Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Your response to Mircea is interesting. I have a Vietnam vet acquaintance who was assigned a Vietnamese psychiatrist. I remember wondering about that and if it would make his adjustment more difficult.
He seemed matter-of-fact about it but it was an odd choice from my perspective. Perhaps it was part of "facing the issue?"
Wow. This sounds like an opening scene of a cliche horror movie (working title : Charlie's Closure) taking part in cabin in the woods, starring Sylvester Stallone
That psychiatrist is certainly, I wanna say -brave- , but the saying about the thin line between bravery and stupidity comes to mind inevitably...
If you think about it, the guy is probably around ~70. From his standpoint, highly likely not much to loose at this point in life. But the closure has a very high probability of being substantial and life-changing.
The guy I know who has the worst PTSD I've ever seen prefers to be in the city. More to take his mind off things, a support system and easy access to resources. He will occasionally head into the mountains for peace and quiet.
I would advise people not to randomly move anywhere thinking it will solve their psychological issues. I go back to that old saying, "Wherever you go, there you are." You simply cannot resolve deep rooted psychological issues by making superficial environmental changes (although people keep trying this, maybe because it is quicker and may sound less painful than dealing with one's issues).
We live in on the edge of a rural area, near a small town. One of the things we had to get used to was hearing random gunshots from hunters all fall and winter long. Add that to the fireworks people love to shoot off at all times of year, both in big pyrotechnical displays and just randomly in their backyards, and you have an area that is mostly almost eerily quiet, but at times explodes in unexpected loud noises.
I also think there are going to be more resources and outlets for socialization for people with PTSD in a larger city than in the country or a small town. Plus, moving to a different location is a major life stressor in and of itself.
As far as depression, I was clinically depressed and had an anxiety disorder both when I lived in a small town and when I lived in a large city. Moving to a rural area made both issues worse for a while, because I was away from my friends and community, and I had to find all new support professionals. Overall, I found more resources in the large city to help me with my issues than either the small town or the rural area.
Nope, I can't get with this idea at all.
I think your point is true to a certain extent. However, when I was 34, I moved far away from my family, and it started a psychological journey that is still ongoing. I had gotten as happy as I was going to be in my hometown, and I needed to make a change in order to grow further.
I long believed "wherever you go there you are" but when I got to Denver, I was in a completely new environment. I quickly joined groups and built up a social circle. I got the distance I needed to see my old life and why I had not been able to be fully happy. A lot of it was distance from my mother. I've been out here for 7 years, and it was only two years ago that I got into therapy and came to understand precisely how abusive and dysfunctional my upbringing was.
Now, if I hadn't done years of groundwork before moving in which I kind of improved my people skills, got direction in my career and defined my interests and values, the move would have been a huge disaster and possibly had very bad results. But it was the correct step for me to further develop the life I've been building.
Just as a side note, my husband got acupuncture at a VA hospital.... it was something to try for pain management, but they do (or did 5 years ago) a lot of alternative type treatments.
They still do. They also offer chiropractic treatments.
Once, again, you've shown that you don't know what you're talking about. I've been an advisor to our local VA, which has been trying a wide variety of treatments, including Native American ceremonies, for the local Native vets. Some vets report they got the best results from acupuncture, but you wouldn't know anything about that, because the vet hospital/s you're discussing don't offer that as an option. Exposure "therapy" is re-traumatizing, and has gotten mixed reviews from vets nationwide.
It has been providing acupuncture and chiropractic treatment for years.
Acupuncture therapy has been shown to be effective in treating symptoms resulting from a wide range of conditions. At the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, this ...
The overwhelming vast majority of veterans --more than 85% -- have never experienced exposure therapy.
Only a small number of VA hospitals provide the 7-week inpatient treatment, but the VA will send veterans from anywhere in the US to any program of their choosing. The VA pays for their travel expenses.
Only 8-12 veterans are permitted in each session. Of the 12 in my group, only 2 were from Ohio, the remaining 10 were from New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Virginia.
A very limited number of VA psychologists and social workers are trained in exposure therapy, just like only a few are actually trained and certified in CBT/DBT therapies.
The fact that some of the literally handful of veterans who have undergone exposure therapy are uncomfortable discussing their trauma, is not proof the program is ineffective. In fact, it's quite the opposite, since it proves they need to be discussing their trauma, if for no other reason than to move them out of their current "comfort-zone," which is not beneficial and actually harmful to them.
Exposure therapy is also effective for those who don't remember the trauma or only remember disjointed time segments, which is often the case where head injuries are involved. The VA has a separate in-patient program for those with TBI, like me. I was found unconscious on a bridge holding my Baretta, with my rifle broken in pieces. I'm not exactly sure of the correct order of events for the disjointed segments I remember.
