, wow it does go by fast so I better find ways to enjoy life instead of finding ways to think of it as so awful. So don't think about trying to "change" yourself, just let yourself "grow" and really say, "thats ok" with whatever you didn't do exc.

I am working on that myself unhappyguy, I don't always get it, but I am finding that with my efforts to just learn and allow myself to "grow" some, it helps to ease the symptoms of PTSD. I still get triggered even here at PC but I made a decision to grow from whatever I experience and as I mentioned in another thread, its "ok".

My husband does AA and has told me that some people go just for the company and positive thoughts and are not alcoholics. And I understand how it works because if focuses on being OK and not constantly stressing. And, ofcourse taking it one day at a time. That is my own motto now, I think it is a good one for me so that I don't look too far ahead where I might end up getting "stressed". I really try to just say to myself, I am just going to keep "finding myself" and give myself permission to take time. I try not to say I am lost all the time, I try to present some positives for myself. I still have difficult days, but I keep self caring and being patient. I have recognized that I have PTSD, it is real and a challenge and not
"my" fault. I just give myself room to heal now.

(((Hugs)))

You know I've used some mindfulness techniques to help my C-PTSD issues, specifically the anxiety issues. I found some good techniques in a little book called: Mindfulness to Go: How to Meditate While You're On the Move I liked it because it didn't require you to sit on a pillow with your legs crossed trying to concentrate. I found it helped me quite a bit to learn some new simple techniques.