Self Healing...?

Originally Posted by Saddha Hridaya

Thank you all for your advice and encouragement. When I'm feeling negative ways, I sing, I dance, I write, I play my guitar or piano(music is a big part of my life), I paint, I make dream catchers or other crafts but it doesn't make "it" go away. I can't explain "it" very well. I can try but it would be just the tip of the iceberg.

I get what you're saying ...
Trauma is trauma is trauma is trauma ...
Its a major shock to the mind, body & spirit ...
We do not know when or what will trigger it ...
Lots of anxiety, fear, feeling like jumping out of your skin, angst, etc ...
Absolutely ugly & maddening!

I've struggled w/PTSD since I was child ...
I tried everything uder the sun to get control over it ...
Impossible to say the least ...
And b/c of it, I want to offer you & others hope as well as suggestions ...
What I have learned is that it is possible to function w/it ...
Therapy, journaling, listening to music, exercising were all good, however, they were ineffective w/my PTSD ...
What I found is I had to first discharge all negative energy (survival mode) in a depth defying manner to provide calmness before any of the above were helpful ...
The best modalities that work for me are:
1.) Acupuncture ...
2.) EMDR (Eye Movement Desentization & Reprocessing ...
3.) Massage (not often) ...

Medication can be helpful in calming the nerves, but I don't much like them ...
Not knowing if you live in the US, there are only a few states that license psychologists to prescribe meds ...
If this is the case, then perhaps you might want to visit a psychiatrist for a 2 in 1 treatment plan; meds & therapy ...

You might want to ask your psychologist if s/he is certified in EMDR, if not, ask for a referral ...
I've been told a successful treatment will put a person to asleep afterward ...
And it did every time, 5-6 hours ...
I woke up feeling refreshed & ready to tackle anything ...
Be ready to go directly home to bed ...
I never felt drowsy on the 30 mile trek home, I only had thoughts of closing my eyes, my house & bed ...
My kids said after my first session I walked in like a zombie headed for the couch & like a marionette I feel asleep as I crumbled down ...

Acupuncture was also great ...
No sleeping afterward, but a wonderful sense of well being ...
As w/just anything, the success of acupunture lies w/the skills of the acupuncturist, so you might have to shop around ...
Many people have told that nothing seems to happen, they feel the same as before the session ...
My acupuncturist loads me up w/needles (flexible, not painful) in areas other acupuncturists did not use ...
I always left her office in a state of euphoria ...
Even though she charged $80/per hour, I only have to see her once or twice a year ...
Check w/your insurance to make sure they cover it ...

You can use all 3 modalities simultanenously or start w/one ...
I suggest starting w/either EMDR or acupunture; massage is best just for tweaking during the in between times ...

At this point, I mostly use acupuncture a couple of times a year just to maintain my PTSD ...
I know, it sounds like a bummer to maintain it, but the benefits I receive make me want to spend the extra money to keep going back ...

Please check them out ...
You've got a life to live in the outside world! ...

[tainamom]

i find you have to follow what makes you feel good at the moment. i've used whatever i felt was best for me at the time for my particular issues, but i do not have ptsd. what helped the most for me was the reiki and meditation.

if you like, the teacher and group i study with offers a free long distance usui reiki level 1 attunement every 1st of the month at 6:30pm-6:45pm. just google padamacahaya and free usui and you'll get the info you need. you do not need to attend a place or pay. you can just go to a nice and quiet area in your home and make the intention to receive the attunement. they also have links to the free open heart meditation and some mp3 practices you can download.

for me, their program helped because it gave me tools to work with that made me happy deep within. it might not take away the problems, but i feel more at peace with it.

if you do it, please update or pm me to let me know how it went.

Originally Posted by Mr Interesting

I went to see a friend a while ago and she went on about her post traumatic stress disorder and it surprised me how much it was a label and a lifestyle choice for her... I'm not saying that she wasn't without some need to be aware of her past trauma but she had elevated the situation beyond an illness that required some time and work and had attached to the label to the extent that it was a big part of her identity.

This is sad because she was still a long ways off from being able to see how much extra work she was creating for herself beyond what caused her grief in the first place. I think it's kind of all about the emotional baggage of society in general that's helps to elevate what are simply hurts into something much bigger than they are, which can be helpful in the long run because people can add curing themselves of societal hurts alongside their own personal woes, but it's a risky business as the increased negativity can attach further ailments along the way.

Know that calm and peace are your birthright and fit the hurts around that at your own pace and discrimination, we all have them, but they are not us and so we have choice.

I get what you're saying, I've met quite a few people who say they've been diagnosed w/PTSD ...
However, I do not know how it affects them so I can't judge ...
For a great many people who are not familar w/its symptoms, it does take over a person's life ...
It seems to continually progress on its own, manifest in a variety of ways similar to OCD ...
The PO clearly has PTSD which does not have a simple solution to cure or fix it with ...
It is life long work ...
Symptoms can exist in daily life ...
However, when taken care of the symptoms can be reduced significantly ...

A low PTSD episode for me is sudden stuttering, inability to recall words, reversing words & sentences, frustration, disruptions in thought process ...

A high grade PTSD episode is eyes rolling back w/only the whites showing, loss of memory, dissociation - checking out - derealization of self & the world(not disassociation), violent shaking or absolute stillness like being frozen staring into space, inability to speak during dissocation, no comprehension of time & all of the above ...

The anxiety while I was grieving the loss of my husband would come on up to 10-15xs a day ...
It felt like I was having a heart attack, heart rapidly beating as if it were about to explode out of my chest or like an anvil is weighing on my chest, sweating, not able to breath, sheer panic, wanting to run & scream ...

PTSD episodes as well as anxiety attacks came w/out warning w/the speed & distruction of a tsumami ...
Peace & calm means keeping one's self isolated from people/world to try to prevent them ...
However, I have a life to live as well as the PO ...
EMDR & acupuncture have alleviated the severe symptoms to function normally go out into the world w/out fear of an attack or episode or absorbing negative energy ...
I can now use less powerful modalities w/good results such as meditation, journaling, yoga, exercise, etc ...
PTSD is about trauma throughout the entire mind, body & soul like a demon invasion/attack, its not anger or feeling the common unsettling of nerves ...
Its total fear that overcomes a person in an instant for no apparent reason ...
Triggers for PTSD are generally uncovered after the episode ...

Please don't judge your friend too harshly ...
Things can happen behind closed doors that most people do not witness ...
PTSD is not something people want; its a reoccuring trauma we live with & try our best to control over ...

Close your eyes, be with whatever is coming up and just breathe -- inhale and exhale. The breath will calm your nervous system and the quality of your mind. The potency of the alchemical effects of the breath will then become even stronger once you bring your awareness to it. The breath and mind is magic in that way -- really. Prana, life force, chi, it keeps your heart alive and it’s what pumps your blood through your lungs and veins. So beautiful, the breath. Breathe.


nicholsclinicalhypnotherapy.com

You have been through an enormous amount- be kind to yourself and above all, preserve your own space. People need to respect your personal space in order for you to regain yourself. This site has an article or 2 which may help.
http://powerof3info.fatcow.com/ .