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
Categories
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

ABC01 Muscle-skeletal Pain from Trauma Question
  • replies: 6

Dear All, After suffering trauma this year, my body had started to tense up and lock up. I was given a muscle-skeletal relaxant and that worked for a while,as I was in alot of pain. But now the pain has returned. I still take the medication. My Psych... View more

Dear All, After suffering trauma this year, my body had started to tense up and lock up. I was given a muscle-skeletal relaxant and that worked for a while,as I was in alot of pain. But now the pain has returned. I still take the medication. My Psychiatrist has suggested physiotherapy for the pain. Massage specifically. Has anyone else had pain of this type and what techniques or strategies did you use to manage it. I mostly feel the pain strongly in the base of my neck, my spine behind my belly button and where my spine meets my tailbone. I am starting to get regular headaches too. I feel like The Princess and the Pea, where I can feel everything underneath me when I sit. Any edges on fabrics and so on. Any replies would be appreciated.Thank-you,ABC01

Halecia PTSD alone and I have No life
  • replies: 5

Hey it’s been a while since I posted on here. I’m extremely distressed and I’m moving house too in the next week. Everytime I have a clear heart and mind I call my mother. Or people who I reach out too who i usually block. It’s like my body heart and... View more

Hey it’s been a while since I posted on here. I’m extremely distressed and I’m moving house too in the next week. Everytime I have a clear heart and mind I call my mother. Or people who I reach out too who i usually block. It’s like my body heart and mind wants closure so I reach out but these people are narcissistic. Having put me in that moment of distress in the first place. my Mother looks at conversations towards her as a competition. Instead of LISTENING To the words I’m expressing and conveying to her she listens to what she can get out of it and how it affects her. She thinks she’s being attacked so she has her guard up all the time. I could be expressing how much I loved my Country coastal trip and how I was abit worried about my cars Gears, but I had a good trip away, AND SHE’LL FOCUS ON MY NEGATIVE EVENTS. Which is NOT WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. im 38 I’ve gone through a few domestic violence incidents one which was very traumatically VIOLENT. Then the other phycological more after he went to the remand centre. writing to people is hard when SO MANY NASTY NARCISSISTIC PEOPLE Have tried to make me react and say things to take from me. What I generally mean by that is that growing up in a single parent house hold even though my dad wanted to be with my mum. I Would always be told to do things I didn’t want to do my Other sister ran off one day when she was 14. And she didn’t come back. She hasn’t spoken to my mother since. shes 39. if I mistaked something I would get punished usually hit. im stressed right now due to strangers like plumbing technicians coming around to my place of rental to fix a plumbing Issue only to forcefully demanding and Outrageous. This happened yesterday. I’m moving out of this property. But it was disgusting. only word I can think of is Apporant. Behaviour. It’s time to go away. It’s time to focus on my own self and thoughts. It’s difficult when I’ve got horrible things my mother has said in the back of my mind. She needs to go away and let me be happy. I’ve always dreamt she’ll go away to live somewhere and let me us be happy. my sister has moved to Canada. She did when she was 28. I had a strong bond with my other little sister but she hasn’t spoken to me since me and my ex finished (she’s 27) I have another sibling who likes to control me. She’s 44. She my halfsister. my mother deposits small amounts into my bank account without me asking. So now I’ve had to block her recipient. I hope things do work for me

sid_123 I was raped in a small town
  • replies: 4

Two years ago I was raped while unconscious from drinking, by a close friend. I felt in my small town I couldn't talk about it, for fear of not being believed or honestly I couldn't imagine the rift that would bring n his family (who are lovely), and... View more

Two years ago I was raped while unconscious from drinking, by a close friend. I felt in my small town I couldn't talk about it, for fear of not being believed or honestly I couldn't imagine the rift that would bring n his family (who are lovely), and he is a popular person. I had bruises and people knew he had taken me there unconscious so I should have done something. I told only a couple close friends a month after it happened, and they were unfazed and still talk to him and are friends with him. I struggle to see him around and I have to fake being polite to him even though it kills me. Even my new boyfriend (who knows what happened) will maintain conversation with him. I have so many mixed feelings about this and would love someone to take me seriously when I talk about it.

Rach28 Feeling extremely anxious, stressed and lost trying to apply for DSP
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone. So its been a while since i made a post in hopes of getitng some advice and guidance for everyone. So here we go. Since last month (September) I've been trying to apply for the DSP payment. I was on a 6 months medical exemption and it en... View more

