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A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

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Sophie_M If you need to talk about Bondi Beach - Our community is here
  • replies: 8

Hi everyone, After the heartbreaking events at Bondi Beach on Sunday night, we know many people in our community may be feeling shaken, distressed, or unsure how to make sense of what has happened. Religious and political violence has no place is Aus... View more

Hi everyone, After the heartbreaking events at Bondi Beach on Sunday night, we know many people in our community may be feeling shaken, distressed, or unsure how to make sense of what has happened. Religious and political violence has no place is Australia and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the individuals and families affected by this tragedy. We wanted to create a space where you can share whatever you’re feeling - whether that’s fear, shock, grief, or anything else that has come up for you. If you need support from others in the community, please feel welcome to post here. Violence and acts of terror can bring feelings of shock, grief, profound sadness, anger and fear. It’s normal to experience these emotions while trying to make sense of distressing events. It may take time for these feelings to ease, but it’s never too early to seek support if you are feeling distressed. Beyond Blue is here for you anytime, by phone on 1300 224 636 or via webchat: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/talk-to-a-counsellor You can also support those around you by being available to them and listening. Thank you for being such an important part of this community, and for the kindness, honesty, and wisdom you continue to share with each other. We remind the community that Beyond Blue is here for all people in Australia, no matter what you believe, how you live or who you worship. Kind regards Sophie M

A_Tech PTSD for Medical and First Responders
  • replies: 276

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting t... View more

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting to others). Im a 40 year old female that has spent the last 10years in the State Trauma Hospital as an Anaesthetic Technician. My PTSD was brought about after years of exposure to shocking traumas, deaths, and no support from management. I would love to hear from anyone that has a similar story, or just wants to chat. Cheers

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goodlistener85 My story relating to complex ptsd and severe dysthymia
  • replies: 7

Hi all, my name is Adam and i am 34 yrs old. Been wanting to post for a while now. I haven't worked now for 10 months due to mental illness. I was recently diagnosed with cptsd and severe dysthymia. I also suffer from ocd and have had a psychogenic o... View more

Hi all, my name is Adam and i am 34 yrs old. Been wanting to post for a while now. I haven't worked now for 10 months due to mental illness. I was recently diagnosed with cptsd and severe dysthymia. I also suffer from ocd and have had a psychogenic often severe stutter since age 9. Between the ages of 8-16 my then stepfather was extremely abusive and aggressive to my mum, myself and my bro and sis. I suffered extreme physical, mental and psychological abuse on a daily basis for 8 yrs. I pretended for 20 years that i was ok even tho i knew i was drowning in severe anxiety and depression. Working is and has always been extremely difficult for me as i am so easily triggered. I have only seeked a psychiatrist a few months ago and i am going to a new one next month. I am going to apply for the dsp when i get a psychiatrist who i am comfortable with and willing to assist me. I have become extremely well educated re the dsp. Thankyou for reading. I am looking to hopefully meet some new friends on here

Peter0LX Introduction Peter0LX - Psychotherapy treatment for mild complex trauma 
  • replies: 4

Hello All, I was diagnosed with mild complex trauma about 3 months ago. I have had some really helpful psychotherapy which has made a big difference in my life fairly quickly. The main source of my problems was bullying and neglect by my father from ... View more

Hello All, I was diagnosed with mild complex trauma about 3 months ago. I have had some really helpful psychotherapy which has made a big difference in my life fairly quickly. The main source of my problems was bullying and neglect by my father from when I was very young. I had some previous psychotherapy 20 years ago which more or less only scratched the surface but at least it prepared me for my recent therapy. I worked as hard as I could to get the most out of my current therapy. What we have achieved is identify some significant painful episodes in my life, stir them up to articulate what I would have really been feeling at the time but have never put into words before, and then disconnect the painful emotions from my memories of those past events. There is more to it than what I have just said here. I just want to say that it has worked very well. I liken the situation to me being a river, or perhaps river rapids, jammed with floating logs which represent painful memories. The therapy has enabled me to find the main hidden snagged log that was holding all the other logs back. Once we freed up that particular log, all the other logs started flowing downstream again. During later sessions, I felt that the now freely drifting logs jostled for position so that we could grab and deal with the most important ones. My treatment has been very interesting and worthwhile. That's all for the moment.

