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PTSD and trauma

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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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Bobbie1982 Thoughts about the trauma CONSTANTLY
  • replies: 1

Hi, i experienced a lot of abuse as a child and have had tonnes of therapy. I felt like I was starting to really make a good recovery, but recently not so. i feel like everything triggers all sorts of random memories/feelings/etc about the abuse and ... View more

Hi, i experienced a lot of abuse as a child and have had tonnes of therapy. I felt like I was starting to really make a good recovery, but recently not so. i feel like everything triggers all sorts of random memories/feelings/etc about the abuse and it’s CONSTANTLY on my mind..even at work or when I busy myself, it’s always there. I feel like I’m going insane! I have been doing EMDR therapy for the past 12 months (on and off) and have recently changed psychs to a more affordable one. I like her and feel like she knows her stuff and is good, so no issues there apart from the fact I’ve only been seeing her for a couple of months...has changing to someone new triggered these “obsessive thoughts” (for lack of a better term!)? I don’t really know. I just feel incredibly anxious and out of control on the inside. I wish I had an off switch!! thanks for listening!

Unhappy78 Lies (trigger warning childhood abuse) 
  • replies: 1

Please don't judge. I am just here for some assistance. I have just been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety as well as asthma. It has been misdiagnosed for approximately 2 years according to the health professions. I also deal with a child ... View more

Please don't judge. I am just here for some assistance. I have just been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety as well as asthma. It has been misdiagnosed for approximately 2 years according to the health professions. I also deal with a child who has ptsd who refuses to see a councellor. Short version is we have fought the court system for 5 years. This has taken a toll on me and I didn't realise I had depression until just recent. Is it possible to not know you are drowning until you hit rock bottom? Has anyone lied during depression before to get extensions on university assignments? Is this normal when you have depression?

BBUser19 My 11yo daughter was sexually abused by her stepfather
  • replies: 11

My sweet 11yr old daughter came to me recently and told me that her step father sexually abused her the night before. I kicked him out of bed that morning went to the police 2hrs later as that was when a CPI was available he was held in custody for 1... View more

My sweet 11yr old daughter came to me recently and told me that her step father sexually abused her the night before. I kicked him out of bed that morning went to the police 2hrs later as that was when a CPI was available he was held in custody for 1 night released on bail the following morning. I have started on medication. im struggling. I have no support from my family as it brokedown when I was a child. my friends are there for me but its not quite the same. this $%£& was my rock for 8 years now I have no one to hold me while I grieve. My beautiful girl is coping ok at the moment and I try not to let it show just how broken I am. I am blaming myself for what happened even though I had no way of knowing it was going to happen. Christmas is just round the corner along with highschool for my daughter and school for my son. I am currently trying to find a new place to rent. but as I expect to take a fair bit of time off work my financial situation is getting worse. I haven't been able to eat for 4days now. I've lost 8 kgs im getting weak. every time I go to eat I vomit. Every diesel car and or Trailer is making me jump. Im finding it hard to sleep. Got the locks changed as he had a key to the house. I have been documenting all of his belongings and packing them away. waiting for the day he comes to collect them. Im worried about what he will take as most of the things we bought together. Im worried about my daughter im worried about how my son will cope when he relieses that the man he called dad will never be coming back. im worried about money Im worried about me. If u have any advice please help Thank you

hankm Completely Repressed Memories
  • replies: 6

Im a 27 yo male who recently saw a counsellor with my gf for some relationship counselling, The guy we saw only had a tafe degree, which at the time I wasn't aware. He spoke about neuroplasticity and creating new connections in the brain and accessin... View more

Im a 27 yo male who recently saw a counsellor with my gf for some relationship counselling, The guy we saw only had a tafe degree, which at the time I wasn't aware. He spoke about neuroplasticity and creating new connections in the brain and accessing your unconscious mind through adult learning- he performed psychonalysis (which I wasn't aware of at the time) and picked up on a deep child hood trauma I had no idea about and retraumatized me using nlp an suggestion therapy without even explaining to me what was going on. The guy told me in the last session I saw him that he did it to teach me a lesson that I wasn't better then other people, The recovered memory/flashbacks ive been having have been severe, Its like my nervous system has shut down too. I know that the holisitic psychologist believe that traumas are stored in the nervous system Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Ive been seeing a psych now and they believe it could be OCD- that doesn't explain the recovered memory.

