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-   -   PTSD and Trauma recovery (http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=531)

Princess4u 02-25-2010 11:40 PM

Tonight, something happened to me...and to some others...the PTSD room opened...thanks so those who worked on getting it started....it is a wonderful thing...ppl shared their past, their horrors, their story of survival. What courage we all have in our own rights...for we are all survivours...but I was not able to withstand the torment in my own memories....i wasnt able to share ....for so many reasons...unworthiness, fear....the physical restraints that fear and suffering subject us all to...I feel so horrible for not being to a point I thought I could tell of my history on this planet....I feel like i owe everyone in that room tonight an appology for not being strong nor brave enough to open up...and for those who did...you are amazing ppl in every right of the word...and i am sorry!!!:blues:

Liam 02-26-2010 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess4u (Post 57532)
I feel like i owe everyone in that room tonight an appology for not being strong nor brave enough to open up...and for those who did...you are amazing ppl in every right of the word...and i am sorry!!!:blues:

The reality is that there are times when we are too distressed to share or place ourselves in a vulnerable situation, and there is nothing wrong with that Princess. It sounds as if you were taking care of yourself by not doing so, and in the end, that is a good thing; that distress can be very harmful, if you subject yourself to it for too long. I would hope the people in the group would understand that. Sharing one's story can be empowering and devastating, not only for ourself, but for others as well. I trust that those facilitating the group are aware that some might be triggered, just listening to other people's stories, and they are equipped to deal with the fall-out from it, in a compassionate and responsible manner.

Apocalipstic 02-26-2010 12:15 PM

PTSD room?

Liam 02-26-2010 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apocalipstic (Post 57726)
PTSD room?

Its in the chat room.

Apocalipstic 02-26-2010 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liam (Post 57735)
Its in the chat room.

is there a specific time for it, would love to join in.

Lady Jewel 02-26-2010 12:45 PM

It wont be officially started till next week. If you want to be one of the facilitators, PM me.

Apocalipstic 02-26-2010 12:47 PM

I had no idea about it. Would like to participate if I know times and so forth.

Lady Jewel 02-26-2010 01:00 PM

Keep your eye on this thread for further details. The room wont be open until there are some committments from people willin to facilitate meetings.


Quote:

Originally Posted by apocalipstic (Post 57746)
I had no idea about it. Would like to participate if I know times and so forth.


Apocalipstic 02-26-2010 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Jewel (Post 57753)
Keep your eye on this thread for further details. The room wont be open until there are some committments from people willin to facilitate meetings.

Can you explain what that means exactly. I would like to help, am just unclear. :)

I never had been on chat and I just checked it out....it requests a password for the PTSD chat?

Andrew, Jr. 02-26-2010 01:23 PM

Include me on this. I too have never been on chat. :penguin:

Thanks.

Love,
Andrew

Lady Jewel 02-26-2010 01:25 PM

Due to the subject matter, and privacy needed, it is a password protected group. Please bear with me, a public announcement will be made with all the details.



Quote:

Originally Posted by apocalipstic (Post 57780)
Can you explain what that means exactly. I would like to help, am just unclear. :)

I never had been on chat and I just checked it out....it requests a password for the PTSD chat?


Apocalipstic 02-26-2010 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Jewel (Post 57784)
Due to the subject matter, and privacy needed, it is a password protected group. Please bear with me, a public announcement will be made with all the details.

Cool! Thank you. I thought it happened last night and I had missed it. Am in therapy for PTSD and maybe some discussion would be helpful.

Feel free to PM me if that is better, Would love to help out.

Jet 02-28-2010 05:02 PM

Maybe
 
Maybe I'll let go of the past
Maybe I'll exhale
Maybe I'll collect myself
Maybe I'll open my heart now
Maybe I'll stretch out in confidence
Maybe this is my Shawshank Redemption

Lady Jewel 03-01-2010 09:20 AM

Just wanted to give you all an update regarding the PTSD support group. Im still working out the details as far as confidentiality issues. I will be posting all the details here in this thread ASAP. If anyone has any questions, please PM me. Also, I need one or two people who are willing to give a two hour committment each week to be one of the Co-facilitators of the group.

In unity,
Jewel

Apocalipstic 03-01-2010 08:08 PM

So tonight phone rings and it's the cemetary dude from my father's funeral.

