Is this a symptom of PTSD

I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD last year.
While in session yesterday, my T was asking me stuff and I felt as if I drifted away, I could hear her but she sounded further away. When I was responding to her it seemed to take forever to get the words out, at least in my mind. I am not sure how much she noticed. At one point, I wanted to say I need you to stop, I just needed it quiet for a minute but I didn't know how to voice that to her, or how I would explain it after. My mind was having a hard time sorting through things and trying to get the words out.
It happened when I was at dinner with a friend last weekend. He was talking away and I had to go somewhere else in my mind, to focus on something else for a minute because it was too much. It was like I was overstimulated and I needed to block him out for a minute.

I was wondering if this is part of PTSD or something else because this doesn't really happen to me but I have been stressed a bit more lately.

Thanks
Hangingon

I can't answer you question about it and its connection with PTSD but I do know that you have the right to speak up for your needs. With your therapist you really don't even have to explain it. She would understand if you just told her what you needed. With your friend you could have just excused yourself and went to the bathroom?????

That's sounds familiar to me. I have PTSD too. Especially in the beginning of T I found myself disassociating or kind of leaving the present moment.

If you share that with T then T can help train you to come back. It's important information. You have to learn how to feel safe before you can do this work.

Laying a foundation of trust and safety is essential.

I'm not sure exactly what happened to you in those two situations you mentioned, but the truth is you knew you felt overwhelmed, you knew you had to retreat to a safer place, and under the circumstances, I think you handled both situations as best you could.

You may have felt triggered by something in both situations.

I remember my T in the beginning explaining something about trauma bonding and it was so threatening to me I don't think I heard or understood much of what he said. Then he recommended a book to read on the topic, and every time I picked it up I wanted to hurl it across the room.

Be as gentle and patient with your process as you can be. A good T will not push you faster than you're ready to go. The T is supposed to follow your lead, in a way, and help you be more honest about the truth of what happens to you in the moment.

No shame, no blame, no way you should or shouldn't be or feel.

I think it can be one of the symptoms of ptsd - i hadnt thought of it as disassociation till Sannah mentioned it in another thread - if things get hard in therapy I lose my words - it's like i am trying to squeeze them out of the fog in my head - I close my eyes and cut off all other input so I can get the words to come out - and the words are squeezed out one at a time like my mind doesnt want to give them up! T will then go to a safe subject or sometimes I will f i can get the words out to change the subject

I couldnt speak to stop the session so at another session I asked her if I hold up my hand can we go to a safe subject and she said yes - i've used it in EMDR and it helped - maybe if you cant speak the words a hand signal would be ok?

re-treating in your mind to find a moments peace is a protection peice I have too - I call it taking a step back - it's like i step back from what is happening and watch and operate from a distance until I can participate again -

being stressed makes all these things worse for me and far more likey to happen - then I get more anxious that they happened and they happen again - it's a viscious cycle (did I spell that right - prob not! ) so if I can get a hol of myself I will do relaxation techniques like diaphramatice breathing, listen to music that relaxes me - you are not alone - take care P7

(((hanginon)))

i dont know if it has to do with ptsd or not. But something similar happens to me. when in session with my counsler, she sometimes says something that makes me drift away. When i come back to, she's just staring at me. I usually ask what was the question or say i forgot what we were talking about. She's alright about it. A few times i've apologized and she's told me not to worry about it. This 'drift away' as i call it happens at other times too. It's happened to me a few times driving. I've gone miles not remembering one point to the other. Sometimes come out of it with people honking there horn at me cause i stopped at a green light. It's kind of scary.

Sounds like dissociation. I've done it a couple times in therapy. She'll ask me a question and my mind goes blank, then I start feeling kinda fuzzy and a million miles away. You want to tell your T so they know when they are getting too close or are getting to a very sensitive area and they need to back off a bit and take it slow.

Yes. It happens with PTSD.

Depersonalization refers to the experience of feeling detached from one's own life as thought what you are living and experiencing is a dream or movie that you are watching from the outside. It is often a reaction to trauma and can be one of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
The distinguishing characteristic of depersonalization disorder is the feeling that one is disconnected or unreal. Mind or body may be perceived as unattached, seen from a distance, existing in a dream, or mechanical.

Chronic depersonalization is commonly accompanied by "derealization," the feeling that features of the environment are illusory.

It should be noted that depersonalization as an isolated symptom may appear within the context of a wide variety of major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, panic disorders and even depression.

Read more.
http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=89088

This is disocciation. It frequently happens to me during therapy - in fact, exactly the same symptoms as you. If you tell your T what has been happening , they will be able to help you become back to the moment. There is many grounding exercises to help with this. Good luck.

It sure is. When I first started therapy I did this alot. Believe me it get better with time. Just hang in there and try to make the right choices for yourself.
I made some bad choices and it aggrevated my PTSD. Still, my previous therapy has helped.

Thank you all for your replies.
I did finally share with my T by way of email that this was happening when I was talking about tough things. She was good about it and said its' normal to have that happen.

She wants me to use a sign (lift my had ect) to let her know when things are getting too rough if I can't voice it.

Thanks again

Hi Hangingon,

I had something like this happen today in therapy. I was staring straight at my therapist while she was talking and I was struggling to follow her.

I think its ADD for me. the struggle to keep my attention on whats she is saying VS my mind drifting feeling over loaded . I have to have her repeate some times.

I have also experienced dissociation thats trauma induced by triggers.

triggeres are visual and sometimes visual with voice. They can be a voice over the phone as in breathing .

When this happens its like a wall goes up before me and the person . like a thick layer of air . Im usually in a hold position or freezing .

sometimes I have to look away.
Its just like your name.

just holding on because its all you can do. I never was able to get to the point of telling the therapist it was happening . So signaling was never adressed.

I think he asked at times what was going on and I could not tell him . Because it was sexual in nature. The holding on is getting control so I don't have to talk about it. My mind just goes blank

The signaling sounds like a good intervention . .

I have cpstd

I spook easily .. yesterday loud sounds were making my skin hurt all over



Patricia