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Sophie_M If you need to talk about Bondi Beach - Our community is here
  • replies: 2

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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TBella Is It Really Possible To Have Long term relationship when you have PTSD?
  • replies: 4

My question:Is it really possible for someone with PTSD to have good, healthy, fulfilling long term relationships? I'm afraid having PTSD may doom me to a life alone as I don't want to subject someone to unpredictable & ever changing moods. I don't f... View more

My question:Is it really possible for someone with PTSD to have good, healthy, fulfilling long term relationships? I'm afraid having PTSD may doom me to a life alone as I don't want to subject someone to unpredictable & ever changing moods. I don't feel like a very fun person to be around anymore, even though I know I'm still very loyal, reliable, encouraging person. I am looking for some honest answers, advise or tips anyone can give from their personal experience. any books or resources you could recommend I read? with much appreciation TBella

TBella For All Vietnam Vets
  • replies: 4

I am the daughter of a Vietnam Vet! I have seen & experienced first the effects this war has had on both the Vietnam Vets & their families. I have heard the screams of my dad as he has night terrors. And suffered the damage of his domestic violence a... View more

I am the daughter of a Vietnam Vet! I have seen & experienced first the effects this war has had on both the Vietnam Vets & their families. I have heard the screams of my dad as he has night terrors. And suffered the damage of his domestic violence as a result of his PTSD! As a daughter I felt like the war & PTSD robbed me of ever having a dad- I lived with a stranger who could explode at any moment! Although my dad did not come home in a body bag, it always felt like he died in Vietnam! My heart breaks at the stories he tell when drunk( only time he could talk about it) and now that I have PTSD I understand the hell & torment he lived in- the darkness- trapped feeling with no peace or release! My heart breaks & goes out to all Vietnam Vets & their families! I am sorry you never got the hero welcome you deserved. I can not imagine how painful it would be to come home to your country who treated you appallingly! And who failed to see the sacrifices & suffering you went through for your country! Please forgive us for not showing the gratitude you all deserved & for our ignorance! I want to thank every Vietnam Vet for your service, sacrifice & suffering you continue to endure for your Country! I have nothing but ABSOLUTE honour, admiration & great respect for you! I wish I could personally meet every Vietnam Vet to give you all a big hug & say Thank you! YOU ARE HEROS IN MY EYES! So Dear Vietnam Vet I salute you! THANK YOU With Much Respect & Love TBella

372rodeo PTSD I need help.
  • replies: 2

5-6th Feb 2016 I was hospitalised 30 hours away from my home town, away from my family. I was sent to my family via DVconnect, I drove with a body so brutally bashed I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Two fractured feet, still in crutches. (They wa... View more

5-6th Feb 2016 I was hospitalised 30 hours away from my home town, away from my family. I was sent to my family via DVconnect, I drove with a body so brutally bashed I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Two fractured feet, still in crutches. (They wanted to send me on a bus but I refused as I'd have to leave my car & my dog behind). I had traveled with a fake name. He was arrested & realised on bail. I spent 5 months after moving from towns for the work but could never settle. Once I found out he had moved away, I moved back (crazy, I know). This was the only place I felt comfortable despite previous events. My PTSD is insane, & getting worse. He is sentenced on the 10th of Feb. I have vivid, horrendous nightmares that even now I could describe in detail. I live in a rural town with minimal support. I need some help, I don't even know what or how but I need it. (Our relationship was ongoing for 18months, the violence kept escalating, i had left multiple times, he was a narcissist, he could eat Corn Flakes & tell you he was eating yoghurt...)

Charleey (Trigger Warning) Upcoming Trial is sending PTSD in overdrive
  • replies: 1

In September 2015 I was the Victim in an Assault with an illegal weapon and Detainment case. The defendant is my Ex- partner of 9 years to whom I was at the time 12 weeks pregnant. He was arrested and placed in prison, I miscarried the baby. By Chris... View more

In September 2015 I was the Victim in an Assault with an illegal weapon and Detainment case. The defendant is my Ex- partner of 9 years to whom I was at the time 12 weeks pregnant. He was arrested and placed in prison, I miscarried the baby. By Christmas he was out on bail. We have had no contact since this time. Fast forward to now he is living locally to me ( against bail conditions) with his new partner who is having his baby. The people around him believe me to be a liar despite there being enough evidence for the case to have been committed to trial ( DNA etc). Since his release My Ex-partner has taken out Credit Cards and Bank Accounts in my name, the police could not prove it was him. Since the assault happened I have done everything I can to try to move on with my life, I have completed two courses and am currently completing another. In spite of all this, the trial is coming up this year and I find myself suffering panic attacks and depression similar to those I suffered in the weeks after the Assault. I feel like a complete failure while he is living happily with his new partner and child. Can anybody offer any advice on how I can cope with all of this?