Beetle Can you get PTSD because of medical negligence?
  • replies: 4

HI Ong story short: I have major depression. But I also suffer from TBI. Noises and lights bother me. I feel so sensory overloaded that I often just collapse. Its very hard to live with. My accident was 6 month ago. Since then I have experienced a lo... View more

HI Ong story short: I have major depression. But I also suffer from TBI. Noises and lights bother me. I feel so sensory overloaded that I often just collapse. Its very hard to live with. My accident was 6 month ago. Since then I have experienced a lot of negligence and even though I screamed out for help I didn't get any. The accident itself I thought wasn't that bad, but we could have blown up as there was fire next to flowing oxygen. Just throwing around ideas as I'm pretty messed up and trying to get on the right track thanks

mrskode PTSD & Narcissistic Mother
  • replies: 3

After many years of growing up with an abusive mother and also enduring many years of school bullying, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I feel as though I was robbed of my teenage life as it was mostly spent in bed, due to my body not being able to cope wi... View more

After many years of growing up with an abusive mother and also enduring many years of school bullying, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I feel as though I was robbed of my teenage life as it was mostly spent in bed, due to my body not being able to cope with daily trauma. About 10 years ago, I wad forced to cut contact with my mother and later my whole family. Life has been tough. Every day is a battle. I have just left a job due to constant bullying by a supervisor, which triggered off childhood trauma. I am also about to start my dream job, which I wanted to do 25 years ago. I am trying to get over my old job as well as prepare fo my new job. I am finding it overwhelming and emotionally draining. Just trying to let go and move on, but it is very hard.

Big_Lok Daily struggle with PTSD.. I get overwhelmed, angry and end up hitting myself.. Anyone else?
  • replies: 1

Daily struggle with PTSD.. I get overwhelmed, angry and end up hitting myself.. Anyone else? It's been happening ever since about 4 years after the initial trauma (sexual abuse).. About the same time I developed crippling OCD.. The initial abuse was ... View more

Daily struggle with PTSD.. I get overwhelmed, angry and end up hitting myself.. Anyone else? It's been happening ever since about 4 years after the initial trauma (sexual abuse).. About the same time I developed crippling OCD.. The initial abuse was at age 8 and these things began at 12.. I'm 23 now and have battled the whole time and have permanent bumps on my head due to the hitting.. I've been in a relationship for 4 years and its been a bumpy road for my partner seeing that and being right next to me when it happens.. I had councelling for over 10 years at different times been on about 20 different types of medication and I just can't escape it.. I want to know if anyone else has or experiences anything similar??

John_Smith_the_III Childhood abuse, disturbing behaviour as a child, eventual recovery and being about my life. *Wall of text*
  • replies: 22

First post, not sure it belongs here given the content so i apologize in advance if it is the wrong thread. Also it's going to be a long post which will be multiple posts. Sorry... "trigger warning" i suppose. Basically i'm depressed for insane reaso... View more

First post, not sure it belongs here given the content so i apologize in advance if it is the wrong thread. Also it's going to be a long post which will be multiple posts. Sorry... "trigger warning" i suppose. Basically i'm depressed for insane reasons. I was sexually abused by a relative as a kid which honestly doesn't bother me so much, but as a result of experiencing this so young i developed irregular behaviours of all kinds. Between i guess what must have been 4 and 9 years of age I had developed sexually inappropriate behaviours towards other kids, the type which i found out as an adult are considered very serious and are suppose to be reported to protective services or authorities of some kind. I don't know if the adults around me didn't catch on or were idiots OR just straight up neglectful but these behaviours went unchecked. I'm in my late 20's now and though all such behaviours had disappeared by the time i was 10 or so i feel absolutely disgusted by them even being a thing that i did as a kid. To put it bluntly i feel like my body and genetics are a disgusting product of a disgusting genetic ancestry full of disgusting people. Other behaviours i developed were severe anxieties, depressive, attachment and defiant disorders, explosive rage attacks with little provocation, fear of taking clothes of around people, bed wetting until a late age, mentally regressive behaviours all of which were more or less ignored and treated with ADD medication. I believe i was mostly seen as "a little shit who needs a good smacking". Most of these problems went away by the time i was 10 except for the severe anxiety, depression and anger issues which all got extremely severe from around age 12-14. I was eventually diagnosed as having major depressive disorder with lots of talk about Asperger's and possible Bi-Polar features. I was medicated for these things for a few years.

