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BoBoPeeps
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Member Since Sep 2018
Location: PA
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Default Sep 22, 2018 at 09:16 PM
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Heart View Post
Hi just wanting to know from people if their condition of C-PTSD ever ends? Have you got over it? What strategies do you use to cope/treat it?

I've had C-PTSD for several years now and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

PH
I will never tell anyone that their CPTSD will never end. Let me tell you about another thing that people often say cannot be cured from my personal experience:

I was also diagnosed with major depressive disorder as a kid and was told it was incurable. I had many depressive episodes that would last for a month or longer at a time. According to the experts, if you've had several major depressive episodes, your chances of having another episode are 90%. I am here to tell you that I have not had a depressive episode in almost 20 years. I believe that I am cured from MDD, in spite of what the experts say. I no longer hold that diagnosis. I have worked really hard and learned a lot of skills that are almost subconscious now that prevent me from having a depressive episode.

I believe the same is possible with CPTSD. If you need to believe there is an end then you go for it! Just know it will be hard work.

For me, I already had CPTSD as a kid, then had another trauma before I was officially diagnosed. The second trauma made things so much worse so I have a LOT of work ahead of me.

Continually having flashbacks really took a toll on my body and now I have adrenal fatigue - which actually reduces my ability to handle stress - so it's a vicious cycle. But I have learned some really great skills that make managing the flashbacks easier. It used to take me three days to recover from a flashback. Now it could take mere hours.

My advice to you is to try to take really good care of yourself. Make yourself the #1 priority. (Or if you have kids, differentiate between their needs and wants and pull in other responsible and safe role models who can help bridge the gap when you can't meet a need). Nurture your health because you are putting your body through a lot. Prioritize sleep but don't freak out if you have insomnia. If you can sustain a good job, that is great because financial resources are helpful. You'll have to balance the need for a good-paying job and the need to minimize stressors.

If you have CPST due to childhood abuse or neglect, learn how to recognize an emotional flashback. They are hard to catch because we don't see and hear things like a military vet would. If you have really intense emotions that are not appropriate for the situation, chances are, you are having a flashback. I know that I am having a flashback when I have the urge to say certain phrases that got me out of the abuse or that are very negative (cause I'm usually really positive). If I am having suicidal thoughts or hopelessness over something that a "normal" person would merely find annoying, then it's probably a flashback. It might be different for you. Also learn to recognize when you are disassociating. This is trickier for me because it's so subtle.

Get yourself a book on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. There are tons of tools from DBT that will help you pull yourself out of a flashback. Learn what works best for you. These tools are also super important because therapy can be really stressful and these tools will help you.

Get the book by Pete Walker about CPTSD.

Learn how to help yourself feel safe and grounded. (Easier said than done, at first!) It was hard for me at first to even be able to understand what being safe felt like. So if you have to start with thinking of it as something else, like feeling calm-ish, that is a start. I LOVE diffusing or sniffing essential oils, especially woodsy ones like frankincense or balsamn fir! Just be cautious if you are on medication. Some EO's can interact with EO's but using EO's aromatically is the simplest and safest method. I also like to wrap myself tightly in a blanket like a burrito if things get bad.

Practicing mindfulness has been super helpful. The book the "Power of Now" is a good resource for that.

Learn about boundaries. I've learned that as I develop better boundaries, I am less triggered by what other people say and do.

EMDR did not work for me. I think it is a good treatment if the therapist does it right and builds a trusting rapport first. My attempts at EMDR failed because the T's tried to rush the process.

Try to find a therapist who specialize in CPTSD. I could not find one in person, but I started talking to one online. I have another in person T that I go to for general support.

Trust your instincts about what it takes for you to heal. Be patient with and kind to yourself.

Some other tools that I have helped me:

Yoga (try to find a trauma sensitive studio - some teachers will make physical contact to adjust you, otherwise)
Tapping/EFT
Mindfulness Meditation
Being in nature
Journaling
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Good nutrition
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Thanks for this!
cptsdwhoa, KYWoman, may24, Purple Heart, RoxanneToto