Just wondering how many other Vibe Tribe have been diagnosed with PTSD. No need to state the reason, just how did you cope?
PTSD...just got the diagnosis...anyone else and how did it affect you?
Started by
jimbo02816
, Jun 27 2012 12:13 PM
21 replies to this topic
#2
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- VibeTribe
- 12,928 posts
Posted 27 June 2012 - 12:41 PM
I have not, but want to send you much love and light as you process what must be a very heavy piece of news.
All I can offer is that any diagnosis of this sort doesn't make you any less of a person, and that in my experience with a different dis-ease, if you allow it and are willing to put in the work, knowing what's going on is the "You Are Here" point on the map to a happier life.
All I can offer is that any diagnosis of this sort doesn't make you any less of a person, and that in my experience with a different dis-ease, if you allow it and are willing to put in the work, knowing what's going on is the "You Are Here" point on the map to a happier life.
#3
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- VibeTribe
- 5,211 posts
- Locationjust outside the box
Posted 27 June 2012 - 12:49 PM
There are a million ways of doing a million things for yourself. But i have found that support groups, esp online, offer a lot of enlightenment whether you actively participate, or just read up in privacy
Best of luck with your revovery
http://www.facebook....ransptsdproject
Best of luck with your revovery
http://www.facebook....ransptsdproject
#4
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- VibeTribe
- 501 posts
- LocationRhode Island
Posted 27 June 2012 - 09:38 PM
I've been searching for over 40 years to find a reason for my ailments and it took a good psychologist to ask the right questions. I was abused emotionally and physically as a child (not sexual, forced into sports with all the drama, guilt trips, etc). Hoping for the best and waiting for Vibes!
#5
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- VibeTribe
- 8,831 posts
Posted 27 June 2012 - 10:38 PM
I dont have ptsd but i am diagnosed with several mental illnesses ranging from anxiety to bipolar to things i cant discuss here.
The one thing that is most important to me is my friends. Dont be afraid to lean on your friends.
Having a cat or dog can be a big help. I adopted an 8 year old cat 9 years ago and she has been a big help.
Also dont be afraid of medications. I was worried that i would lose my wit and personality but i didnt.
Good luck
The one thing that is most important to me is my friends. Dont be afraid to lean on your friends.
Having a cat or dog can be a big help. I adopted an 8 year old cat 9 years ago and she has been a big help.
Also dont be afraid of medications. I was worried that i would lose my wit and personality but i didnt.
Good luck
#8
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- VibeTribe
- 8,782 posts
Posted 28 June 2012 - 12:18 AM
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that was developed by Francine Shapiro[1][non-primary source needed][2][non-primary source needed][3][4] to resolve the development of trauma-related disorders caused by exposure to distressing, traumatising, or negative life events, such as rape or military combat. According to Shapiro's theory,[1][3][4]when a traumatic or distressing experience occurs, it may overwhelm usual cognitive and neurological coping mechanisms. The memory and associated stimuli of the event are inadequately processed, and are dysfunctionally stored in an isolated memory network. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process these distressing memories, reducing their lingering influence and allowing clients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms.
Although some clinicians may use EMDR for other problems, its research support is primarily for disorders stemming from distressing life experiences,[5][non-primary source needed] such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)[6][7]. However, although EMDR is considered an efficacious treatment for PTSD,[6][8][7][9][10] EMDR therapy remains somewhat controversial due to questions about its methods and theoretical foundations.[11][12][13][14][15]
http://en.wikipedia....nd_reprocessing
i only know what i have been told, no first hand experience
#10
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- VibeTribe
- 1,580 posts
- LocationHazlet, NJ
Posted 28 June 2012 - 01:14 AM
I have studied on PTSD through all my schooling and research as a psychology major.. And anything I know is from a book... For 12 years, I have worked with teenagers with mental illness... The best thing I can think of to help out is to find others with PTSD .. Not necessarily like an A.A kind of group... But search out some message boards and get straight advice from others with PTSD .. Someone , like me, or other psychologists have never personally experienced what you are going through... It's not something I feel I could help someone with from what I learned in a book.... Part of my job where I work, is a school substance abuse counselor... I have an extensive family and personal history of addiction and recovery.. So that's where I use personal experience over a text book.......
