Dear Kate
That was a frightening experience you went through and it’s really understandable that certain things would activate the PTSD symptoms again. Have you had any psychological support along the way? If you don’t currently have a psychologist you could try looking for one who is trauma-informed and seems like a good fit for you. You may be aware already that you can get a referral from a GP in order to get a Medicare rebate for 10 sessions.
There are a few approaches for PTSD. EMDR is one that is known to have a good evidence base. I have done a method called Somatic Experiencing which worked very well for me in processing specific traumatic incidents. If you wanted to learn about this method, the founder of it, Peter Levine, has a book called “In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness”. He noticed how well animals recover in the wild from frequent traumatic encounters (e.g. being preyed upon by other animals) without getting stuck in trauma the way humans often do. It’s a bottom-up approach starting with bodily responses, tapping into the body’s natural trauma recovery response in a gentle, titrated way, while maintaining what he calls islands of safety - feelings of safety you can access anytime in the process.
I mention this because it’s what I know but it may or may not be the right thing for you. The most important thing is finding what connects with you and also a practitioner you connect with if you do some form of therapy. I eventually found a really good psychologist through my own researching on the internet.
I tried something else called TRE (Trauma Releasing Exercises) a while ago and that was quite helpful too. It was developed by a guy named David Berceli with PTSD recovery being one of the key aims of the method. There is a lot out there right now, even trauma-informed yoga. There are also more cognitive approaches such as trauma-focussed CBT. While I’ve responded best to methods that begin at a body level, some people do well with methods that start with cognition.
Hopefully others may have some suggestions. I feel for you right now dealing with those fears. Ideally you want your home to feel like a safe sanctuary where you can relax and be able to go through life peacefully.
