How to begin to Heal from PTSD

[Amphitrite]

Ptsd is not a mental illness, it is a clinical term used for a maryiad of symptoms someone experiences related to a traumatic event and/or experience.
And trauma is defines as any experienec that is too overwhelming for someone to cope with mentally, emotionally or psychologically.

PTSD is a very real and devestating experience. It can devstate a persons life and leave the quality of life so low that someone may opt for suicide and begin to be unable to leave their home or see friends or relatives.

There is no majic cure for PTSD. And the treatment for PTSD is ectreamly important.

To treat PTSD and begin to heal you need to have a good therapist, counselor, psychologist many times paired with a goos psychiatrist.
One cannot overcome PTSD on their own or through the love of family and friends alone. Think of it this way. If the experience was so tramautic that one could not cope with it then healing from it will not only take time but help from professionals who know how to help and teach someone how to cope.

It's important to het into therapy as soon as possible. It;s also important to join a support group especially for PTSD sufferers. And while online support groups are great you need to also find a face to face support group where you can see the people and meet them and hopefully make some new friends to add to your support foundation.

Books and other alternative ways to treat PTSD will not work alone and should only be added to professional therapy. Not relied on as a treatment within itself.
It's difficult for those that don't have PTSD to understand how devestating it's effects can be on life, socially and in all other aspects. It can effect marriages, jobs, friends, family...and how you feel and see yourself.

It's important top learn all of your triggers so that you can avoid them as best as you can or to be prepared in the case that you are triggered accidently.
If flashbakcs are severe pr even mild it's important to see those professionals to help you lean how to cope and work through them. Many times a medication such as an anti0amnxiety is needed or used. And deoending on the person other medications may be beneficial also.

I can't stress enough how important it is to seek professional help for PTSD. No one person can cope alone or without the coping skills and/or medications or taught meditations. No one person can heal from a book alone or heal from having friendhsip alone.
PTSD is serious and needs professional intervention as many times things are buried beneith the surface that you need to be in a safe space to talk about and look at.

While I think having an unoficial support group online such as this and using books as a way to learn more about others journeys, they cannot replace professional help and a PTSD group support system in which you have a phsyical place to go to meet others that aren't faceless and nameless.

I have almost every book on healing from child abuse and PTSD. And I have many freinds who are a great support to me over the internet. But when it comes to truely taking steps to healing, one cannot do it without professional help because we need the safe space. We need the face to face contact, we need to learn coping skills that are not provided in books and many times we need medications to support us while we work through our trauma.
I can't stress enough how important face to face professional help is when it comes to getting treatment for PTSD.

As as I said Books are great, online support groups are geat. But they cannot be used alone as solitary tools to overcome PTSD and trauma. We need more toold in our boxes to be able to use than any book or online group can provide us alone.

The toucghest thing about PTSD is when you get a break..when you feel your doing better and you haven't had professional help and you think you've overcome the trama. And then a trigger comes from no where and you realize you were only avoiding what was going on internally and not truely working on it or through it.

There are many other things one can do besides those things mentioed above. You can use something cakked exposure therapy where your taught to overcome the fears you hold. But it must be done professionally.
There are many unconvientional treatments, but they are all done by professionals who know how to treat trauma/PTSD.

It's important that we don't not rely on books and the internet alone.
I myself go to psychoanalysis, use medication support, have friendship support, read books and use spiritual measures which I won't mention in order not to start an argument on what's possible religiously/spiritually as that's a personal thing.

But those of us who have lived through trauma and have developed PTSD need to get into see a professional so we can learn how to cope better and put more tools in our box to cope. And so we can get back our lives. A book alone I promise you will not do it. It may put off the PTSD and trauma for a but. But you cannot truely heal without being able to find a safe place with a professional who specializes in helping to heal trama and PTSD.

Please anyone looking to heal, use books as an extra help while your getting professional help. Please don't use them as your sole tool to heal. PTSD is very serious just as the trauma that caused ut. And beneith that PTSD lies that trauma and all those feelings and fears that go along with it.
We have to make sure we have a safe place to go to see someone face to face who can help us. And use those books as an extra tool.

I wish everyone well and to find their strength and inner empowerment to take those first steps to begin the healing process. They're never easy and neither is the process of healing. But we have more strenth than we think. We have already persevered. We just need to keep going and not stop here. You deserve to heal all the way, not just part way. And to really and truelly heal.

Amph

[thirdeye33]

This is a great post! I like that it began w/ PTSD is NOT a mental illness. I was in a car wreck almost a year ago and trying to heal from a back/neck injury, but even though it was mentioned by every doc I've seen(ptsd, mild tbi, post concussion) I never accept it. I am slowly. But, I guess I related that word ptsd, in some messed up way to being defensive and "there is nothing wrong with me!" well, that mentality has only slowed my healing. Thankful for this post. If there are any PTSD sufferers who can relate and wanna talk, friend me.....I think having a common ground, even if it's a stranger helps. My friends who don't have ptsd, don't understand.

[TinyMite1]

This has helped me alot because no one understands me. They say they will help me and willing to work withme matter how long it takes. Then they get fed up and throw it all in my face. Then they can sleep at night but not me cause I'm always thinking

[alaskanangel]

Try Jesus...he is a mighty counselor, and he's really helping me, and he can also lead you to wonderful counselors!  I will also help you.

[margypops]

wanted to let you know that the member you addressed this to doesnt seem to be around anymore ,this is an old thread , maybe others can help you ,

[about2die]

I'm sure you'e right about getting professional help, but what do you recommend for those who can't afford it?  Therapists'counselors in my area charge at least $100/hr.

[margypops]

This is an old thread being brought back again you may get some response,

[Wants2SeeClearly_09]

wow that is an informative post and thanks. I will say from not getting treatment an really facing multiple traumatic situations in my own life, this post is really helpful because it is true, once you are diagnosed and such, please get some treatment. I am 28 and am just now working on alot, but it has taken its toll to where the PTSD is really bad, and I am regretful I didnt get help sooner. I am doing baby steps and dealing with it finally but I just hope I one day can be healed.

[JKJ]

Thank-you for your wonderful post.  

[teko]

scotty, that is so sad. Help is available in many forms, surely there is help for you?

[drifter0213]

i am permanently damaged- scotty