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Complex PTSD

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Lynz, Nov 26, 2017.

  1. Lynz

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    Hi.

    Not been on for, well ages, due to head being up my ass.

    For those who dont know me - 35yo lesbian. Married to my awesome wife since Oct 2015. Good job. Nice house. But disowned by my whole family at 14yo for being gay. Depression and panic attacks. Major rollercoaster of oks and massive downs. Amongst other things. Diagnosed PTSD earlier this year at psych counselling.

    Last week, my diagnosis was changed to Complex-PTSD. They gave me lots of info, but I cant really get my head round it.

    Anyone know anything about it please?

    Thankssssss
     
  2. silverhalo

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    Hey it's understandable that sometimes you don't feel as though you can come on, no worries.

    I'm not sure I know or can be much help regarding your diagnosis but I wonder how them changing your diagnosis felt, was it a shock, did you think it was a good thing or perhaps it had a negative impact?
     
  3. Lynz

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    Thanks Em

    Getting diagnosed PTSD really helped, but the adding of the complex didnt do anything other than complicate it. I think they have done it because no amount of counselling is bringing out the traumatic memories. No amount of counselling is making the panic lessen enough. So they have done it to prepare me for more in depth stuff. I dunno. I start C.A.T. mapping on my next appt. No idea whit that is either lol. Back to the jumbled feeling in my mind just now.
     
  4. Lynz

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    He did say that he wants to find different ways to treat me than CBT, because my cognitive functions are all there, like my intelligence I think he means. After everything, I still got As and Bs at school, an honours degree and a good job. My emotions and ability to calm or control or focus them is not. So maybe the CAT is more into that. Dunnooooo
     
  5. silverhalo

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    Well I think that you should see it as a positive thing. Nobody wants to be diagnosed with anything but if you have symptoms then getting the right diagnosis is a massive step towards making things better.
    The things he has been trying with you so far have obviously not been able to unlock and deal with the bits that need to be unlocked and dealt with so this new diagnosis brings with it a new angle to try and unlock those things with and I think that long term that can only be a good thing. Sure you didn't want PTSD and if you were going to get it then you certainly wouldn't have asked for the complex variety but if that's what you have then getting the right diagnosis will hopefully lead to the best kind of therapy and treatment. I'm sure there are still plenty of tough sessions ahead but hopefully he can try to new things and get you moving in the right direction.
     
  6. silverhalo

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    It's probably like there are a million switches in your brain and you have to find the right combination of them to get the desired result.
     
  7. Lynz

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    Thanksssss. Will try thinking like your point of view. Good to hear it anyway.
     
  8. wickedwitch

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    Hi Lynz:

    Complex PTSD, in my non-professional understanding, is PTSD that is the result of living in a highly dysfunctional or abusive/neglectful environment for a period of time. This is in contrast to general PTSD which is often centred around specific events, like, for instance, a car accident or an assault. I have complex PTSD and I know a few others who do too; you can get better!

    I have never heard of CAT or CAT mapping til now (I just looked it up). It looks promising but I can't tell you anything about it, sorry.

    I'm familiar with CBT which is a method of reviewing your thinking to discover the negative thoughts that tend to feed depression and anxiety. In my experience, CBT works very well, so if you find the CAT not helpful CBT might be Plan B so to speak.

    If you want more info on CBT write again, but I'd encourage you to go with what your counselor's got planned at the moment.
     
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  9. Cinnamon Bunny

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  10. Lynz

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    Oh god Wicked, really? SO GLAD not to be the only one. I would LOVE to hear about anything you have done with CBT. I'm in a total detached bubble just now. Trying to untangle. Really would like to talk.

    Thanksssss
     
  11. Lynz

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    THANK YOU Cinnamon! Outofthestorm looks brill. Going to go chat on there for a bit. Thanks so much
     
  12. wickedwitch

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    Hi Lynz:

    I'll go over what I know, but ***I really hope that you will pay close attention to what your therapist is suggesting*** as I don't wish to confuse or get in the way of what's going on there. He has a better view than anyone, I think, of what might be most helpful to you at this time. Like I said, maybe this stuff is Plan B, with Plan A being your therapist's suggestions.

    **************************************************************************************************************************************************************

    I decided to write this out in an outline, as today I'm the one having a scattered day and this is as much to organize my own head as anything.

    This is how I view the components of my mental health treatment, from my own experience. (I jokingly refer to this as my "Degree in Applied Psychology from the School of Hard Knocks") :relaxed:

    1. Emotional support
    - therapist/counselor
    - support groups
    - friends/family

    2. Medication, when appropriate
    - mental health professional or doctor

    3. Coping skills
    A. Interpersonal skills
    - detaching from others' behaviour
    - setting/enforcing boundaries
    - other skills as needed
    B. Skills for depression/anxiety
    - CBT
    - supportive lifestyle: food/sleep/exercise/faith/structure/creative pursuits/fun/no drugs or alcohol
    C. Skills for coping with memories (memory work should only be done with a qualified therapist)
    - CBT
    - skills outlined in the "The Courage to Heal" - a good resource regardless of the type of memories involved
    - emotional release work

    ************************************************************************************************************************************

    So my recovery involved the above things. It sounds like a lot and at times it was (and occasionally still is) but it really was/is about small efforts over time and building these things into one's daily life slowly but surely. Nothing happened overnight; and my mantra is "No Perfection!" As well, some things work better for some people than others and you may have do things on a trial and error basis to find that out. Cinnamon Bunny has outlined some other things that might be helpful as well.

