Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Ruthanne

Ruthanne

Caregiver
Location
Midwest
I have them and need to see how and what people do to cope with it.

I am going through grief now and the CPTSD is influenced by it. My anxiety disorders that accompany this have all gone through the ringer it seems.

What kind of things do you do for your PTSD or CPTSD?
 

Ruthanne said:
I have them and need to see how and what people do to cope with it.

I am going through grief now and the CPTSD is influenced by it. My anxiety disorders that accompany this have all gone through the ringer it seems.

What kind of things do you do for your PTSD or CPTSD?
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I don’t have CPTSD myself, so I don’t feel qualified to provide the type of guidance you may be looking for. However, I have encountered it in various forms, and I understand that it’s a deeply complex and personal experience, one that’s difficult for me to fully comprehend. I’ve also been personally affected by the CPTSD of others -- people I’ve loved. I use ‘affected’ here in a way that I hope comes across respectfully. The CPTSD of others, at times, has impacted my own mental health.

From what I’ve seen, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, especially with how CPTSD can lead to other disorders depending on its complexity. I just want to acknowledge that you’re not alone in this, and I truly hope you find strategies that help you through your grief and anxiety.

I suppose the most influential step is you acknowledging and being open with your situation -- which it seems you’ve already done. I hope it brings in the answers you are looking for.
 
Sometimes I try to focus on one of those commonly mentioned tools;
Such as focusing attention on the things that each of the senses can perceive at that moment.
Touch, sight, hearing, smell.

Or such as,

I go through the alphabet, and mentally list 5 or more items in a category that start with each letter.
Any topics..... animals , actions , places, things I like......
 

I’ve got complex post traumatic stress disorder. I take a powerful anti psychotic everyday. It sets me back quite a bit and has made me gain weight. I also take a benzodiazepine when needed which is usually 2 to 3 times a month. I make sure to get plenty of sleep. ( 8 to 10 hours ) The medication that I take helps me with that. The medicine helps keep me grounded and stable. It took months for my body to get use to taking an anti psychotic. I started with 1/4 pill, then 1/2 a pill, then 3/4 and then a full pill. Now I wouldn’t dream of being off them. I don’t startle as easy on them.

A good book to get on cPTSD is this by Pete Walker. It explains exactly what cPTSD is. It differs from PTSD. Most post war veterans have PTSD. It is caused by being in a very traumatic situation with no outlet whatsoever. Most war veterans come back from the war with this. Complex PTSD is caused by being raised in a hostile environment with no escape. It usually starts in childhood.
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The above book is one of the best books on it. It’s written by someone who has cPTSD.
Another good book is this one. It’s called Recovery from narcissistic abuse, Gas Lighting Codependency & Complex PTSD and is written by Linda Hill.
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Neither of these books should replace proper counsellng however both books can serve as stepping stones to better mental health functioning. Using a blank writing pad to do the exercises in the books can be significantly helpful.

I didn’t realize there was better medication than what I was taking until last year. The medication I’m taking helps a LOT with anxiety which is the main symptom of PTSD and cPTSD.

I sincerely hope this information helps you.
 
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PeppermintPatty said:
I’ve got complex post traumatic stress disorder. I take a powerful anti psychotic everyday. It sets me back quite a bit and has made me gain weight. I also take a benzodiazepine when needed which is usually 2 to 3 times a month. I make sure to get plenty of sleep. ( 8 to 10 hours ) The medication that I take helps me with that. The medicine helps keep me grounded and stable. It took months for my body to get use to taking an anti psychotic. I started with 1/4 pill, then 1/2 a pill, then 3/4 and then a full pill. Now I wouldn’t dream of being off them. I don’t startle as easy on them.

A good book to get on cPTSD is this by Pete Walker. It explains exactly what cPTSD is. It differs from PTSD. Most post war veterans have PTSD. It is caused by being in a very traumatic situation with no outlet whatsoever. Most war veterans come back from the war with this. Complex PTSD is caused by being raised in a hostile environment with no escape. It usually starts in childhood.
View attachment 414763
The above book is one of the best books on it. It’s written by someone who has cPTSD.
Another good book is this one. It’s called Recovery from narcissistic abuse, Gas Lighting Codependency & Complex PTSD and is written by Linda Hill.
View attachment 414764
Neither of these books should replace proper counsellng however both books can serve as stepping stones to better mental health functioning. Using a blank writing pad to do the exercises in the books can be significantly helpful.

I didn’t realize there was better medication than what I was taking until last year. The medication I’m taking helps a LOT with anxiety which is the main symptom of PTSD and cPTSD.

I sincerely hope this information helps you.
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Ty, very interesting books there! I take gabapentin for anxiety but it doesn't always help, often does though. I take some other stuff too. I've had a lot of counseling already and learned a lot and use what I have learned. I wanted to see how others deal with it too.

I am not doing great now but hopefully this too shall pass 🙏
 
Kaila said:
Sometimes I try to focus on one of those commonly mentioned tools;
Such as focusing attention on the things that each of the senses can perceive at that moment.
Touch, sight, hearing, smell.

Or such as,

I go through the alphabet, and mentally list 5 or more items in a category that start with each letter.
Any topics..... animals , actions , places, things I like......
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TY @Kaila . I used to pet my dog a lot when I was disturbed by something. She sure got a lot of petting and massage. Helped us both.

As far as sights I often enjoy looking for beautiful pictures online. The beauty of them makes me feel better.

For sense of hearing I have a small noise machine and I relax sometimes to the ocean waves playing on it.

I also burn scented soy candles. I love the smell of some of them.

