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PTSD and trauma

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A_Tech PTSD for Medical and First Responders
  • replies: 273

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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I_am_enough New to all of this
  • replies: 28

Hi, i have been reading your posts and felt uplifted. I am just learning about PTSD. Actually, just beginning to accept that i have it and relieved that i am not alone. I spoke to my GP last week and we are in the process of finding a clinical psycol... View more

Hi, i have been reading your posts and felt uplifted. I am just learning about PTSD. Actually, just beginning to accept that i have it and relieved that i am not alone. I spoke to my GP last week and we are in the process of finding a clinical psycologist. I have been on medication for clinical depression and anxiety about a year. I have been so numb and afraid for so long now. I am a survivor of domestic violence. I am blessed to be almost 6 months clean and sober. The violence ended in 2013 when he went to prison. I have the love and support of amazing men and women at my meetings which keep me sober and not isolated. I am 48, being sober again is like waking up to "life" for the first time....Where have i been? What's going on, and why is everyone in such a hurry !! I have suffered alot more in my lifetime but i have hope today that i too can and will recover. If i had a middle name, it would be "pretend its not happening" !! But it is. I get scared real easy, spend most if the days alone, go for gentle walks in the park, sit and meditate, laugh at the dogs and get lots of doggy hellooooz. I'm so not ready to add any socialising or groups with strangers just yet. Next door aren't home much but lately they have been fighting and i felt like i was having a nervous breakdown. When its time for bed, i hear sounds and am real jumpy and cant sleep. When i hear their car, my anxiety levels begin to rise. I know in my heart of hearts that i am safe......but i am so afraid of people. I am fatigued most of the day. Gratitude keeps me sane. I have been afraid all of my life and i don't have the energy to run anymore.....i guess it's my time now to face my demons. Does it get better? Thanks for listening peeps ! I will be like a kid on Christmas morning jumping up to see if Santa replied to my distress call ! Over and out (for now) Regards, I Am Enough ;^}

Jasonw Traumer and skitzophrenia / ptsd with CTO
  • replies: 2

Hey guys. I have never writton on this site but quite like reading everyone else's issues and questions about mental health. i was diagnosed with skitsophrenia years ago... the more I think about it and the more time has passed I believe I could of b... View more

Hey guys. I have never writton on this site but quite like reading everyone else's issues and questions about mental health. i was diagnosed with skitsophrenia years ago... the more I think about it and the more time has passed I believe I could of been given a misdiagnoses. when I think back about my condition it only seemed to be ptsd from a traumatic night that I don't exactly remember. With my condition I am forced to take medication. From that medication and other issues I have developed many dependancies. The dependancies are keeping me focused for now but destroying everything slowly .I want to be clean of medication and dependencies. But how? any tips to over come ptsd with out medication ? And to turn around this diagnoses...And not to keep living in the past but rather live in the here , now and plan for the future. everyday I can't stop thinking of the five W's ' what, when , where , why , who! But due to my train of thought I can focus on what most normal people focus on. my life is far from normal and in saying this I can't keep going down the track of making a mess out of my life ... any tips? I'm a open book on this site so anything you would like to know or questions would be great!

Ngarrindjeri1992 Idk..
  • replies: 2

Im not really sure what to write so I'll just start by telling a bit about myself. I'm 24 and am 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I was diagnosed with PTSD during my 1st pregnancy in 2013. I believe my ptsd stems from the extreme physical abuse t... View more

Im not really sure what to write so I'll just start by telling a bit about myself. I'm 24 and am 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. I was diagnosed with PTSD during my 1st pregnancy in 2013. I believe my ptsd stems from the extreme physical abuse that I was exposed to as a child. I was also raped by a group of drunk men in 2010. I was 17, I quit my job and started using hard drugs. I was so afraid i couldn't even leave my house without a knife in my bag. I became very violent. Ive been clean for around 3yrs. I havent been in a fight for about the same length of time And I haven't had a drink for 8 mnths, which is HUGE for me last night was the first time I was aware that I was actually having flashbacks due to PTSD. It was weird, my partner and I went to the local pub to watch Danny green vs Anthony mundine, my father is an aboriginal man and I'm not sure but mundines footwork reminded me so much of my dad, and then just all the drunk men everywhere yelling, my partner was drunk and nearly got in a fight twice and by the time I got home I felt like I was having a breakdown. i couldnt open my eyes. I didn't recognize my partners voice unless I was looking at him. I didn't feel like I was in the present, or even on this planet. I Specifically could visualize one time when I was about 5 and my dad got into a bar fight and a glass got shattered over my head, I remember crying alone in the bathroom picking glass out of my hair. But it just all felt like it had just happened or something? I couldn't stop shaking, i couldnt breathe. I was afraid to go to sleep. And once I did finally go to sleep I woke up twice during the night crying in my sleep (although this happens often) I had to keep reminding myself of the present. Of my son asleep in his bed, of my dog, my partner, our home. It worked and I would strongly suggest this mindfulness method anyone in an anxiety attack! I'm really struggling today. I still feel really traumatized. Im feeling depressed and guilty. my partner doesn't really understand, im afraid he's going to leave me. I actually thought he was going to hurt me last night. I think its affecting our relationship. I don't mean to drag on so much, I just needed to get that off my chest in a non judgmental environment. Thank you all and best wishes to all of you in your own journeys

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