Exposure therapy is not just talking about trauma, it's about getting people to do those things they avoid doing, which is to their detriment. The other guy from Ohio started volunteering at the county animal shelter, which got him out of the apartment he had been hiding in for years. Granted, he was only with animals, but he did get to interact with the staff, and then he started doing things he thought he'd never be able to do again. Five years later, he's working full-time, which is something he thought he'd never be able to do.
Wow. This sounds like an opening scene of a cliche horror movie (working title : Charlie's Closure) taking part in cabin in the woods, starring Sylvester Stallone
That psychiatrist is certainly, I wanna say -brave- , but the saying about the thin line between bravery and stupidity comes to mind inevitably...
If you think about it, the guy is probably around ~70. From his standpoint, highly likely not much to loose at this point in life. But the closure has a very high probability of being substantial and life-changing.
Very interesting scenario, nonetheless.
You could make quite a movie with that plot, I think!
He was referred to psychiatry back in the Eighties so he wasn't that old then. Since then I've heard of quite a few Vietnam veterans who have returned to Vietnam on a vacation as a part of their healing process. Seems you'd want to be well-prepared for something like that.
My dad was a mechanic for the Army Air Force in the South Pacific for four years during WWII. After spending a large part of that time in the air being shot at he promised himself if he got home alive he'd never step foot in an airplane again. So I know he wouldn't have been one of those people who would have enjoyed a return for a vacation.
In In 1955, ten years later, he went away with a "heart attack" for six weeks. He returned with a cocker spaniel. Not the worst therapy you could recommend for a person.
What a shocking experience you had, Mircea. I can't imagine how terrifying and disorienting that's been for you. Surreal.
You could make quite a movie with that plot, I think!
He was referred to psychiatry back in the Eighties so he wasn't that old then. Since then I've heard of quite a few Vietnam veterans who have returned to Vietnam on a vacation as a part of their healing process. Seems you'd want to be well-prepared for something like that.
My dad was a mechanic for the Army Air Force in the South Pacific for four years during WWII. After spending a large part of that time in the air being shot at he promised himself if he got home alive he'd never step foot in an airplane again. So I know he wouldn't have been one of those people who would have enjoyed a return for a vacation.
In In 1955, ten years later, he went away with a "heart attack" for six weeks. He returned with a cocker spaniel. Not the worst therapy you could recommend for a person.
What a shocking experience you had, Mircea. I can't imagine how terrifying and disorienting that's been for you. Surreal.
Heh, yeah - a real intense thriller could be made with that premise - glad you liked it
I, myself, having made such a huge healing progress in last years, cannot fathom going back to the original place of trauma, especially since I already reexperienced regression to Day One and desperate checked myself into a proper loony bin where they actually administered electro shocks(though not to me)
I suppose if there's not significant progress otherwise, it's worth the risk. Maybe if many years have passed since the incident and some desensitization happened, though with traumatic memory it's complicated...
I can totally vouch for the Pet Therapy, though. That was a great side effect of the loony bin - we had daily lessons on coping mechanisms and even had a visit from a therapy dog, which showed me that a dog could have a positive impact.
I got a fresh Husky puppy month later and the endless love she's been giving me has literally made a daily slow but steady progress, along with all other positive reinforcement approaches.
Bear, do you not find EMDR is able to resolve your symptoms? I'm curious about your experience/perspective. Thanks.
I’ve been in EMDR therapy for 4 years now. It has lessened my symptoms but not resolved them. I’ve been thru many, many traumatic experiences since the age of 3 or 4 and up until the age of 53 (im 61 now). I have a very good therapist. I used to think that I was just too damaged to recover. I think that I’ve just turned a corner in that I’m finally getting a consistent good nights sleep with seroquel. Ive been on it just a short time but feeling very good.
I hope that helps.
I’ve been in EMDR therapy for 4 years now. It has lessened my symptoms but not resolved them. I’ve been thru many, many traumatic experiences since the age of 3 or 4 and up until the age of 53 (im 61 now). I have a very good therapist. I used to think that I was just too damaged to recover. I think that I’ve just turned a corner in that I’m finally getting a consistent good nights sleep with seroquel. Ive been on it just a short time but feeling very good.
I hope that helps.
The advice on sleeping pills is actually phenomenal. I sure wish I read that 4 years ago
It would have accelerated the healing, because even though I chose suffering instead of being zombified by that psychiatric cocktail, taking just sleeping pills would at least guarantee some recovery, as the sleep after a flashback is very inefficient and I was constantly getting up exhausted.
Which is anything but a way to fight this. But your brain doesn't work remotely good in such scenario, so now it's easy for me to be a general after the battle...
But perhaps somebody else will read this few years down the road and realize they should at least get sleeping pills so they actually break that vicious cycle...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