He has called before becausee he wants to sell me a funeral plot. Like where I want to spend fucking eternity is right there next to E (my dad).

But tonight I stare at the phone ringing, then check the voice mail....

"it's Rocky, call me"

So I imediately begin the "he's not really dead, they are calling to tell me" meltdown. Visualizing dug up graves....yes, I know he was cremated. I've had my medicine now.

Poor Cynthia, she is so longsuffering!

I feel like such a freak...one phone call and I am tumbling through space.

Sigh.

Dragonfly 03-01-2010 08:08 PM

This is a great idea. Many thoughts and blessings towards this beginning of support and encouragement for all of us living with ptsd. I have recieved so much love and strength from my fellow BFers on other sites! I really cant express here what some of you have meant in my life. But you already know cause I have been there for you too. That's one of the best parts of it, being understood even in our silence.... Big love to all those who are opening up and sharing. Some of us who have shared elsewhere are coming to the table to share our experiences here too, there are more of us living with it than people realize.

Goofy 03-01-2010 08:58 PM

Just a thought for the group chats...

I attend group sessions for PTSD at the VA. One of the rules of the group is that we don't tell "war stories" that might trigger other participants. What we DO do is discuss how we are doing in our daily lives and triggers we may face and what we can do to help each other and ourselves through the rough times.

I've found that, almost more than anything else, is that there are other folks out there that are going through the same types of things. Much of what I see happening in this thread.

Dragonfly 03-01-2010 09:29 PM

Real World Support Groups
 
Goofy,
Good point, wanting to know more about your group though...
I am curious as to the specifics of HOW your group discusses triggers and daily dealing without mentioning any of the "war story". In my experiences, my triggers come FROM what happened and that makes it very difficult to discuss without it relating to others what happened to me. Everyone's PTSD is coming from different places and not just from the same shared "war". On other sites we Title our sensitive sharing type posts with "possibly triggering" and/ or write in red. With chat that wont be possible as we are interacting without pre thought out posts and titles.

Goofy 03-01-2010 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amelia (Post 59414)
Goofy,
Good point, wanting to know more about your group though...
I am curious as to the specifics of HOW your group discusses triggers and daily dealing without mentioning any of the "war story". In my experiences, my triggers come FROM what happened and that makes it very difficult to discuss without it relating to others what happened to me. Everyone's PTSD is coming from different places and not just from the same shared "war". On other sites we Title our sensitive sharing type posts with "possibly triggering" and/ or write in red. With chat that wont be possible as we are interacting without pre thought out posts and titles.

It's true that triggers come from what happened, and that's why we're there in the first place. In my group, many triggers involve anniversary dates of an event, and we bring that up as such. Like, "I have an anniversary coming up and I've realized I'm more anxious, quick to anger..." etc. Others involve situations, smells or events. We bring those up in the same sort of ways, without revealing details. It's kind of difficult to explain the exact "how's" of how we get around it, but we do.

My PTSD stems both from childhood trauma and a situation I was in while in the Army. Since it's a VA group, it's much easier to not reveal histories of situations related to the military because, to some degree, we all have a similar experience. But I've also found that those folks are pretty accepting of non-military related triggers. Once, someone brought up a subject that was a trigger from my childhood. I started to twitch, literally. I told him it was a trigger for me; that it was something that happened when I was young. That's all I needed to say. No one questioned me as to what happened or why it was a trigger. We talked instead about *now*; how it presented itself (anxiety, anger, etc) and how to deal with that.

I bring all of this up because I know that when it was suggested that I start attending the PTSD group that I'm now a part of, that I had so many reservations. I didn't want to tell my stories to a bunch of strangers, regardless of whether they had been through similar situations or not. I didn't necessarily want to hear anyone else's story, lest they trigger me. I've been in the same group for almost a year now, and most days it's a life line. I feel sane, despite the insanity.


I'm not sure if this makes as much sense to you, or anyone else, as it does in my head. But I hope it clarified a bit.

Goofy 03-01-2010 10:28 PM

And I just feel compelled to say that I don't mean in any way to dismiss the people who are sharing their experiences in this thread. I was just throwing out an idea stemming from an earlier post about someone not wanting to share their particular experience and how to navigate around that.

I know for many that sharing their experience(s) is cathartic on some level. But for others it's difficult and downright painful.


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