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-Liz-
Senior Contributor

Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Hi 🙂

Due to the very nature of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) I am estranged from all family. It's just part of my puzzle but unfortunately friends too are now very sparse. One thing that is helping along this CPTSD journey is by people asking questions. When questions are asked initially I don't have the answers (most of the time!) but by considering the question asked I formulate words and then try to explain the answer and by doing this it also makes me understand this puzzle a little better too.

 

So this is my long winded way of saying you and I can both learn from any CPTSD questions you may have. No question is stupid all I ask is that you be respectful. So are there any questions you have that we can both learn from?

 

Looking forward to thinking about responses!

 

Cheers,

Liz

 

34 REPLIES 34

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Thanks @-Liz-  ... what you say is very true.  I dont currently have any questions, but would like to tag another member here who also has CPTSD and I'm hoping this thread may be of assistance to her.  @Starta 💜

 

Sherry 

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Thanks @Former-Member I can only hope I hear from people. Is there anyway I can make this more visible to people going through similar things? I'm just not sure if it's not relevant, people don't see it or people don't want to write? That cruel cycle of second guessing myself.

To @Starta I hope the above message can be of help to you and if it is I look forward to hearing from you soon

L

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Morning @-Liz-  😀

 

Not sure, but probably a bit of all of those things. I do get the second guessing though, I do it all the time.

 

You could try tagging people who have personal threads related to CPTSD. As I did with @Starta . Try searching CPTSD and get a few names to tag and invite comments or questions. Such as @outlander  and @Zoe7 . Outlander may be able to help with a few more as well?

 

I was officially diagnosed about 4 years ago with PTSD from a one off traumatic incident over 20 years ago. However my clinical psych after learning more about my historical and ongoing DV has told me that I actually have CPTSD. 

 

Perhaps you would like to start a discussion about the differences between PTSD and CPTSD? And how symptoms and treatments vary between the two.

 

Believe me ...this is a very relevant topic, and I thank you for taking on such a difficult subject.

 

Sherry

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Thanks @Former-Member I'll tag you in another thread I've got going as I wanted to open a communication thread not only for survivors but for supporters. You might be interest in some of the things I've already written there.

A couple of things come to mind from your words ... have you heard of the Blue Knot Foundation and separately but related are you familiar with the dreaded ACE score?

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Yes @-Liz-  I have heard of the Blue Knot Foundation.  I have been referred to it a few times before.  I am also familiar with the ACE score, but as my trauma's do not relate to Childhood, it is not really relevant to me. My ongoing trauma relates to a husband who is narcissistic and an alcoholic.  Although I tend to not think about it as 'trauma' as such, although my psych assures me that it is.  My husband is now terminally ill, so I am not about to do anything about it anyway.  I'm stuck here.

 

I will check out the Carers side which you tagged me into.  I am a carer of my husband who has PTSD related to his military service, and my brother also has PTSD ... so its relevant to me as well.

 

Thank you.

 

Sherry 

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

hello @-Liz- I don't have any questions but I do have CTPSD so could probably relate to quite a lot of what you have/do experience.

thanks for the tag @Former-Member Heart

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

@Former-Member you can refer to your history however you like. Some words just don't fit but it's your path so use whatever works for you.

On a more important note please keep safe! Just because someone is ill doesn't mean you can't put yourself first. If you don't put yourself who is going to? I realise this is so much easier said than done but please please please keep safe 🙂

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

@outlander I wonder if you don't have any questions if you have any tips and/or tricks that have helped you along the way?

Re: Learning CPTSD - lived experience

Hey @-Liz- @outlander @Former-Member  and anyone else following here.  I don't have questions at the moment either, but perhaps a useful tip.  I've been doing EMDR for a while now for complex PTSD and it's really working for me.  I have a long history of traumatic events going back to my childhood (am now 56)  including pretty much all the different forms of abuse (csa, dv, rape, financial abuse, family violence ....).  With the EMDR process we spent quite a while doing a 'trauma map' and now work on one specific episode/event at a time.  This is all with a very trusted psychologist who I've been seeing for over 2 years (who also helps me manage bipolar 1).  I will say it can be very confronting and I often need some down time after a session, but I can really feel the progress I'm making since starting it.  Triggers (what we call getting 'flooded') are far less frequent or intense and I recover from them faster than I used to.  I am getting better at seeing something potentially triggering in advance and avoiding it or if that's not possible, breathing my way past it without reliving something from the past.

I know it's not for everyone, but for me it's such a breakthrough after having several psychologists over the years and basically just managing to stay in a holding pattern and avoid hospital.  There is very real progress now, and that means I have even started to feel hope sometimes that I am actually on a path to recovery - the definition I like for that is on Recovery Model  - it does not mean 'cured' as such, but able to manage better and have a better quality of life and growth.

Any way I hope this is useful information for someone out there.

Take care all.

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