And like Ryan said... Never be afraid to open up to friends... Even here.. Good luck!
And like Ryan said... Never be afraid to open up to friends... Even here.. Good luck!
#11
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- VibeTribe
- 501 posts
- LocationRhode Island
Posted 28 June 2012 - 12:16 PM
Thank you so much everyone for your advice and support. This is an ongoing process..I'm a teacher and have been out of work since April due to chronic Lyme disease and babesia. My doctor said she wasn't convinced that these were causing my ongoing depression and anxiety. My childhood was HORRIBLE, being forced by my dad to swim. My mom was no help just telling me "keep your father happy". As a nine-year old, he put a "bubble" over the swimming pool behind my house so I could swim in the winter. The event that started it I believe was in January 1969, he wakes me up at 5 am to swim.(remember, I'm in 4th grade). I reluctantly change into my swimwear and walk outside into the bubble around the pool. I then began to practice, father standing there with clipboard and stopwatch in hand. I had a breakdown, started crying and telling my dad I didn't want to do this. Without speaking a word, he threw his clipboard down and walked out leaving me there alone in the pool. Because I loved him so much, I ran out into the freezing January air and into the house to tell him I would do it. He walked back, picked up his clipboard and I started practicing again. This is what a sick fuck my father is and I hate him to this day. This is certainly not an isolated incident but it is the first I remember and I still have nightmares about it. Thanks for letting me unload.
#12
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- VibeTribe
- 25 posts
Posted 28 June 2012 - 12:26 PM
The most constructive things for me have been just being able to know what was going on in my head and why. The diagnosis and counseling were invaluable in helping me put things in perspective and move forward. Best wishes as you explore and dissolve your issues.
#13
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- VibeGuide
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- 15,977 posts
VibeGuide
Posted 28 June 2012 - 12:30 PM
The last counselor I consulted very much recommends http://www.tarabrach.com/ as a helpful resource.
#17
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- VibeTribe
- 1,580 posts
- LocationHazlet, NJ
Posted 28 June 2012 - 06:43 PM
hey jimbo.. the 4 days of Vibes will be a great time to unwind and relax and get some self healing done... i will make sure of it.. if you are having a moment and need to talk about it.. find me.. as i said, i may not know your experience.. but i am willing to help you through any moments you may have during Vibes weekend.
#18
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- VibeTribe
- 501 posts
- LocationRhode Island
Posted 29 June 2012 - 11:18 AM
there will beno problem at vibes...i have excellent doctors who are taking care of me. I'm not suicidal,just very angry and confused. Believe me when u see me there you will think I'm perfectly healthy. I'll have my 17 yo son guitars and a cajon (google it). thanks everyone,and please visit me in VIP. I'll make some kind of "JIMBO" sign and hang it at my site. Thanks again and i love you all for caring.
#19
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- VibeTribe
- 474 posts
Posted 29 June 2012 - 01:08 PM
I am self diagnosed with PTSD... Oct 13th, 2007 I went onto our bank account to find that the wife (now ex-wife) had emptied the savings and checking account. A rather large sum of money... Since then I have had a serious phobia of signing on to my account... There is a special place waiting for her !!
#21
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- VibeGuide
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- 42 posts
VibeGuide
Posted 20 August 2012 - 12:06 PM
http://www.npr.org/2...ople-suffer-too
August 17, 2012
Though post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with war veterans, many sufferers have yet to finish high school.
According to the National Survey of Adolescents, about 4 percent of teenage boys and 6 percent of teenage girls meet the clinical definition of PTSD.
But adolescents can be hard to diagnose.
