In the third series of C-PTSD: What is It and What Can We Learn From It?, we are discussing what it feels like. According to the Out of The Fog website, individuals who suffer from C-PTSD can feel the following symptoms: "People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel un-centered and shaky, as if they are likely to have an embarrassing emotional breakdown or burst into tears at any moment. They may feel unloved - or that nothing they can accomplish is ever going to be "good enough" for others. People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel compelled to get away from others and be by themselves, so that no-one will witness what may come next. They may feel afraid to form close friendships to prevent possible loss should another catastrophe strike. People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel that everything is just about to go "out the window" and that they will not be able to handle even the simplest task. They may be too distracted by what is going on at home to focus on being successful at school or in the workplace." Stay tuned for the next blog in the series, when we discuss C-PTSD characteristics and how it can manifest in survivors over time. For more information on services offered by Thrive ICT, please see the following resources: Thrive ICT website Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter To seek help if you or someone you know is a victim/survivor of domestic violence, you may call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or see the United States Department of Justice link for any state or territory in the United States for both domestic and sexual violence.
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In my first blog in the C-PTSD Series: What Is It and What Can We Learn From It?, I mentioned that I had attended a support group put on by Thrive ICT and went online to find more information. The first blog discussed causes of C-PTSD, and this blog will delve into what C-PTSD feels like. According to the Out of the Fog website, C-PTSD sufferers may have the following feelings: "People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel un-centered and shaky, as if they are likely to have an embarrassing emotional breakdown or burst into tears at any moment. They may feel unloved - or that nothing they can accomplish is ever going to be "good enough" for others. People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel compelled to get away from others and be by themselves, so that no-one will witness what may come next. They may feel afraid to form close friendships to prevent possible loss should another catastrophe strike. People who suffer from C-PTSD may feel that everything is just about to go "out the window" and that they will not be able to handle even the simplest task. They may be too distracted by what is going on at home to focus on being successful at school or in the workplace." Stay tuned for the next blog in the series for C-PTSD characteristics, and in upcoming blogs for additional cures that may be different from traditional therapies for the initial causes of the trauma. For more information on services offered by Thrive ICT, please see the following resources: Thrive ICT website Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter To seek help if you or someone you know is a victim/survivor of domestic violence, you may call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or see the United States Department of Justice link for any state or territory in the United States for both domestic and sexual violence. I was introduced to C-PTSD in a support group that I attend with Thrive ICT, and we explored the signs and symptoms, as well as potential cures. In today's day and age of acronym filled vernacular, it is easy for us to pretend that we understand what is going on when we are in a room of other people who are doing the same thing, but being the researcher that I am, I was not satisfied with just not knowing. So I looked online for more of an explanation, and this is what I found from the toolbox on the Out of the Fog website: "Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a condition that results from chronic or long-term exposure to emotional trauma over which a victim has little or no control and from which there is little or no hope of escape, such as in cases of:
And how does PTSD differ from C-PTSD? "The "Complex" in Complex Post Traumatic Disorder describes how one layer after another of trauma can interact with one another. Sometimes, it is mistakenly assumed that the most recent traumatic event in a person's life is the one that brought them to their knees. However, just addressing that single most-recent event may possibly be an invalidating experience for the C-PTSD sufferer. Therefore, it is important to recognize that those who suffer from C-PTSD may be experiencing feelings from all their traumatic exposure, even as they try to address the most recent traumatic event." "C-PTSD results more from chronic repetitive stress from which there is little chance of escape. PTSD can result from single events, or short term exposure to extreme stress or trauma." So now I was starting to understand the causes of C-PTSD. Stay tuned for the next blog in the series of "C-PTSD: What is It and How Can We Learn from It?" to find out what C-PTSD feels like. For more information on services offered by Thrive ICT, please see the following resources: Thrive ICT website Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter To seek help if you or someone you know is a victim/survivor of domestic violence, you may call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or see the United States Department of Justice link for any state or territory in the United States for both domestic and sexual violence. I have added a couple more mentors to my list of references and resources in my journey towards opening a domestic violence shelter in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and I am blessed to consider Rob Simon among this mix of genuine individuals who humbly give of their time to support me. Rob is inspirational, an individual whose personal mission is to “ignite within all of us the desire and the power to live a fruitful life.” I met Rob because of his work in dating violence awareness and prevention, using theatre as a unique and creative medium to speak to teens on a peer-to-peer level about a challenging topic. For more information on Rob, including his company Positive Rhythm Productions, you may visit his website here. I was gifted with Rob's advice recently, when he shared this competing priorities analogy with me: Your priorities are like drivers of a car on a road trip. You start out the trip with one driver, and your values have to be in alignment with that driver and their current position in your life. Then, at some point in the journey, another priority says, "It is my turn to drive," or as I personally like to think of it, "Pick me, pick me!" When that happens, you have to allow that priority to take center stage, and that priority has control over your ambitions and what gives meaning to your life at that point in time. Only one priority can be in charge at a time, and that priority is the one to which you are giving your focus and that is receiving the true benefit of your presence. Rob also shared an awareness meditation with me, which can be a helpful tool in the developing of your current priorities, per below: Awareness - what is in my awareness? Love - what would love do about it? Creativity - how can my creativity help me do what love requires? Communication - how does all of this inform my communication to myself and others? Often, when we are stuck in life, it is because we are not listening to our intuition, but to the overstimulation of everything around us. Rob's suggestion helps us to refocus our attention to where we really want to be and to what matters most in the moment. Finally, let's address the idea of selfishness in this world. Isn't it selfish to dedicate so much time and attention to ourselves? One of the gems that I took away and hold most dear from my formation program with Franciscan Mission Service is this: you can't take care of anyone else until you take care of yourself. If we do not love ourselves, how can we love anyone else? If we do not take proper care of our bodies, minds, and spirits, how do we expect ourselves to have enough time and energy to take care of others? Thank you to Rob Simon, and all of my mentors, for reminding us to live in the present and cherish each and every moment, so that we may give of the best version of ourselves when it matters most to help one other in this journey called life! |
AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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