PTSD coping skills

[braveheart]

What do you find the most challenging part of living with Post Traumatic Stress?
Have you found some ways of coping with it safely?

Share your thoughts here and help others with the same problems - you might also be able to clarify things for yourself in typing your response.

 

[Cat Dancer]

Re: coping skills

Flashbacks are hard to deal with. As are nightmares. I haven't really figured out the best way to deal with them yet. With flashbacks I usually try to stop what I'm doing and do something else and that usually works. I haven't figured out a way to deal with my nightmares yet. They seem too real.

 

[Jesse910]

The challenges I face with PTSD is the feeling of being powerless and unable to move on. Having to relieve bad moments is horrendous at times. While I'm not comfortable with people around me during these times, having a very trusted person with me has helped.

 

[healthbound]

Nightmares and getting triggered. I find it difficult to shake the nightmares, but it helps to either write or talk about it as well as remind myself that my subconscious is just trying to work things out.
My initial reaction to being triggered is to panic and then try to avoid. Sometimes it's appropriate to divert my attention and other times it's better to acknowledge the trigger and acknowledge the memory (whether it be physical, emotional or event based). But even during the times when it's probably better to acknowledge and connect to what's happening, I still often default to diverting. I usually don't realize I've tried to avoid my experience until there are repercussions for diverting (eg, I have stuffed myself with food and feel sick, I've been on the computer and am late for my next activity, I've wasted 3 hours on the computer doing pretty much nothing etc). Often times I might not even realize I've been triggered until I become more conscious during the repercussion phase. I'm ever fascinated with our minds and bodies and how they constantly try to protect us.

On a more practical level...things that have worked for me are focusing on my breathing, writing about it, painting about it, looking at objects around me and saying, "I see the coffee cup on the table in front of me", consciously allowing myself to divert for a short period of time and lastly, reminding myself that there is a difference between the memory and the present moment and that I am in the present moment. Doing those things help bring me back to the present moment rather than keeping me stuck in the memory.

One last thing that I've been doing more of lately is to talk to the part of myself that is scared (there's usually intense fear associated with my memories/flashbacks). I talk to the part of me that is scared as if I was her parent. It feels a bit strange to even be telling you guys this cause it seems odd, but whatever...it works, lol. I try to access the more present and more parental part of me and comfort the terrified little girl that is experiencing the memory. I try to imagine what I would say to that girl if I were her parent ---or I imagine what I'd say to my son if he was going through what I was going through. At this point, I'm able to really comfort myself and then I feel safer and not as alone. I promise my little-self that she is safe and that I am protecting her now. I promise that I won't allow her to ever be in those situations again. Then I usually feel sad but relieved and safe.

Hope that made some sense. It's interesting that I feel a bit embarrassed to talk about comforting myself. Maybe because support and comfort (and even validating my own experience) is unfamiliar, I dunno. Regardless, when I'm able to sooth myself I am able to allow myself to feel sadness rather than fear and then I feel relief.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Nothing to feel embarrassed about at all, HB. That's an excellent strategy for coping with PTSD flashbacks.

Good to see you here again, BTW.

 

[ladylore]

These are fantastic coping skilss Healthbound. I am struggling a bit with the PTSD at the moment so that is why I haven't added anything.

 

[Jesse910]

Healthbound, your comments resonated with me. Thank you.

I talk to the part of me that is scared as if I was her parent. I try to access the more present and more parental part of me and comfort the terrified little girl that is experiencing the memory." I promise my little-self that she is safe and that I am protecting her now. I promise that I won't allow her to ever be in those situations again

I want to be that empowering protector for myself and not dissociate when I'm triggered. This has occurred several times in therapy sessions and even with my husband. I just go blank. As a child, I wasn't able to articulate to my Mom what I needed and I was terrified of her to the extent that I believed that if I asked for anything from her, she would leave just like my father did. I became her protector by keeping everything inside.

Your words have given me strength.

 

[healthbound]

Thanks guys..and your words give me strength too.
I'm so grateful for these forums - they are always here, no matter what. We can pop on whenever we need to and there is always something to read that is relevant to us.

I am learning to access the more adult part of myself more and more as time goes on (and as I continue therapy, lol!). It was good for me to write that post cause it helped me realize that I have really come a long way to be able to even recognize and then utilize that part of me. I don't always access it, but when I do it seems to be the best way to help the flashbacks/memories. PTSD can be really brutal. I'm glad we're talking about it.