Symptoms of PTSD & Complex PTSD

There are many people with this same diagnosis..not all have every symptom but suffer the same...It can be debilitating and life-changing..I applaud you for getting away from the situation that caused this disorder...it isn't easy...but you have had 7 years away and my hope for you is that you soon can distance yourself from some of the memories and make new better memories for your new life...believe me I am not making light of any of it...whether verbal, physical or emotional..abuse is abuse and can leave the victim frozen in time... for me the decision to survive the abuse and then survive the "survival" was my best choice... I learned to live around the symptoms which was not easy...but it gave me hope of a new life...and I am here to tell you today that "Freedom is what you choose to do with what was done to you"... There is no quick fix and each victim has their own wounds to heal... take the time you need and get good help.. then set yourself a goal of what you will choose to do with this burden...and how you will turn it around to help you instead of hinder you...I am 36 years away from my abuser and I disallow him any power over me today..yes, I still have situational issues that I have to deal with...but I choose to live around it all rather than live through it again....Please be good to yourself...but look for the light...even a speck of light and hold on to the fact that you will reach that light and come out on the other side into that light and thrive!!!! Look toward the days and the things you will do that will instill the joy back into your soul...for if you really want it back ...you will make your journey to find it....It's very easy to get held up in the depression of the day..but try to move through it with a goal of some sort..some small insignificant thing that you can claim as a victory...these small victories will begin to build into a feeling of accomplishment and goodness...and as you restore your soul with the goodness it once knew you will begin to be the person you choose to become... Our minds and bodies are very powerful and just because your power was taken from you once does not mean you can't get it back 10 fold...My best advice is to always look ahead...try not to look back too often...for your future is ahead of you....your past has affected you dramatically but do not let it deprive you of a happy, healthy life...again I repeat...true freedom is what you choose to do with what has been done to you....choose well..and be well....

Another cause of PTSD can be loosing a loved one. It's hard to deal with it on your own. Are you getting counseling or maybe joined a group of people that went through the same? Talking about it can help a great deal.

I have complex PTSD and severe clinical depression, and I am a survivor of ritual, sexual, emotional, mental, psychological, verbal, and spiritual abuse, as well as neglect. I don't only have this but I also have Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder). My symptoms have somewhat calmed down since I was first diagnosed, but I still have my days. I feel very lucky to be who I am today though because everything that I have been diagnosed with has actually saved my life in many, many ways. I used to go to therapy, but I don't anymore. I should return, but there are waiting lists and it takes a very long time to get into a therapist where I live for some reason.

So, instead, I do other things to help me out and stay grounded, such as yoga, meditation, walking, cleaning up around the house when I don't feel like leaving, writing, and take care of my baby. These things give me pleasure and make me happy. However, I do have my bad days, and these days can be bad. I usually just relax or sleep it off, as this is what works for me. I know how the depression can get to you, but it will eventually start to dissipate once you start talking about everything you have been through. It helps to hear others who have been through the same things as you, and it also helps to be around others who have the same mental issues as you. You don't feel quite alone as you once had.

Also, you might want to keep a journal (not online), but a regular old journal to write in. This has always helped me, as this helps to get all of those yucky feelings and emotions out of your mind. This could be shared with a therapist who could very well help you out by talking about the reasons for these feelings and emotions. Also, great way to vent in a more positive way.

Or, you could also get a pillow and punch in it if you feel those emotions are running to high. Believe me the pillow is much better than the wall. I did this once and it hurt really bad. I also used to self-injure, but that is another story, which I don't do anymore. I have learned that hurting myself was just destructive and didn't help me get any better.

One more thing, you might want to look for some online support groups. There are many that you can get involved with, and they are very helpful and free to go to. They may even know some in your area that you can go to without a referral.

Well anyways hope these suggestions help you out some.

(Oh, if you do not know what ritual abuse is, it's satanic ritual abuse that was done by others (family and close family friends) to their children. Lots of emotional, mental, verbal, psychological, sexual, spiritual, and physical abuse combined in one. It destroys lives most of the time, and it can also ruin lives if you let it.)

I was diagnosed with PTSD just a couple of years ago, although I have had it for about 15 since I lost two children in a house fire. Although I don't have all of the symptoms you have all of the symptoms you have mentioned, I have many of them. I am sure that is true with many of us.

I am also a survivor of abuse as well. The children's father was an abuser, though mostly verbal and mental abuse until after the fire. After the fire, the abuse became physical as well. I took our other three children and fled our home.

I have been on medications for PTSD and depression for many years, and see a therapist regularly. I have also kept a journal for many years. I find the journal is a wonderful way to get things out and release stress.

A few years ago, I was a hermit like you. I felt no desire to leave my house, and almost dreaded the thought of even walking out the door. Eventually, a friend got me to run some errands with her. She said she needed to stop in at a local karaoke bar to talk to someone she knew.

Eventually, she started dragging me out to karaoke occasionally, then once a week. My best advice is that if you can find any one thing that you enjoy and force yourself to go out, and do it. Whether it’s once a week, or even once a month, it will do wonders. Often I didn't feel like going, but usually felt better once I got there. Now it’s a part of my life and I never miss it. If I did, I think sometimes that it’s the only thing that pulled me out from where I was.

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I have been estranged from the perpatrators for 23 years.
Ones life is permanently tatooed with the memories However we can alter our responses to situations. That is my project for right now. Next month it will be one year that I have refrained from decking a husband who occasionally gets out of line.
Children who are victimized react differently. Some have no boundaries. Some have huge boundaries. Some people please. Some don't give a sheet what people think.

I've had every one of the symptoms you mention for over 40 years (since Vietnam), sometimes one or the other, sometimes most of them simultaneously. It's only been recently that the disorder has been recognized by the psychiatric community (not by the military), so early treatment was not available.