Immediate support
Immediate support

PTSD and trauma

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

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a discussion

G12345 Humiliated
  • replies: 15

I feel emotionally humiliated because of my history of sexual abuse and I sometimes feel like I deserved what happened to me as an innocent child why I wasn't believed is why I blame i don't understand what I did to deserve a life where I don't feel ... View more

I feel emotionally humiliated because of my history of sexual abuse and I sometimes feel like I deserved what happened to me as an innocent child why I wasn't believed is why I blame i don't understand what I did to deserve a life where I don't feel free can anybody relate.

Lost4ever Human rights/ child abuse in sport
  • replies: 2

Does anyone have any advice of help to offer for survivors of child abuse. Currently being investigated through Australian human rights commission? Not every person wants to tell there story and just be another number, so where do we go from here?

Does anyone have any advice of help to offer for survivors of child abuse. Currently being investigated through Australian human rights commission? Not every person wants to tell there story and just be another number, so where do we go from here?

b_abbey trouble after divulging to my parents **trigger warning - sexual abuse**
  • replies: 21

Hi there. Thanks for looking. I have a problem with my family since I divulged I was sexually abused by my brother when I was 10-12ys old. He is 5 years my senior. Another girl, who lived near us growing up - came forward & said she was abused by him... View more

Hi there. Thanks for looking. I have a problem with my family since I divulged I was sexually abused by my brother when I was 10-12ys old. He is 5 years my senior. Another girl, who lived near us growing up - came forward & said she was abused by him, & when my parents told me she came forward - I took the opportunity to say "me too". At first I thought the response was quite good. My mother said "I'm sorry that happened to you" and my father was absolutely mortified. As time has moved on (3 years since I told them) I have tried to broach the subject & these comments were the responses (yes - I practically remember word for word): (1) This is very embarrassing for the family, please don't tell anyone (2) let's bury this in the back yard shall we? (2) we think you might have "false memories" (3) you are torturing us. You didn't tell us - so whose fault is that?! We would have done something if you had of told us! (angry tone) (4) & finally, just a couple of months ago "just get over it!!" in a very hostile tone - both of them said it twice & then they hung up on me, so we haven't spoken since So I bought it up with them those 4 times in the last 3 years. Obviously they are finding it difficult to handle. I was hoping they would help me heal - yet it's not going as planned! Was I expecting too much? I feel like I want to cut ties because perhaps they care more about their reputation, than their child's wellbeing, and then I consider well - I have damaged their wellbeing. And then I consider - only one person is at fault here, which is NOT me! I do wish I had never told them now. I do feel -not speaking up- is not exactly the best course of action either - and I'm worried he has done this to more survivors. I feel they are blaming me, or they just don't want to know. It doesn't help that the abuser is now a dr & he was the golden child, and he lives close to them & is in their ear suggesting this "false memory syndrome" They don't believe he abused the other girl in my street - so that's 2 of us they say they don't believe? On another occasion he was caught peering through a window at myself and another kid when we were in the bath when we were in 5th class. But I have no idea if he got into trouble for that or not - I think my mother just didn't tell my father Any advice? thanks for listening

Slipperyfish Coping with anniversaries.
  • replies: 2

Hi Just after some advice on how to deal with anniversaries as they come around. It’s 3 years tomorrow since I was sexually assaulted and over the past weeks my stress and anxiety has been taking over. I also keep dissociating and am having really ho... View more

Hi Just after some advice on how to deal with anniversaries as they come around. It’s 3 years tomorrow since I was sexually assaulted and over the past weeks my stress and anxiety has been taking over. I also keep dissociating and am having really horrid body memories and flash backs. So I don’t like to sleep either. I know I have many tools I can use to try and get through this time safely, but once I’m upset I find it hard to remember anything I’ve learned. I feel a bit like going insane. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Frenchy89 Alone depressed confused greaving
  • replies: 4

I met the mother of my children at age 23 and was with her for 7 years. We have 3 kids together. The last pregnancy she became very nasty towards me and also very sexually promiscuous. I was working 12 hour days and she was seeing another man on the ... View more