Hi everyone. So its been a while since i made a post in hopes of getitng some advice and guidance for everyone. So here we go. Since last month (September) I've been trying to apply for the DSP payment. I was on a 6 months medical exemption and it ended so yeah i was hoping I could just apply and thats it - but theres all these damn paperwork requirements that yeah are insanity. So fast forward to this month just before Halloween, ive had countless anxiety attacks, stressed out of my mind, trying to get help and guidance from my GP with no success and I ended up calling helplines multiple times cause im so stressed and triggered by this application process. I'm so done with this entire paperback that I want to rip it up, burn it and throw it in the bin. It's not benefiting me and only making my anxiety worse. So here I am guys - asking for advice and help. I am seriously struggling and I cant stay on jobseeker for the rest of my life, and I cant get a job either - i have serios mental health struggles (complex ptsd, severe anxiety and severe depression). I downplay my mental health because I am a victim of sexual assault and family abuse. I generally shut down due to safety reasons to protect myself. If your an abuse/assault victim you'd understand. It's my protective mode that makes it hard for me to communicate whats really going on. So yeah I know it doesnt help but sadly its my coping mechanism. So guys - what do I do? Cause im at the end of my string, I dont know who to turn to for help, who to call or who to help me with this entire mess. The paperback is literally driving me insane, im done with it. I dont want to approach my doctor anymore, he wont help and is sexist towards my gender. So guys - if your a woman and you've been through this process applying for DSP as a victim who did you turn to for support and help/guidance? Cause i personally cant do this on my own, its impossible. I'm exhausted mentally and physically. I need someone else to do this for me. It's that simple. What do I do guys? Help! (p.s. crying while writing this post).

Depp Confused
  • replies: 1

My partner and I just went through a breakup, had it’s good and bad times, I was voicing what’s on my mind as we do and I said “thing you do make me feel like an option” the relationship ended the next day and made me the option.. where did I go wron... View more

My partner and I just went through a breakup, had it’s good and bad times, I was voicing what’s on my mind as we do and I said “thing you do make me feel like an option” the relationship ended the next day and made me the option.. where did I go wrong?

sid_123 Post Neck Injury Trauma
  • replies: 5

Hi guys, I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had a similar experience. A year ago, I broke my neck and was airlifted to hospital. My injury was extremely serious, I almost lost my ability to walk. A year later I am physically fully recovered, and... View more

Hi guys, I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had a similar experience. A year ago, I broke my neck and was airlifted to hospital. My injury was extremely serious, I almost lost my ability to walk. A year later I am physically fully recovered, and never thought I was effected mentally. The other day a doctor was asking me details about it, and I broke down and I could barely speak about it. I've never cried about it before and now I'm feeling more affected by it than I was originally. I don't know if I have subconsciously suppressed how I really feel, or if I should have moved on by now. I don't know what to do with my feelings and everyone else in my life has moved on.

prettylost1 Finally seeing the truth about my mum
  • replies: 3

For 30 years I believed something was severely wrong with me. I spent my life chasing my mum’s approval and love, pushing myself until I completely burned out. This year everything collapsed, and I realised that the reason I’ve been so miserable for ... View more

For 30 years I believed something was severely wrong with me. I spent my life chasing my mum’s approval and love, pushing myself until I completely burned out. This year everything collapsed, and I realised that the reason I’ve been so miserable for so long is because my mum has abused me for most of my life. She made me believe, in the cruellest ways, that I wasn’t worthy of love or of life at all.Whenever things got slightly tough for me, she would walk away from her role as a mum, sometimes even saying it out loud, showing no empathy, never checking in, and never apologising. Earlier this year things came to a breaking point for me, and honestly, I don’t understand how I couldn’t see this earlier?During a visit, which turned into an absolute nightmare, she became very aggressive and abusive toward me at the dinner table. Other people were there, and for no real reason, in my opinion, she started screaming at me the moment I sat down. Her reason was that I had held the map too long at a zoo we visited. There was only one map, but no one had asked for it, and I had even asked if anyone else wanted it. Her anger escalated so quickly, from the map to saying the cruellest things, that I was left in shock. When I started crying and shaking from fear, she seemed to get a thrill out of it. She even mocked me by imitating the sound of my crying...My husband stepped in to intervene, but she couldn’t understand that she had done anything wrong... the whole experience was a nightmare.The next day she deleted me from all social media, packed her things, and left, just like that. I thought I was going to die of a broken heart. That was the moment I finally saw the truth. This had happened before, many times. She has no empathy, no sense of responsibility, and truly sees me as the devil. She even told others in my family that I couldn’t be trusted, saying she had travelled so far to visit me and that this was how I treated her. She has never apologised or acknowledged the pain she caused and spent months sending me hate-filled messages, which I eventually stopped reading.Since then I have gone no contact for now and started therapy. I had to stop working for a while because I was barely sleeping, but therapy is helping a lot and I am finally sleeping again. I feel emotionally drained, exhausted, and lost. I’m trying to rediscover who I am, one small step at a time, but I’m heartbroken that my mum won’t apologise or even try to repair our relationship.It’s hard, especially since my dad passed away when I was young, and it often feels like I’m on my own. I do have a supportive husband, and I’m safe now. I was recently diagnosed with C-PTSD and am slowly finding my way back to myself.. Has anyone else been through something like this and would like to briefly share their story? I feel so alone in this sometimes. People mean well, but unless they have experienced it, they just don’t seem to understand. My husband has seen her behaviour first-hand, so he understands some of it, but it is still hard for others to truly relate.

zea i know it's a bit dramatic, but i feel traumatized from my losses.
  • replies: 1