Ramm Treatment advice? - trigger warning sexual abuse
  • replies: 4

I didn’t really know where to put this, but I think this is the right spot. I think it’s best to provide some background information about me to paint the picture. I suffered abuse from my mother from ages 3-9; everything from physical to sexual. Thi... View more

I didn’t really know where to put this, but I think this is the right spot. I think it’s best to provide some background information about me to paint the picture. I suffered abuse from my mother from ages 3-9; everything from physical to sexual. This was because a myriad of things. 1: my mother was an alcoholic and a drug addict. 2: she had untreated mental disorders. 3: I displayed lesbian tendencies as a child and she was against that. So, mother forced me to grow my hair, wear feminine clothes, be feminine and date boys (since I was 4). I’ve been living with my dad since I was 9. I’ve had problems with self-harm and suicide tendencies/attempts since I was 7 (I’m safe, don’t worry). I’ve been doing counselling on and off for 10 years and have been dabbling in prescribed medication for about 6 months, though I stopped because they caused me to relapse in self-harming. I was diagnosed with GAD when I was 13, but then was diagnosed with PTSD last year. As a result, I have no idea who I am. I never established a sense of self because my mum forced me to be something that I wasn’t. I don’t know my morals, personality, or my fashion sense. I look in the mirror and feel confused and afraid. I can’t make any decisions and I have no direction in my life. I don’t know how to act or interact with others, so I just stay at home. I don’t have a desire for anything and literally do nothing, as I have no hobbies. I don’t have any friends, so seeking guidance from friends is impossible. I just feel very empty and confused. My counsellor is no help, she acts so patronising and I lie to make it seem like I’m better than what I am. I haven’t told my doctor or my counsellor that I’m off my medication and I feel so trapped. I honestly don’t know what to do. Please help!

Asenna Ptsd or not ptsd
  • replies: 1

Hi there, I’ve a few threads going on but mostly under depression..... But Im here to clarify whether my symptoms are ptsd or simply major depression with anxiety. 2012, things were okay in life if a little stressful. I had issues with my gallbladder... View more

Hi there, I’ve a few threads going on but mostly under depression..... But Im here to clarify whether my symptoms are ptsd or simply major depression with anxiety. 2012, things were okay in life if a little stressful. I had issues with my gallbladder and finally decided to have it taken out. Was a little anxious as normal, like who likes surgery even if it’s elective. Had my gallbladder removed, was only supposed to be overnight. To cut a long story short the surgeon found something that he thought wasn’t right. I asked if it was cancer and he said maybe. I felt sad and wanting to be with my family but stayed another night. After more tests he said it was highly likely it was cancer. My world fell apart. I felt so scared and anxious. I didnt want to have cancer nor die from it. I was beside myself. I felt highly anxious as I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I was also depressed because it involved the liver. Highly likely went to 99% sure. I seeked reassurance from lots of people to put my mind at ease and I found it so hard to function. Seeked a second opinion and was told it was very unlikely it was canver. It was something but he wasn’t sure. The uncertainty continued but the anxiety has subsided a bit. Still quite emotional. Had an ercp and found it was just a dislodged stone stuck there. All clear. My worry has completely gone. Mind you the word cancer sent shivers up my spine but I simply moved on with life. Move to 2014, and I wanted to have my prostate checked as I had inconsistent wee. The worry returned but it wasn’t debilitating one bit. It was just worry. Had another check up but the day I was waiting for the results I couldn’t keep my mind away from the thoughts. I was quite anxious and stressed. The results came through and I was ok. It was nothing tablets couldn’t settle. Two weeks after that I started to feel my anxiety begin to re emerge. I was feeling weird and worried about little ailments. Before you know it I was in full blown anxiety and overly emotional. The anxiety was the killer. I couldn’t sit still. The adrenaline was overpowering. The sadness was intense. I didn’t feel safe on my own. I didn’t suffer from flashbacks. I didn’t suffer from any nightmares. It was full blown anxiety. It felt like a nervous breakdown but my psych said it was trauma. I didn’t get it. He said it will come good in a number of weeks. Nup!! I was gone. I wasn’t convinced it was that. A year after this happened I lost my marriage and family. Fab