Amia Hope for warriors with PTSD
  • replies: 14

Hello Everyone I'm 24 years of age, I'm a manager at a telco, I love to read and write fantasy books, and I have Bipolar type 1, OCD and PTSD. Rewind back 8 years ago and uttering that last sentence would be horrific. I feel no shame anymore. Its har... View more

Hello Everyone I'm 24 years of age, I'm a manager at a telco, I love to read and write fantasy books, and I have Bipolar type 1, OCD and PTSD. Rewind back 8 years ago and uttering that last sentence would be horrific. I feel no shame anymore. Its hard, and life altering but I always look for the silverlining. Like many people living with PTSD diagnosis is the easy part, treating it and facing it is the hard part. To cut a very long and gruesome story short, my Mum is diagnosed Bipolar Type 1 (wonder where I get it from haha) she suffered a lot of domestic abuse and left my Dad (aka the catalyst) when I was 5 years old, I don't blame her for that, if she'd stayed she would of comitted suicide, she had her own long journey to follow, and she's now my greatest friend. My dad is a controlling, manipulative and abusive man. My whole life was emotional and mental abuse, his goal to isolate and dominate. My first panic attacks started to happen when most kids go to their first slumber party. I cleaned and cooked as soon as I could reach the benchtop (inclusive of a little red chair to stand upon). The house was covered in plastic, plastic couch (that we couldn't even sit on) plastic walk ways so we couldn't touch the carpet, one wrong step and all hell would break loose. But I loved him, he was all we had, for better or for worse. And each day it got worse. When I was 15 my brother left for the Navy and the sexual assault started.It went like that for 2 years, each time after I fought back he'd make me apologise for making him feel like a pedophile, so I stopped fighting, it felt better then having to apologise. I went to to get diagnosed when I was 20, I no longer wanted to be a victim, I wanted to be a hero. So I fought, through mania and depression and med side effects, I was doing better. I would never be cured but I could handle it, I had handled worse. PTSD started at age 22, it'd been years since he'd touched me (he'd gotten remarried) I lived out of home with my boyfriend, I thought I was safe. But the nightmares and flashbacks came anyway. So I fought, I confronted my Dad and I tried to reassemble my life again and I have, it's still a battle day every day but its worth it, I get to see my boyfriends loving smile, my brother engaged with two beautiful kids of his own, lifes worth it. So next time you wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, take the images you saw, write them down, and recreate your own story, slay the beast!

star89 Stressful times with PTSD, Isolation, Chronic Illness, Domestic Violence, Harassment
  • replies: 3

Hello there, I have found myself in an challenging and uncomfortable position. I was diagnosed years ago with chronic fatigue, social anxiety, panic disorder and reoccurring PTSD (from childhood). I have always been able to fight on through the downt... View more

Hello there, I have found myself in an challenging and uncomfortable position. I was diagnosed years ago with chronic fatigue, social anxiety, panic disorder and reoccurring PTSD (from childhood). I have always been able to fight on through the downtimes with a smile on my face. After various tremulousness years, dealing with domestic violence from my former long term partner and him being a lead social activist for political causes has caused me to further isolate and feel ostracized from the community. I was getting on my feet again, and it all tumbled down before me when I lost my job, became harassed and stalked online and in person by a love obsessed acquaintance (I had previously helped through hardships), and the new man I was dating becoming involved in an hit and run suffering months in a coma resulting in traumatic brain injuries and a vegetative state. During this time I had no support or any means to speak too anyone about this as the stalking I was dealing with limited my access for help, and thus overtime enhancing the feelings of separation. I applied for centrelink disability services and was rejected on the grounds my conditions are not stablized though have been told I have a reduced capacity to work. Now my situation is that place in which I am living is being sold, I have been renting in for a time. The stress with finding a new place to move, on top of working out how to seek help for my other issues is causing problems. For today they are holding an open house and I cannot move due too chronic fatigue flair up, last time they held one I pushed my body in making sure I had everything organized and leaving the house (which was huge for me) and spent days after recovering. I have been trying to reach out to see a therapist who can initially do skype sessions and work my way into face to face, improving my diet and finding new group of friends whom share common interests and have no connection to my ex. I thought to write here as a means to voice what has been happening and seek validation and support also, as I have been scrolled through people's stories and felt that compassion. My goal is to be able too recover as best to my ability and to be able to do the things I have missed for so long. Thank you for listening. xx