Hello, this will sound like a lot of whining and complaining about my life, I'm very very sorry.Confronting the loss of my older brother has been a very hard thing for me to do. He is two years older than me, and comitted with I turned fourteen. I wi... View more

Hello, this will sound like a lot of whining and complaining about my life, I'm very very sorry.Confronting the loss of my older brother has been a very hard thing for me to do. He is two years older than me, and comitted with I turned fourteen. I will never forget that day when my mother had screamed, crying while dropping me and my brother off to school, grabbing me by shoulders and asking if i was okay to go, ever since then she treats me differently, I can tell she is terrified that I'll do it too.I'm still not over what happened that day, in the next year, my older sister by 4 years had died to muscular dystrophy, this year, my eldest sister is suffering in hospital. The part that hurts the most, they're all my siblings but I never really got to meet them or speak to them properly due to being seperated. My mom promised me all those years ago, we will all get to live together, and as a child with at that time a single mother, the promise of a normal family felt too good to be true. Of course, it never happened because they died, it was terrifying, I keep thinking all the time selfishly if I'm next, if my mom is next, and if the family I now have will dissapear forever and leave me alone. These trash thoughts affect and influence my relationship with others, my depression and anxiety worsens and I feel like it's ruining my mind, and slowly driving me insane. I've never had a proper sense of stability, and every single day that I wake up and go to bed is the day I wonder what will be taken away from me next, what I'll do, how I will react, paranoid with every trip I make to school or go out.I hope one day I'll stop being like this, and I try my best to keep a smile on my face and push through the day.

TimTams Bad experience with police/reporting rape?
  • replies: 69

Hi, I am hoping to hear from other rape survivors in hope someone has been through what I have. When I reported my rape an officer encouraged me not to report 2 other assaults by this person because it sounded like "risky sex". This really hurt, beca... View more

Hi, I am hoping to hear from other rape survivors in hope someone has been through what I have. When I reported my rape an officer encouraged me not to report 2 other assaults by this person because it sounded like "risky sex". This really hurt, because each time I was badly assaulted. I am wondering is anyone else who has reported rape in Australia has had bad experiences with police like me? I am finding it really hard to understand why not all victims are given the chance to go to court due to 'not enough evidence' as well. Of course rapists will deny it and I just cannot understand how this is all the system does before closing a case. Has anyone else struggled with not having 'enough evidence' to get a conviction and bad remarks from police officers? This has really deeply affected my trust in society. It just feels hard to understand the world when you are raised to believe these things are wrong, yet police support the rapist. Thank you for any insights. I have felt very alone in this and was wondering if there are others out there who have had similar bad experiences when reporting their rape?

Cee123 Stuck in an abusive parental situation, no way out
  • replies: 3

I am 39, and my father has completely ruined my life. I am still stuck living with him on a daily basis now that he has retired... I am constantly fighting with him, I never feel at peace here and I'm stuck with him controlling me on a daily basis, b... View more

I am 39, and my father has completely ruined my life. I am still stuck living with him on a daily basis now that he has retired... I am constantly fighting with him, I never feel at peace here and I'm stuck with him controlling me on a daily basis, but I have nowhere else to go or I will be homeless and living on the street. I can't even get a job now because my mental health is destroyed, suffering long-term anxiety disorders and major depression and I am socially isolated. Things which I am only now realising were largely caused by his selfish actions, and not being allowed to have a life and grow as a person. I've also been long-term unemployed now with no major skills or experience etc and feel as though I am old now and my life has been completely wasted. I never got to do anything I wanted to do in life!-He had to control everything growing up, and still does today. He controls me, he controls my mother, controlled my brother up until last year when he moved out with a friend of his. But basically everything he does he has to be in CONTROL. And if he doesn't get his own way with things he gets angry about it. Most of the time, we always have to eat what he wants, go where he wants, do what he wants. But other than that, he doesn't want me to go anywhere, he doesn't want me to do anything, he doesn't want me to have money, he doesn't want me to have a job. He just wants me to stay here for the rest of my life and do nothing. But I am going absolutely nuts and I am often snapping and yelling at him! Same with my mother. He doesn't want my mother to go anywhere or have a life of her own. Treats her like a domestic slave. He often wants to know where she goes, where she is etc, and the same with me. I look at her a lot of days and it looks like she's given up on life.-He basically kept us isolated growing up, and I missed out on having a lot of experiences that would've helped me grow as a person. We only ever went to the same places, did the same things probably about once or twice a year. He never took us anywhere or did anything with us as kids. He would go out and live his life and leave us home. My cousins went everywhere, and did a lot of things with their parents. They had a lot of things to talk about and found it easier to make friends. My dad took off in the car and was never home, and expected my mother to always stay home with us. But fortunately she worked, as he would never share his money with her. As a result, I barely had any friends growing up, always struggled to make and keep friends, couldn't form healthy relationships. I would go to school and we would have news day and the teacher would ask me what I did on the weekend and I would say "nothing". I never got to do or experience a lot of things that other people got to do and experience and missed out on A LOT in my life, and a lot of stuff that I never got to learn. Having autism doesn't help, as that isolated me even more and I was a regular target for bullying.