'A Total Nightmare'
The night Stephanie Romero turned 23, she and a friend were attacked by a stranger.
"My friend went outside to have a cigarette, and there was this guy — he came out; he was harassing us," she says.
The man hit her and her friend, leaving Romero shocked.
"It was just a total nightmare," she says. "I think about it all the time. I've never gone through anything like that."
After the attack, Romero's friends and family noticed she was acting differently. She didn't go out as often. Her weight started changing. She was really depressed. Later, doctors diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I was like, PTSD? I thought it was just for veterans," Romero says. "But I found out it's not; it's for anyone who's experienced an event where you keep thinking about it and it takes over your life."
A Chemical Called Cortisol
I can relate. When I was 15, my mom was murdered. I tried everything I could to deal with my feelings, including writing songs.
But still, something was different about me. I noticed that I didn't feel like my normal self anymore, not only mentally, but physically. I was losing weight, and my hair was falling out.
Youth Radio: PTSD, Teens And The Brain
"That's a pretty clear symptom that things aren't going well," says Jamal Harris, a pediatrician at a community health center in San Francisco. Harris says he sees teens with PTSD at his clinic all the time, and that many of them have physical symptoms related to their stress.
"Some examples in teens would be problems sleeping, weight gain, and just being frustrated," Harris says.
It turns out a lot of those changes are due to hormones your body makes in response to stress. This can be a good thing. For example, if a car comes at you all of a sudden while you're crossing the street, your body produces a chemical called cortisol, which helps you react fast enough to move before the car hits you.
But for people with PTSD, such as Stephanie Romero and me, it doesn't take a speeding car to set us off.
Emotional Connections In The Brain
In a lab at Stanford University, scientists are using a technology called Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, to study the emotional reactions of patients with PTSD.
"So we know, for example, when they're faced with a reminder of their trauma, they don't activate the circuitry we normally associate with emotional regulation, the ability to be resilient in an automatic effortless fashion," says Dr. Amit Etkin, the project's lead researcher.
He says cortisol — that's the same stress hormone that causes physical changes in the body — may also be responsible for the changes in the brain.
"Over time, elevated cortisol can cause death of neurons in the brain, the kind that don't get replaced," he says.
But that doesn't mean PTSD can't be treated. Scientists know talk therapy can be helpful. Etkin wants to understand how that kind of therapy might be repairing emotional connections in the brain. And he's recruiting volunteers.
The Blink Of An Eye
Stephanie Romero is one of the research subjects participating in the study. Ten months after her attack, she's still having trouble feeling safe.
"It's always in the back of my head. Like, you just never know your life could change in the blink of an eye," she says. "One minute you could be celebrating your birthday, and the next you're in the hospital and you don't know how you ended up there.
In a room on the other side of a huge glass window, Romero lies in an fMRI machine, which looks like a big tube with a small hollow center. A monitor shows different angles of her brain.
The Impact of War
For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle
The Two-Way
Some Combat Dogs Suffer Post-Traumatic Stress, Too
National Security
Military Looks To Redefine PTSD, Without Stigma
"A lot of what we look at with emotion is focused on certain regions of the brain. One of them is the amygdala, which is really important not only for guiding your attention and focus on a threat stimulus, but also for affecting your body," he says. "But somebody with PTSD doesn't activate that circuitry well."
Etkin asks Romero several questions to help him identify which specific parts of the brain are affected by PTSD, and how she feels throughout the experiment.
"Does she feel in her body at the moment, or is she feeling, like many PTSD patients report, feeling a little out of body, or detached, or unreal?" he asks.
I can relate to that unreal feeling. It started to hit me right there in the lab. Etkin hopes by understanding how that feeling plays out inside the brain, scientists will be able to come up with more effective ways of treating this disorder, whether it's through singing, talking, neuroscience, or all of the above.
August 17, 2012
Though post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with war veterans, many sufferers have yet to finish high school.