MO64 The pointlessness of even trying
  • replies: 3

My wife is my world, I know I am insane with the depth and unconditional nature of my love for her. I have been with my wife since 1998 and quickly learnt that she was traumatized from a childhood full of abuses, sexual, physical and psychological. E... View more

My wife is my world, I know I am insane with the depth and unconditional nature of my love for her. I have been with my wife since 1998 and quickly learnt that she was traumatized from a childhood full of abuses, sexual, physical and psychological. Even to this day. Due to the ongoing nature of the psychological abuse, it is difficult to compensate for the unjust treatment my wife receives from her own family. Which is primarily due to the manipulation of her mother, telling her children to stay away from their mother due to her being dangerous and crazy. Which they have done. Her mother has found a way to commit the perfect crime and continues to do so. From my perspective, my wife's mother has damaged her to such an extent that her children have seen aspects of their mother that they didn't understand, that her mother caused and her mother used that behaviour to reinforce the illusion that my wife is dangerous. From my understanding of psychiatry, this is the typical type of situation patients have always been in. The victim suffers a trauma from a family member or care giver. That trauma is then denied by the guilty party and the victim is silenced through what ever means is currently acceptable as humane by the psychiatric profession. The reality is that the psychiatric profession have evolved to the point where they are literally above the law. My wife is currently being held against her will under a Section 30 and Section 46. My wife and I have spent the past six weeks coming off all the prescribed medication due to it possibly causing a new symptom of migraine storms. I have been caring for her palliatively without complaint or support. My wife had successfully come off all her medication and the migraines stopped. We were at the stage of getting her diet sorted when a kidney infection presented. She has a long history of renal issues due to the chronic abuse she suffered. My wife presented at ED, due to a possible reaction to medication she was put on 2 days earlier. My wife was in the middle of an antibiotic course for the infection. My wife's symptoms were interpreted as psychiatric. She is now a prisoner and getting worse. Both psychiatrically and medically. Fact: Psych patients have no rights. If you have a underlying medical condition with neurological symptoms, it will be misdiagnosed if you have a pre-existing mental health issue. You are also 350% more likely to die from oesophageal cancer if you have a mental health issue. Pointless

Concerned_mother Hi there. I’m new here. My name is Jo and I really need to talk about PTSD
  • replies: 1

Hi. I was diagnosed with PTSD early 2000’s. My particular PTSD is a result of childhood abuse and adult violence. I’ve had loads of therapy over the years which has been a wonderful help. I’ve tried medications, meditation and a bunch of other things... View more

Hi. I was diagnosed with PTSD early 2000’s. My particular PTSD is a result of childhood abuse and adult violence. I’ve had loads of therapy over the years which has been a wonderful help. I’ve tried medications, meditation and a bunch of other things. Mostly it’s all good. But on occasion and I never know when, I am affected by something that sends me into an internal rage. On the outside I can appear calm or I can be aggressive in a way that causes my partner to become nervous. I have never been physically violent towards anyone but the energy I give off and the crazy manic head stuff going on inside me is definitely harmful to others around me. Does anyone else ever have this happen?? I feel so alone with it all

EPett Have no idea how to start this conversation
  • replies: 26

I can't stop drinking. I try, but it doesn't work. My parents are both gone, 2 brothers are gone, one from Cancer and the other from suicide. 2 sisters that are irrational and don't care, 1 brother that drops so many pills he thinks he is the normal ... View more

I can't stop drinking. I try, but it doesn't work. My parents are both gone, 2 brothers are gone, one from Cancer and the other from suicide. 2 sisters that are irrational and don't care, 1 brother that drops so many pills he thinks he is the normal one.. Another brother that thinks socializing is drinking.. where do I go from here. I made a mistake and threw in a job and let go of my life. I was always in control even though I was drinking every day. How did I let my life get like this

LozzieLouise Partner's past trauma impacting our present.
  • replies: 1

I'm in a relationship with a guy who has been through a lot of trauma at the hands of his mother when he was a child. As an adult, he experiences severe depression, attachment issues, PTSD, anxiety, night terrors and dissociation (just to name a few)... View more

I'm in a relationship with a guy who has been through a lot of trauma at the hands of his mother when he was a child. As an adult, he experiences severe depression, attachment issues, PTSD, anxiety, night terrors and dissociation (just to name a few). When he gets close to people emotions, good and bad, get the better of him. So he tends to try to push people away to avoid all emotion all together. Now that he's let me in, he's letting himself feel everything which includes all the bad stuff too. We love each other so much and we can be so happy together but when he has particularly bad night terrors or dissociates he immediately tries to push me away & starts saying things like "this will never last", "this won't work", "I'm always going to be like this". I don't know what to do. He's made a huge choice in letting me in, trusting me and sharing everything that he is with me but now he's in a state where he's giving up on us and I think he's trying to shut his emotions off again so he doesn't have to feel. How can I help him see that we can make this work? And how can I help him get through this pain that he's been dealing with for so long? He's so determined to do it all by himself without help from anyone. He's such an amazing person, I don't want to lose him. Am I being selfish?

