C-PTSD

[af355]

Hey.

I've been suffering from C-PTSD for nearly 3 years now and the symptoms don't seem to go away. I feel some sort of an absolute detachment from reality (as if I am dreaming) and my inner self. I don't know what else I can do to get myself back into my body. Has anyone else been dealing with something similar?

Tim

[Nathalie99 Partner]

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the community.

My suggestion would be to Google "depersonalization" and "derealization" and see if this resonates with you or helps you make sense out of your symptoms.

It could be dissociation but this is something that needs to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist.

The good news is that there are different types of therapies that are effective.

Also, grounding techniques to bring yourself to the present moment.

Have you tried mindfulness and how you feel about that?

It can help a great deal but it might bring uncomfortable feelings too.

I don't have much of personal experience on this subject but there are others in the community who might be able to share their experiences.

You might get more responses if you make your post private to the community members only, as it's a sensitive subject.

Here is the link on how to lock your post:

healthunlocked.com/healmypt...

You can edit your post and change that privacy setting and also add this to a topic "CPTSD".

[Shy_Guy]

Welcome to the community, Tim. I think this is very common in the PTSD community. I suffered from dissociation for many years and there are times during a triggering event I can go there again. My childhood is very spotty to remember and I am convinced that I physically was there but my brain did not record a lot of it because of this stuff.

Good news is there is a lot of solutions to this. It took time for me to notice when I was "leaving my body" but slowly I could pull myself back. Calming music, toe taping, calling a friend, writing about it, photography are all ways I did to get back to the moment.

A good therapist that specializes in PTSD or CPTSD helps loads. I wish you luck. Only you can figure out what is your best option.

[af355 in reply to Shy_Guy]

Hey.

Thanks for the response. I have a good psychotherapist and our relationship is growing within every hour we spend together. It is true that I sometimes doubt her but still she helped me get up in the darkest of my times.

She also advised me to take up activities that bring me back to the moment, like you said. Right now I see myself in painting, music, movies, architecture... Also I have a big desire to read but I still can't do it properly. It hurts me while reading so I think I should just leave it alone for now. Did you maybe have troubles reading too?

Childhood. Very blurry. I don't really have any good memories or even memories at all. There is just a few bad ones like when I got ashamed, angry or completely out of myself, doing things just to fit the others, taking drugs or being a total social misfit.

I'd like to thank you again for the nice response, It helped.

[Shy_Guy in reply to af355]

Sure, I am glad you have someone to talk to about this stuff. A lot of people do not understand that PTSD does not have to be associate with some sort of war. I find it so helpful to talk things out with someone I trust. I do not trust many people because people in my childhood were untrustworthy. Therapists can only help. They can not fix or be perfect. Ultimately, it is me who does the changing and healing. I am responsible for getting better and making the right steps for my mental health.