I met the mother of my children at age 23 and was with her for 7 years. We have 3 kids together. The last pregnancy she became very nasty towards me and also very sexually promiscuous. I was working 12 hour days and she was seeing another man on the side. I still stayed with her and two months later my baby boy was born and he was absolutely perfect in every way. Mum had complications with the cesarean and got sepsis. I took time off work and cared for our newborn while she got better. 2 months after our sons birth she seeing this other guy again and even introduced him to our children while I was at work. I was tired and stressed and heartbroken and I moved out to show her I'm not going to put up with her crap. She moved interstate a week later and got an AVO against me so she didn't need my consent moving the kids interstate. 3 months after she left I get a very distressing phone call from the hospital telling me my that my baby boy was found with severe head trauma and his heart had stopped. there was a 75% chance he is going to pass. The cause was mum got with yet another guy and left my baby boy alone with this monster. My baby was upset and was crying so this creature hurt him. When I walked in to the ICU he was unrecognisable and was on life support. I was told all he will ever be is lungs breathing and a heart beating. 6 months has passed and he is still with us but extremely disabled. The kids were taken off their mother and because she mentioned drugs in the AVO(iv been clean for 7 years) they weren't brought back to me either. They are temporarily in the care of the grandparents but all 3 will be moved to a foster home soon. Child protection services told me i couldn't cope caring for my son his needs are to high. This has really broke me. Some days the waves of emotions I feel when I think of what my baby went through is torture. Several times now iv passed a mother pushing a newborn in the supermarket or down the street and I just burst into tears. I don't have any family for support and have been trying to get through this on my own. I don't know if helps talking about it or it just makes it worse.

Naturescalling24 Angry or something else
  • replies: 1

When I little my family and me moved up north Byron I can’t remember where exactly old man left me at the hotel they getting food mid day so I went for a walk I but I got restless I got lost for hours didn’t no where I was found what looked like my d... View more

When I little my family and me moved up north Byron I can’t remember where exactly old man left me at the hotel they getting food mid day so I went for a walk I but I got restless I got lost for hours didn’t no where I was found what looked like my dad same cap shirt sunglasses but it wasn’t walking down this alley he tried to grab me but I ran and ran I forgot it but remember it after a join a few years back I haven’t been able to get those hands out of my mind I’ve been doing fitness gym mma but I feel so hopeless because of that and what happened in school it’s so messed up my folks think I’m gay because they never seen my with a girl that I’ve just stopped feeling all is now anger sad and sleepy lost everything no friends dreams just became a zombie every time I sleep i c blood or something horrible that’s why I don’t sleep until I pass out I wanted to vent thanks it’s been a bad day

PumpkinPie Anger issues and PTSD
  • replies: 4

My husband was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014. He was slowly getting better and easier to live with. He had a car accident in March this year which triggered it again. Does anyone know if the terrible anger ever goes? I am sick of him yelling ,swearing ... View more

My husband was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014. He was slowly getting better and easier to live with. He had a car accident in March this year which triggered it again. Does anyone know if the terrible anger ever goes? I am sick of him yelling ,swearing at people he doesnt even know and yelling abuse at people on the TV if he doesnt agree with their opinion. His counselor says he is better and doesnt have any anger issues.

mrmonaro Hi
  • replies: 4

I only just joined and had no idea what to say or were to start. I went to a psychologist years ago and was diagnosed with extreme PTSD due to a lot of things I saw and did while on serving nearly 30 years ago. I also had a rather interesting childho... View more

I only just joined and had no idea what to say or were to start. I went to a psychologist years ago and was diagnosed with extreme PTSD due to a lot of things I saw and did while on serving nearly 30 years ago. I also had a rather interesting childhood with an abusive alcoholic step father who did things that I cannot describe here. I never went back to the psychologist because I was afraid he would have me locked up in a mental ward of some sort. So for the last few decades I have been trying to treat and control this myself. You would be amazed at how well I have been able to hide my condition. My wife knows but like me she is powerless to help. She is though always there for me and that has gotten me through a lot of "situations". Its nice to think that there are services available and what not but what services don't involve me getting the sack from work for being mentally unstable? I start every day wanting to end it all and by the end of each day I find I'm too gutless to go through with it which then makes me want to plan out my demise for the next day and so on. On the one hand I know there is help available but even one day off could see me out of work and then my wife has the burden of having to work longer hours just to keep us fed and housed. My condition is not hers to bare. I want to describe the daily things that I go through but its no different to whats millions of other people go through and have already spoken about so I will spare you all that BS. I'm not sure what else to say or what I even wanted from this post to be honest.