Sycofearie Not really sure where to start
  • replies: 8

Hi there, I am a 28 year old female and I have been suffering from depression, anxiety and a number of eating disorders since I was a teenager. All as a result of childhood abuse that I have never really come to terms with. I have seen a few psycholo... View more

Hi there, I am a 28 year old female and I have been suffering from depression, anxiety and a number of eating disorders since I was a teenager. All as a result of childhood abuse that I have never really come to terms with. I have seen a few psychologists over the years, but I have never tried medications. I tend to be pretty terrible at therapy. My depression makes me lethargic and my concentration is highly problematic. I really want to get better, but I am my own worst enemy. I self sabotage in almost everything I do. I have only been getting worse over the last few years and it has finally reached it's peak. I am more depressed, anxious and unhealthy than I have ever been and I am not sure where to go from here. I want to see someone, and I am seriously considering medication, even though I have been trying to avoid it. I don't see how I can anymore. My avoidance issues are largely why I am currently in this mess. I would love some advice, or even some support. I have a negligible support network, other than my husband. I find it incredibly difficult to make friends and when I do, I often mess it up. I withdraw and I lock myself away for months on end, where the only person I interact with on a personal level is my husband, unless I absolutely have to see other people. I am trying to find a creative outlet in writing, but only creative writing. I am awful at journals, partly why my therapy has always been a bit of a mess. Anyway, I am so happy that I found this site. I honestly feel like I need some like-minded people around to realize that there are far more people going through this than just myself. Thanks so much, Fearie

Lumlo EMDR
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am considering EMDR therapy at the moment. Has anyone had EMDR therapy? Can you tell me if it was effective? Was it distressing? How many sessions it took? How did you feel afterwards? Thanks f o r any insights you can share with me?

Hi, I am considering EMDR therapy at the moment. Has anyone had EMDR therapy? Can you tell me if it was effective? Was it distressing? How many sessions it took? How did you feel afterwards? Thanks f o r any insights you can share with me?

MilkandHoney EMDR and repressed feelings ? memories
  • replies: 1

Hi I feel somewhat stupid asking this question so bear with me please. I suffer from depression and PTSD and I recently started EMDR with my psychologist to help with the trauma from when I was raped as a 12 year old. I have a strong and clear memory... View more

Hi I feel somewhat stupid asking this question so bear with me please. I suffer from depression and PTSD and I recently started EMDR with my psychologist to help with the trauma from when I was raped as a 12 year old. I have a strong and clear memory of it even though it was more than 20 years ago. The PTSD diagnosis is still only relatively new as I didn't disclose the trauma for several years, and even though I know the event had a marked impart on my life I struggled somewhat with the diagnosis because it made me feel like a victim, which I hate. After the first few sessions I keep having memories and thinking about this former family friend (who we're no longer in contact with and haven't been for MANY years). I remember being around him as an approximately 7-8 year old and being really scared of him. I just get this sick to my stomach feeling.......and I feel like something happened to me do with him when I was younger. Like, not rape, but something....inappropriate nonetheless. I feel kind of stupid bringing it up (and feel too stupid to bring it up with my psychologist) but I keep getting these flashbacks of being a young child around him accompanied by a really strong visceral reaction. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have a really strong feeling of....terror and disgust and persistent thoughts about it but its not like I can remember an EVENT or something. I don't want to be oversensitive or, I don't know, a hypochondriac about it, but I don't understand why I would be having such strong feelings about it or even thinking about someone I've had nothing to do with several decades, and have no reason to think of.

Pirelli Relationship mental and physical abuse
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone I’m in my early 20s and I have been dating a girl who is 2 years younger then me we have been together for 1 and a half years and she is my first ever girlfriend, we love each other so much but we also do argue a lot most of the time over... View more

Hi everyone I’m in my early 20s and I have been dating a girl who is 2 years younger then me we have been together for 1 and a half years and she is my first ever girlfriend, we love each other so much but we also do argue a lot most of the time over immature stuff and sometimes bigger stuff but very rairly. We have had a lot of trust issues along the way nothing got to do with cheating mostly hiding things from each other for example I don’t like my partner smoking marijuana but she tends to do a lot more behind my back with her friends that I always end up finding out which then cause big arguements which then sometimes leads into get abit physical from both sides, I’m not gonna sit hear and lie, anyway long story short over how whole relationship we started to notice my anger getting out of control and I feel Like the reason is because she aggravates me and pushes me to get to those stages, I tell her to stop and be quiet multiple times cause I feel like my anger is gonna take over but then she continues till it does take over, now it’s got to the stage where she has told her mother and sister about the abusive relationship we have, her mum has made it clear not to contact her ever again, but because we love each other we still do contact and we want this to work but I need help with my short temper and anger, I just don’t know how to get it? I need someone who has been through this or knows how to help me to guide me through this, I also want to know how I can get back in the good books of her family because they really did love me, and I loved them like my own family. Where can I get help? thanks so much for reading and i really hope someone can help me

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