According to the National Survey of Adolescents, about 4 percent of teenage boys and 6 percent of teenage girls meet the clinical definition of PTSD.
But adolescents can be hard to diagnose.
'A Total Nightmare'
The night Stephanie Romero turned 23, she and a friend were attacked by a stranger.
"My friend went outside to have a cigarette, and there was this guy — he came out; he was harassing us," she says.
The man hit her and her friend, leaving Romero shocked.
"It was just a total nightmare," she says. "I think about it all the time. I've never gone through anything like that."
After the attack, Romero's friends and family noticed she was acting differently. She didn't go out as often. Her weight started changing. She was really depressed. Later, doctors diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I was like, PTSD? I thought it was just for veterans," Romero says. "But I found out it's not; it's for anyone who's experienced an event where you keep thinking about it and it takes over your life."
A Chemical Called Cortisol
I can relate. When I was 15, my mom was murdered. I tried everything I could to deal with my feelings, including writing songs.
But still, something was different about me. I noticed that I didn't feel like my normal self anymore, not only mentally, but physically. I was losing weight, and my hair was falling out.
Youth Radio: PTSD, Teens And The Brain
"That's a pretty clear symptom that things aren't going well," says Jamal Harris, a pediatrician at a community health center in San Francisco. Harris says he sees teens with PTSD at his clinic all the time, and that many of them have physical symptoms related to their stress.
"Some examples in teens would be problems sleeping, weight gain, and just being frustrated," Harris says.
It turns out a lot of those changes are due to hormones your body makes in response to stress. This can be a good thing. For example, if a car comes at you all of a sudden while you're crossing the street, your body produces a chemical called cortisol, which helps you react fast enough to move before the car hits you.
But for people with PTSD, such as Stephanie Romero and me, it doesn't take a speeding car to set us off.
Emotional Connections In The Brain
In a lab at Stanford University, scientists are using a technology called Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, to study the emotional reactions of patients with PTSD.
"So we know, for example, when they're faced with a reminder of their trauma, they don't activate the circuitry we normally associate with emotional regulation, the ability to be resilient in an automatic effortless fashion," says Dr. Amit Etkin, the project's lead researcher.
He says cortisol — that's the same stress hormone that causes physical changes in the body — may also be responsible for the changes in the brain.
"Over time, elevated cortisol can cause death of neurons in the brain, the kind that don't get replaced," he says.
But that doesn't mean PTSD can't be treated. Scientists know talk therapy can be helpful. Etkin wants to understand how that kind of therapy might be repairing emotional connections in the brain. And he's recruiting volunteers.
The Blink Of An Eye
Stephanie Romero is one of the research subjects participating in the study. Ten months after her attack, she's still having trouble feeling safe.
"It's always in the back of my head. Like, you just never know your life could change in the blink of an eye," she says. "One minute you could be celebrating your birthday, and the next you're in the hospital and you don't know how you ended up there.
In a room on the other side of a huge glass window, Romero lies in an fMRI machine, which looks like a big tube with a small hollow center. A monitor shows different angles of her brain.
The Impact of War
For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle
The Two-Way
Some Combat Dogs Suffer Post-Traumatic Stress, Too
National Security
Military Looks To Redefine PTSD, Without Stigma
"A lot of what we look at with emotion is focused on certain regions of the brain. One of them is the amygdala, which is really important not only for guiding your attention and focus on a threat stimulus, but also for affecting your body," he says. "But somebody with PTSD doesn't activate that circuitry well."
Etkin asks Romero several questions to help him identify which specific parts of the brain are affected by PTSD, and how she feels throughout the experiment.
"Does she feel in her body at the moment, or is she feeling, like many PTSD patients report, feeling a little out of body, or detached, or unreal?" he asks.
I can relate to that unreal feeling. It started to hit me right there in the lab. Etkin hopes by understanding how that feeling plays out inside the brain, scientists will be able to come up with more effective ways of treating this disorder, whether it's through singing, talking, neuroscience, or all of the above.