___2 Just putting this out there. Hi and keep smiling...I’m trying...
  • replies: 3

???? That’s my life right now. If I was honest it has been my life up until now anyway. My future is now ??? I was diagnosed with Lymphoma about 5 months ago. It was every where in my body. Now after 6 Chemo treatments it seems to have cleared but I ... View more

???? That’s my life right now. If I was honest it has been my life up until now anyway. My future is now ??? I was diagnosed with Lymphoma about 5 months ago. It was every where in my body. Now after 6 Chemo treatments it seems to have cleared but I won’t know for sure for a few more months. I still have 2 cycles to come that require hospitalisation. The effects of the chemo haven’t been terrible but they have affected and changed my body. On top of that I have PTSD. Had it most of my life. Which is why my life up until now has been ?? Always feeling that I’m better off dead. Not possessing the confidence to achieve financially or socially. A lifetime of acidic anxiety has a lot to do with that. Always running away or avoiding anything that I would feel is overwhelming. At 9 my father and sister were killed in a family car accident. When I was 18 my mother died and I felt guilty. I’ve had two marriages and a long term defacto relationship by the time I was 44. When my 2nd wife cheated on me I gave up on life. So I started living out of a car for several years until I felt that I wanted to try a normal life again. Then I rent/shared a house but within 3 months all my laptops and camera gear was stolen. I continued renting for a few more years, became complacent. Living week to week and never saving anything despite working full time. So I decided to return to van living again to at least be able to start buying a few things instead of taking out cash loans that only ended up putting me in more debt. Then in March 2020, Covid came to Oz and work asked all vulnerable team members (me) to stay home with reduced pay. So definitely no complaints there. So I camped out till June in the van and decided to start renting again with my partner of a few years. On the day I picked up the keys to the flat. I had back pain. Week later I was in hospital then found out that I have cancer. I am 51 years old feeling like 90. Feeling fat, sick and hopeless. Last month a pace maker was implanted to prevent my heart from stopping again and my depression is now coming back big time. I don’t see the point any more. Can I return to work after treatment? How will I get by if I can’t? What if I only have a few years left to live? How would you want to spend the rest of your life if you knew there was a good chance you would die within 3 to 5 years. It comes down to quality of life. Just feeling lost...

Bailey18 I don't know how to make it stop
  • replies: 2

I am a victim of domestic violence perpetrated my ex-husband. My 5 year old is impacted. His medical and therapeutic teams are impacted My current parter is impacted. My abuse started after the relationship ended. I ended things and got a DVO because... View more

I am a victim of domestic violence perpetrated my ex-husband. My 5 year old is impacted. His medical and therapeutic teams are impacted My current parter is impacted. My abuse started after the relationship ended. I ended things and got a DVO because he couldn'tet go, and his life's mission is to pretty much destroy me, and it's working. I feel broken. Most of my abuse is systemic as he knows he can't directly abuse me, so he does things like make frivolous complaints about my sons teachers to the board of education, reporting our GP to the medical board, calling the police to say I abused him even when he chooses to live 2 states away, calling child safety to say I've abused my son. Yesterday I had the Police at my door because he wants to remove my son from the DVO. I have to court to court in January. He put in an IO application against my parter to say that he is intimidating and we have to go to court in January for that also. They have never physically met! My partner has a disability and isn't a threat to anyone. We are also fighting in the family court and have a court report in my favour outlining my ex husbands mental health issues and indactsting that he us domestically violent, and recommends reduced time but our trial is 9 months away. No one will acknowledge this report until then. Between all the lies and court cases and I am being mentally, financially and emotionally drained. My son is being affected because his therapy team are pulling out. They don't want to lose their registrations over my ex complaints. I keep screaming out for help and no one can help me, especially not the Police. Everytime I go to them he just gets smarter and more covert. Now that the borders are open, I genuinely fear that he will hurt my son during a visit one day just to hurt me. I am scared and drained and no one can help me. I've reached out to DV specialists, lawyers, psychologists, and even my local MP who can do nothing for me. The only thing I've been told I can possibly do is put in an injunction with my lawyer tonstop him from talking to my sons specialists but it will cost me $20k with no hope of success. That is on top of the $65k I already have to pay in legal fees next year that I can't afford. I tried. I even sold items in my house, saved frugally, even started a go fund me and nothing worked. I'm.drowning financially, which is his goal I'm sure. I don't know how to make the abuse stop.