    CBT is a practice of looking at your thoughts and assessing whether they are realistic or not. My own experience was that I had no idea just how perpetually negatively I was thinking and this was continuing to fuel my depression even though I was doing other things to combat it. CBT is usually taught in groups led by a therapist or counselor but there are books that you can learn it from too. One book I really like is called "This Book Will Make You Happy" and it outlines the things that can help combat depression and has good amount of CBT exercises to learn from. It's quite a small book which can feel a lot more manageable than a large text when you're feeling scattered or otherwise overwhelmed.

    I hope something here is helpful and that you can find some relief from your symptoms soon. Hugs.
     
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  13. Lynz

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    Thank u so much! Brilliant info. So structured. Saving and noting all of it.

    I've done a tonne of CBT in the last 11 months. Mostly about negative thinking - turning it all round, examining it, replacing thoughts with realistic positives. I think I'm getting better at it.

    It's just the reason for all of it. I cant unblock the memories to process any of it. It's got me totally stuck and totally terrified, so I can't seem to move forward any more than where I have got to now. Does that make sense to you? Like you said "scattered" - that's so me too! But all your explanations and descriptions really helped. I really thought I was the only person in the world like this lol.

    Outofthestorm web link that Cinnamon gave is SO GOOD. Support forum.

    I really need to force myself to come on here more.

    Hugssss back
     
  14. wickedwitch

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    That makes total sense to me. I think it's important to remember when working with memories that you don't have to actually remember anything (get any visuals, know what happened, etc.), but you do have to process the emotions. Basically what PTSD is, is one part of your brain, the "survival" part, during an intense situation, took over control from the "feelings" part of your brain, in an effort to deal with whatever it found threatening. So PTSD "memories" are an attempt by your brain to now process the feelings from that event by "re-living" it but unfortunately our brains can't distinguish between a threat that is remembered and a threat that is presently occurring (a real one), and so your "survival" brain gets triggered into action again, and again shuts down the feelings processing. So learning to self-soothe when you're triggered and learning to let go of the emotions involved are key, or at least they were for me.

    There's a book called "Too Scared to Cry" (it's about PTSD) and the title pretty much sums up what PTSD is. Just a warning: that book can be a very difficult read.

    I did a lot of emotional release work that helped. The technique used was something pioneered in Canada which used shiatsu in part. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called - if I remember I'll let you know. I also had EMDR which I believe helped me but it was very subtle so it was hard to tell for sure. I basically tried anything and everything that anyone suggested might be helpful.

    I found another website that might be useful (I just found this today):

    https://www.myptsd.com/c/


    So you are so not alone with this. There are many, many people who live with this and things can definitely get better - I'm living proof of that.

    Hugs.
     
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  15. Lynz

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    THANK YOU. You are awesome :slight_smile:
     
  16. Lynz

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    Oh wow that forum is BRILLIANT.

    I really cant thank u enough. THANK UUUUUUUUUU
     
  17. Lynz

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    Hiii Wicked.

    Wondering if i can pick your awesome brains again please?

    Just out counselling today. Another addition - dissociation. Then he kept saying "D.I.D". He started explaining but my listening shut down and went into "block it" mode. Do you know anything about it please please please?

    Thanks so much
    Hugss
     
  18. Lynz

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    Sorry meant to add - he said iv not to pay attention to the split personality stigma, I dont have that, I just have the dissociation. He said it all after I said my mind's in a bubble too much.

    Getting a bit annoyed with all the diagnosing. Waaaaaa
     
  19. wickedwitch

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    Hi Lynz:

    Yes, I can answer that question but give me a up to a few days as I'm dealing with something on my own plate right now and I have to think about that for a bit.

    In the meantime I posted a blog with something that might interest you:

    https://forum.emptyclosets.com/inde...overy-protocol-dr-clarissa-pinkola-estes.107/

    Hope this is helpful. Hugs.
     
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  20. DreamSky83

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    Hello and I can relate with you on some levels. I suffer with PTSD but for different reasons that was beyond my control. My family is accepting of me, however my stepfather isn't and has a hard time accepting me for who I am as a person. PTSD is a struggle but you can get better and you will be able to heal overtime. It just takes a lot of effort and patience. For many years I beat myself up and my life fell apart because I lost many friends due to triggers, anixety attacks and nightmares. Do I regret meeting those people? No, I don't. I was upset that they stopped but I know there's a lot of things that I have no control over. I also suffer with Complex PTSD and I have many books that have helped me over the years and my therapist is extreme helpful. :slight_smile:

    I just wanted to let you know that I also suffer from it and you're not alone in the struggle.
     
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