Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

For the next few weeks I would like to give you steps I believe will help you to recover from PTSD. I do think that recovery is not always easy and quick. Some of it takes time and a lot of effort on your part. Let's start by talking about what PTSD is. PTSD has around for a very long time. It has been called many things over the years. As early as World War I there is mention of "shell shock", men waking in the night screaming, jumping out of bed and wondering where they are, to realize they are reliving the battle the fought days or years before. In World War II the term was upgraded to "combat fatigue". Now we are calling the same thing PTSD. Are we just talking about a person that wakes one night with a nightmare? Not at all or everyone would have PTSD it is more severe than that. According to the Mayo Clinic article I read it said "PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks,
nightmares and sever anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thought about the event." This does not only happen to war veterans it is also true in cases of abuse, or any terrifying event. The event does not stop playing in the mind even when trying to sleep. You feel like you are right there in that moment over and over again. I have discussed with our son who has been deployed four times about the waking in the night with night tare to his surprise I have the same thing from the abuse. As I have struggled to get better I have almost come out of my bed screaming with fear. I was sure I was in that situation at that moment. It would take my husband a good while to reassure me I was not. It is not a peaceful way to live. PTSD is awful to live with however you got it. Join me for the next couple of months to see if we can work through this together. You are not alone. I want to leave you with the first step to think about this week as you go about your life.
The first step is admitting you have a problem. If you keep telling yourself there is nothing wrong with you than you will not get the help needed. Take the first step to recovery and CONFESS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. At first you might want to admit it quietly to yourself for a few days. That is a great start. Come next week and take that second step with me. I'll talk to you later.