[kittycat97]

Can you recover on your own or do you really need to see a therapist? Pls share any methods that work for you.

[AngelWolf3]

I am seeing a therapist now, I did try to work things out on my own for about 5 years. I thought I had work through it , however in my case I was wrong. I must admit, my method was to ignore it and it worked for a while, but things are so not good right now that I had to get a therapist. everybody's different, maybe somebody has a better experience than I did about self help. I did read a couple books however since I like to read so that kind of helped a little. sorry I rambled, I tend to do that. I hope this made sense.

[Alishia88]

I think you do need a therapist´s support to fully work it out.
However, I also think that you can help yourself by reading and being informed about trauma what happens etc also learning relaxation techniques
and meditation, maybe writing about it, if you can, or draw or paint.
Might speed things up.

[(JD)]

If you have received the diagnosis then you will need help to find the best life for yourself. With that said there is a good resource called The PTSD Sourcebook that can help you realize aspects about this that normally a T would help you with.

[kittycat97]

Is it helpful to get a diagnosis? And how do you get one?

[Divad]

I went thru a very stressful situation. Lots of worry and stress. Now a month has past and I just do not sleep well. Most nights 4-5 max no matter how tired.

[Crew]

I truly think you really need outside of yourself Help from a therapist.
The reason I feel so strongly about this is because, someone outside of you that is safe, can pick up all the things your stressed out with and with PTSD you really need someone to help you through. Doing it alone I feel is just way too hard. So my answer is get someone to help you through PTSD. and get you some help from your peers.

Great Question btw, in healing...... Crew

[Kate King]

Crew,

Thanks for your post. As someone drudging through this process, I couldn't agree more with what you said. Spot on.

KittyCat,
Before therapy I was numb to my past and didn't even realize how damaged I was. I knew I was scared, but I had no idea why. I guess what I am trying to say is that in therapy, it might get "seemingly" worse before it gets better. I am not "better" yet, in fact, I feel completely unraveled, but therapists know how and when to take steps toward healing. You are always safe there, even if it feels mucky. Thanks for sharing how you feel and for asking for advice.

[tinyrabbit]

Medication didn't work. Trying to figure it out myself didn't work.

Letting the feelings out in therapy seems to be working, s l o w l y. It's getting worse before it gets better, but I do think it will get better.

[skeksi]

I would be miserable without therapy. But lots of other things have helped me in addition to the therapy....meditation, working a good job, finding an athletic hobby, artistic expression...but all of those things are possible because of the therapy.

[archipelago]

Self-help and more clinically oriented information can really help. When I was first diagnosed, I wasn't able to afford proper therapy and was also somewhat resistant to it. Now I feel it is vital, but I do a lot on my own and have for decades to work this through. You have to be an active participant in order to get results from self-help or therapy.

The best book that helped me really understand was Judith Herman's classic on trauma and recovery. She show there that many people were diagnosed with other disorders when complex PTSD is really what is the central concern. She lists all the symptoms or problems so you can just check them off and see if it fits you.

Then she provides not only great explanations of what it is like while suffering through, but a guideline for a recovery process. I stand by this book even though my therapists haven't read it. And as someone interested in treating trauma as a therapist myself, I believe it provides more insight for people looking to work on themselves and find comfort in the many stories and descriptions that are provided in the book