Ty again 😃
 
20 plus years ago I was a complete wreck.
I went to therapy over a number of years. Complex PTSD was the diagnosis. Multiple issues.
Began medication and went through with cognitive behaviour therapy.
Meaning I started to question my negative thoughts. Were they really what was going on? When I started looking, then I realised a lot of my thought patterns were wrong.
It got to the stage where I was able to recognise my skewed thoughts.
But I had to constantly reaffirm that I was in fact okay. Changing the negative thought patterns.
Started to like myself. Up to that time, self loathing was all I knew.
Realising that I was a good person who deserved respect and a fair go.
One day, after all the therapy, all the self help I was able to accept who I was and why I was who I was.
I allowed myself to be happy, to take pleasure in the little things.
Today I am a well adjusted, productive member of society with great self esteem and the ability to stand up for myself.
Sick of being pushed around I said "no more"
My life changed for the better.
Life can be wonderful, it takes a lot of work to get to the stage of self belief
 
Ruthanne said:
I have them and need to see how and what people do to cope with it.

I am going through grief now and the CPTSD is influenced by it. My anxiety disorders that accompany this have all gone through the ringer it seems.

What kind of things do you do for your PTSD or CPTSD?
Click to expand...
I have no advice @Ruthanne but, I just wanted to send you a hug and wish you well in overcoming the grief and anxiety you are currently having to deal with. 🤗
 
I am so touched by the responses (((@Ruthanne))) has received. As someone who also has this condition I have learned so much from the replies. As usual, I'm damning this tablet I'm using which severely hampers my reading and writing capabilities.

No way out. Only through. You're in the throes of grief now. I'm so sorry you're in this pain which I always wonder how we live through. My mother would say "we're made of strong stuff."
 
Pepper said:
I am so touched by the responses (((@Ruthanne))) has received. As someone who also has this condition I have learned so much from the replies. As usual, I'm damning this tablet I'm using which severely hampers my reading and writing capabilities.

No way out. Only through. You're in the throes of grief now. I'm so sorry you're in this pain which I always wonder how we live through. My mother would say "we're made of strong stuff."
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The pain comes and goes over and over. I'm glad this thread has been helpful for all of us.
 
Bretrick said:
20 plus years ago I was a complete wreck.
I went to therapy over a number of years. Complex PTSD was the diagnosis. Multiple issues.
Began medication and went through with cognitive behaviour therapy.
Meaning I started to question my negative thoughts. Were they really what was going on? When I started looking, then I realised a lot of my thought patterns were wrong.
It got to the stage where I was able to recognise my skewed thoughts.
But I had to constantly reaffirm that I was in fact okay. Changing the negative thought patterns.
Started to like myself. Up to that time, self loathing was all I knew.
Realising that I was a good person who deserved respect and a fair go.
One day, after all the therapy, all the self help I was able to accept who I was and why I was who I was.
I allowed myself to be happy, to take pleasure in the little things.
Today I am a well adjusted, productive member of society with great self esteem and the ability to stand up for myself.
Sick of being pushed around I said "no more"
My life changed for the better.
Life can be wonderful, it takes a lot of work to get to the stage of self belief
Click to expand...
Ty Bretrick. I have done positive self talk in the past and know it really helps.
 
Ruthanne said:
Ty, very interesting books there! I take gabapentin for anxiety but it doesn't always help, often does though. I take some other stuff too. I've had a lot of counseling already and learned a lot and use what I have learned. I wanted to see how others deal with it too.

I am not doing great now but hopefully this too shall pass 🙏
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You’re very welcome. Like yourself I look for the beautiful things in life. I try and stay away from the news. The news is very depressing. I keep in mind that what I focus on expands.

The book by Pete Walker is very good. I’ve got it. You might want to read some of the reviews left by people who have read it. Many of the reviews are very long and detailed . Sometimes it reassuring knowing there are others like us dealing with similar issues.

I highly suggest talking to your doctor about going on an anti psychotic. It’s only been a year since I’ve been on mine and my symptoms have really improved. Pepper has also written about starting an anti psychotic and how it’s how it’s helped her.
Note: I hope you don’t mind me mentioning that @Pepper.

In the mornings I usually listen to Dan Gibson solitudes. It shows beautiful pictures of nature while relaxing music plays. My morning walk in nature really helps also. I avoid crowds of people like the plague. Large groups of people tend to unravel me.
 
Pepper said:
No worries @PeppermintPatty. I'm on a micro dose. This past week I had a major disruption from ACCESS A RIDE. While I flipped out a little, it would have been a disaster were I not on this drug, Risperadon. You'd be scrapping me off the ground, I guarantee you.
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I’m glad you’re ok. Is it the same bus driver that you had problems with before? He drives too fast?
 
@PeppermintPatty thank you for sharing those books!

I pray, I try to move away from the 'trigger' if possible, I do the ABC thing with dog breeds or something, I focus on breathing in and out slowly.... There are a lot of little ways that I *cope. Not all of them work all the time, so I continue trying others.


*Cope, I say cope, not 'try to cope' because the truth is, we all cope in some way. It ain't always pretty, but we do get through it eventually every time. 🥰
 
Ruthanne said:
I have them and need to see how and what people do to cope with it.

I am going through grief now and the CPTSD is influenced by it. My anxiety disorders that accompany this have all gone through the ringer it seems.

What kind of things do you do for your PTSD or CPTSD?
Click to expand...
I have struggled my entire life with this issue and others that are related. I feel like I have tried everything. From Psychiatrists and many therapists to medications to my never ending self help books. So many ups and down but in the end I had to learn acceptance. I was never going to “ beat it” and live this wonderful new life of being comfortable in my own skin. I came to realize that for me it was a combination of things. Genetics played a huge roll as well as my home environment growing up with emotional abuse and neglect. The one thing with acceptance that has helped is keeping in mind that you just have to learn to ride the wave.
 

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