CJs_mum Heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who died on Australia Day trying to entertain us
  • replies: 1

Hi, just wanted to post up here my heart goes out to all those affected by the deaths of the pilot and their passenger while entertaining us lot on the bank. It was such a sad circumstance - such a tragic loss. How people were unable to pull them out... View more

Hi, just wanted to post up here my heart goes out to all those affected by the deaths of the pilot and their passenger while entertaining us lot on the bank. It was such a sad circumstance - such a tragic loss. How people were unable to pull them out quick enough is still baffling and must be confusing to their families. Love and hope out to them. Please seek help - on here and through guidance and counselling, talking and ensuring good support is around you. To those who saw the plane crash on the Swan River in Perth on Australia Day, young and old, please talk about it - get some counselling even- and try to ensure you live a good life for yourselves and your families and friends. Don't let their lives be a waste and be a tragedy- celebrate everything that is good about life and living it to the full, no matter what. Love to all x Peace

Sam2 tired of looking back
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I have been suffering with PTSD for a year now and I recently had a relapse of Sycosis, even thought the meds kinda work it does stop this talkative mind, and it seems to say things that I don't wanna hear I have tried not talking back t... View more

Hi everyone, I have been suffering with PTSD for a year now and I recently had a relapse of Sycosis, even thought the meds kinda work it does stop this talkative mind, and it seems to say things that I don't wanna hear I have tried not talking back to it but its hard, I feel like I am being controlled by someone and I think its a guy who is answering yes or no by tilting my head and it is most annoying and disturbing, I have ask it to leave and they wont and the moment I as him to leave I go backward say nasty thing in my mind. and even when I talk about treatment or the kind of treatment I want I seem to go backwards/ or I think I am being fake which I ashore you I'm not, I say the same recurring words in my mind and I am sick of it, some days I don't even wanna wake up as it goes all day long, and then if I have a bad dream the night before I am really bad the next day, I try to keep my self busy but i cant even concentrate on what i am doing, as its chatter chatter chatter. ive tried to teach myself CBT and Mindfullness techneacs but it only last a little while before if gets turned into a negative and then when i want to teach my self cbt all the old horrifying words that i had long gotten ride of come back it.

pinkroses Today I ended my emotionally abusive relationship
  • replies: 18

What next? Im shaking & scared. Im at my mums & I have told her. I was brave and told him this morning it isn't okay how he treats e.g. today he is going alone to a girls house to drink. I said that's not okay as he won't tell me where it is and when... View more

What next? Im shaking & scared. Im at my mums & I have told her. I was brave and told him this morning it isn't okay how he treats e.g. today he is going alone to a girls house to drink. I said that's not okay as he won't tell me where it is and when he will be back. He said I'm a skitzo & other things. I know people that haven't read my past post may think I didn't do the right thing however he does this often. who knows what he does with other people behind my back. Not too sure what else to write right now.

Noidentity Scared to be me my husband is verbally abusive
  • replies: 4

How do I find me again, my husband and I have been together for 7 years and it's never been easy. It wasn't until a year in that I realised he had a drinking problem. He drinks five or six days a week. It's something he says he wants to change but al... View more

How do I find me again, my husband and I have been together for 7 years and it's never been easy. It wasn't until a year in that I realised he had a drinking problem. He drinks five or six days a week. It's something he says he wants to change but all he does is become more secretive about alcohol. He verbally abuses me for hours when he's had too much or if he hasn't had enough. He stores a head full of things and puts me down and speaks to me like crap. I'm believing everything he has said about me now and I don't know what to do. I'm not perfect but I was comfortable with myself before we met, he's not an attentive husband or father he tries really hard when he's feeling guilty then uses that against me. My five year old now asks him to not yell at mum and if he's having more drinks, I think I should have left already but I love the focused him. I now have no one , I have cut myself off from the world and feel useless he criticises the way I am around his friends and tells me I f@&$)d up my kids. Always personal, I can't take anymore but I don't know if I can rise above and move on. Or am I more to blame than I realise. This is my second Marriage he keeps reminding me of that. He says there is no such thing as abuse because he has never laid a hand on me. Although he has threatened to break every bone in my body. I kicked a bedroom door down in panic one night during an argument as he was holding my one year old and screaming at me and he locked himself in the room with him, I just wanted my baby back. He uses that against me now all the time. My older kids don't respect him anymore Someone please help me find my inner strength and guide me to know what to do