June is PTSD Awareness Month

[ADAATeamRachel]

Did you know that June is PTSD Awareness Month? In the US alone 12 million people live with PTSD each year. This month help us raise awareness of the symptoms of PTSD and the paths for support. Click the link to learn more about PTSD, its symptoms, and how to seek support: adaa.org/about-adaa/press-r...

[Dolphin14]

Rachel

Thank you for your post.

I have PTSD and it's not an easy thing to live with. I've overcome so many of the symptoms that go along with it but it will be a life long struggle in some areas.

It's still very misunderstood. Many people laugh at the word " trigger", they use words to shame people that suffer from this illness, and brush it off as a drama trait versus a medical condition.

I would like to recommend the book The Body Keeps the Score. This book is fantastic for people that's suffer as well as those that have no knowledge of the illness.

In this book people will learn that our brains are changed and the word trigger is explained by this change.

Someday I hope awareness and understanding, as well as a bit of compassion will make the lives of people like myself a bit easier.

I would also like to encourage members with PTSD to join the Heal My PTSD community. In this community all members have PTSD and can be an excellent source of support

🐬

[ADAATeamRachel Partner in reply to Dolphin14]

Thank you for sharing your experience with the community and passing along tips that have helped you.

[Chuckles10]

JULY 2003 I found my late uncle sitting in his chair with red pen in hand & suicide note on arm of chair and the moment I touched his left cheek it was cold stiff and lifeless which created this huge cold open space in my mind and this event started coming to the surface slowly and around December 2010 I had a nervous break down then I was referred to the mental health crisis team as flashbacks, sleep terrors and strange emotions so the mental health crisis began to effect my life so the following therapy sessions were completed :-

31/10/2017 to 29/11/2017 CBT Therapy 5 sessions

13/02/2018 to 18/07/2018 CBT Therapy 9 sessions

19/07/2018 to 17/10/2018 EMDR Therapy 8 sessions

18/07/2019 to 02/10/2019 CBT Therapy 11 sessions

15/03/2023 to 16/10/2023 CBT Therapy 11 sessions

05/09/2024 to 31/10/2024 CBT Therapy 7 sessions

The above looks a bit intense and I have also been suffering with social anxiety going out into places and automatically looking for an escape route from panic attacks being around a lot of people, confined spaces and in medical appointments trying to make the appointments where I would hopefully miss a lot of people .