Coming to grips with this Disorder

[braddels]

Hi I am new to this forum.  I am 39 yr old Male who has finally been diagnosed with complex PTSD relating to his service in the Royal Australian NAvy during the post 1991 Gulf War.

[teko]

Hi! I too want to thank all who have served. I just wanted to say, I do not think I have ever met anyone who did not have mental illness at one time or another in their lifetime, have you? We can share based on what our experiences have been but I am leary of playing doctor and advising you that way. You can also find multitudes of articles on the subject if you choose to, so I will just say, the only thing I have to offer you is a shoulder and an ear and a prayr. I am here if you need to talk.

[AnnaE]

Kat has brought up an excellentpoint about hospitals. Be on guard until you know the therapist is sincere. I hope it is a fantastically healing place for you. Also, be on guard everywhere.

Happily, I once found great help from a single sentence from a person with a similar experience. She described how mentally ill my surgeon is. I knew then, that my reaction to him was normal.

There are good shrinks and bad ones, just like there are good and bad doctors. But don't give up.

[katarina777]

JKJ: 'The hospital is definitely a safe place to let it all out.'
I hope, braddels, that this will be a place, the hospital, that will help you, as I do not agree that all hospitals are a safe place to let it out at all.  I have never been to a place specifically for PTSD.
But when I was last hospitalized on a general psychiatric unit I was not even allowed to 'talk about it'. Someone said that they are aware that I had a bad experience, and I immediately started on how terrible...... I should mention that I am hardly a negative person and I think it was perhaps the first time in my life I really blurted this out. When I later looked at my charts, it said I had 'borderline features', and I swear it was because of that incident. I merely was not allowed to talk about 'it', and I think the reason was that this involved a hospital and an MD, and so the subject was 'off limits'.

Anyway, this is my first time here on this forum as well. For me, the PTSD, and I would also say it was complex, with more acute PTSD on top of it, it did get better over the years. (First it got worse from betrayal) The intervals are shorter and I get over them faster.

But what i really wanted to say in terms of saying something helpful is, that I found most of the real help I needed in the very last places, and from the very last people I expected to get it from. So, be open to that idea. I think I can say that I got more help from non-professionals than from shrinks.

So much for now.

PS: Unfortunately, visualization and distraction, and that stuff didn't work for me at all, because, and I don't knoiw if you agree, the purpose for the self abuse is to 'feel' when you feel nothing, or to feel better when you feel horrible. The purpose is not to hurt yourself?

[AnnaE]

We are all grateful for your service.I am greatly sadden to learn of your difficulty.

PTSD cannot be overcome through time, mind control, etc. Therapy, sometimes combined with medication, is essential. Also, the more genuine, long term support that one has, also increases therapeutic benefits. Exercise and nutrition are also therapeutic, as are relaxation exercises, journaling, and reading literature by/about other survivors' healing. Group therapy can be an excellent support to individual therapy, so that we can witness the healing of others and know that we are normal and that we have had normal reactions to horrific experiences.

[margypops]

Please also know that the forum is for everyones story and experience , whether you get therapy or not it is and has been invaluable to me to be able to give in -put to others and recieve it back,do not be intimidated in putting your feelings on this Forum.

[margypops]

Have they put you on Meds for your depression, I think that the 3 week inpatient course will help you cope,when you get so low you feel like harming your self, (this is going to sound too simple, but worth trying) distract your self even if you dont feel like it, make yourself do a job or take a walk or simply pick up the phone an speak to someone, come on Med Help, the internet ,anything, ground your thoughts, it is ,most time our thoughts that make us feel worse.I have found that visualisation is a help and when I have felt bad I have thought of something beautiful or interesting, a sandy beach an ocean, sailing in a big Yacht. I have had PSTD a couple of times in my adult life but I have to tell you I do believe there is a way to accept it and live with it,and in my case seem to have got rid of it.. Good Luck and chat to you soon