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Move to the best (crime-free) neighborhood with "neighborhood watch" signs, get know your neighbors, and install the surveillance and whatever else you can afford including emergency buttons (I'm fantasizing, I just don't know). Doesn't matter how small the house will be.
Behave as if nothing ever happened. Don't walk in the daylight turning around with suspicion, as if you are a troop in Vietnam and there is a g00k behind every tree. Just act as a PTSD-free person. The truth is, odds are now pretty much in your favor.
Ask your doctor about melatonin - it might help you sleep better. As soon as you will be able to sleep, you will feel better. Nervous system should have rest, 7-8 hours a day. Try meditation techniques, with concentration on something totally unrelated and totally beautiful, like flowers, landscape, or a simple nut. Make sure you can totally relax all your muscles including facial and neck ones. It's a key for sleeping well.
EMDR and or EFT.
If you google them you will find out more than what I could explain.
Best wishes.
They really work...I dunno how!! But they do. And fast.
Agreed! No matter what you think, try these, they work.
One thing to keep in mind when dealing with it, is that almost anything could set the symptoms off. It's best to get help as soon and as often as possible to have professionals treat this devastating condition.
Concerned Aunt 936, I totally understand how you feel. I also have chronic PTSD from trauma I went through as a child. I have done lots of therapy, and I do take medication...and have been for 25 years. Nobody would know that I have PTSD. However, I avoid certain situations to keep it under control. I also have valium for emergency situations. I do not have to take it often.
You have to remember that the quality of your life is important. Medications could improve the quality of your life. I believe that my medications are safe, but if they reduce my life by a few years...so be it. At least the years I have are better quality than the years I would have had living in fear constantly and having nightmares, etc. Also...having support could improve the quality of your life. You need to tell your children what you have been through. They can be very helpful to you. I don't know how old they are, but you protected them when they were younger, and now they can help you. That is what families do.
I don't know how severe your PTSD is, but you can receive Social Security Disability for it if it is severe enough. I know...because I do receive SSD because of mine. In fact, I received the SSD the first time I applied. It took 3 l/2 months. I had always heard how tough it was to get SSD...not with my diagnosis. There are also many sites on the internet (discussion boards, like this) that are designed for people with PTSD. There may also be support groups in your area. I did not want to do group therapy either, because I live in a very small town. Maybe your city is larger and you would feel more anonymous in support or group therapy.
Maybe we can keep a thread running on the boards about PTSD and help support one another. I'm new to the boards, so don't know everything about it yet. My personal best to you and hugs.
My children are 5 & 7, and I'm not about to put the fear that I'm experiencing onto them, which would in turn give them psychological issues in the long run. They are just babies.
I started a new thread, Pstd day 2! Special thanks to all for all the advice! Like most of you said, 1 day at a time right. Day 2 has begun, Thank you again for all the support. Please keep in touch, as I plan to start a new thread everyday to help keep track of my own progress.
My children are 5 & 7, and I'm not about to put the fear that I'm experiencing onto them, which would in turn give them psychological issues in the long run. They are just babies.
I think you are kidding yourself, like most parents do, that you can "hide" your fear, anxiety, hypervigilance and other emotional issues from your children. Kids have an amazing ability to pick up on something being "wrong," even if they can't verbalize it.
In September of 2012 I was the victim of a home invasion. I was actually chased out of my home and shot at. I thank god everyday that my children weren't home, as the perpetrators entered through their room, shattering their window. I was home alone. In April of 2013, while working the grave yard shift at my 2nd job, I was held at gun point. Again in May 2013 at the 2nd job was held at gun point again.
I have quit the 2nd job, and moved to the country. I've been seeing a therapist who has diagnosed me with having post traumatic stress disorder. I completely understand, and have no doubts in my mind that I have this. He asked me last week how I deal with it, and how I sleep. My reply was, "I don't."
I wake several times throughout the night to check on the kids, look out the windows, and check all the locks. When my anxiety is high, I write in a notebook to calm myself down.
My children have no acknowledgement of any of the events.
My question is, what can I do to help myself move on from these events? Drugs are not an option. I am afraid of any and all pills, including Tylenol. As my doctor already tried to prescribe me something to help me sleep, and I refused.
It's natural that you feel the way that you do, but yes, in time, you are going to need to deal with it, no matter how much that's going to suck. It's very easy to keep pushing it down, trying to pretend, but it will keep coming back up, as you have illustrated right here in this post. You have to deal with it.
I guess the "when" is when you finally get tired of being in the state of mind that you are now, and decide that you're tired of living that way. For some people, it can indeed take a lifetime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Billy_J
Well you are taking the first step toward recovering from this traumatic incident and that is talking about it (telling us about it in your message here). Do talk to people about what happened, that helps. ...
Just make sure you're talking to the right people. Some people can't deal with certain stories and it can actually make matters worse. If you're going to talk to people about it, make sure that they can at least handle it.
Trust me on that one.
Quote:
Then another "cure" is time. Slowly over time things will get better.
In some cases. Not all cases are cured with time...unfortunately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oh-eve
WTF???
OP, don't rely on pills.
Agreed. I don't think throwing a pill down your throat is the proper way to "deal with it". To me, that's just a band-aid and not actually even attempting to resolve the issue.
I understand where you're coming from CA936. I made the mistake of giving this teenage kid a ride from a friends house. He waited until we were in the middle of no where before he put his hands around my throat and started choking me telling me to pull my car over. I was lucky and he was out of my car within minutes of the incidence. I couldn't tell my husband about it for years. I swear I barely slept for weeks after. It has changed my life and to this day I have a suspicious nature. I think time is what you need the most. Did you move from the house that was invaded? I was recently offered a job in a very sketchy neighborhood that I turned down because of the fear factor. Can you move to a safer area? The memories will fade and the anxiety will ease with time if you keep it in perspective and don't let it consume you.
EMDR and or EFT.
If you google them you will find out more than what I could explain.
Best wishes.
They really work...I dunno how!! But they do. And fast.
I can vouch for the efficacy of EMDR; it completely cured my PTSD and I took no drugs. After beginning the treatments I felt at least 70% better within 6 weeks and my Dr.and I agreed that I was completely cured within 11 months.
So ... I can't say enough good things about EMDR. This treatment gave my life back to me, and I am not overstating.
If you're interested, go here to find a Doc who is certified as proficient in the practice of EMDR. EMDR Institute, Inc.
Click on the Find a Clinician link on the left side. Plus the other links give a wealth of information about what it is and how it works.
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