#cptsd awareness

[starfishinthedistance]

I talk to many people who say things like "oh I have trauma but I don't have PTSD", but then when I talk to them a little more I realize that they most likely do, they just can't recognize it as such due to how lacking PTSD awareness is, even beyond the whole "it's not just a veteran's disorder" thing.

The main reason they think they don't have PTSD usually has to do with flashbacks and nightmares, either they have one but not the other or have neither. But here's the thing, those are only two symptoms out of the 23-odd recognized symptoms. Flashbacks and nightmares are two of the five symptoms under Criterion B (Intrusion), which you only need one of for a diagnosis. The other three symptoms are unwanted upsetting memories, emotional distress after being reminded of trauma and physical reactivity after being reminded of trauma (i.e. shaking, sweating, heart racing, feeling sick, nauseous or faint, etc). Therefore you can have both flashbacks and nightmares, one but not the other, or neither and still have PTSD.

In fact, a lot of the reasons people give me for why they don't think they have PTSD are literally a part of the diagnostic criteria.

"Oh, I can barely remember most parts of my trauma anyway." Criterion D (Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood) includes inability to recall key features of the trauma.

"Oh but I don't get upset about my trauma that often because I avoid thinking of it or being around things that remind me of it most of the time." Criterion C (Avoidance) includes avoiding trauma-related thoughts or feelings and avoiding trauma-related external reminders, and you literally cannot get diagnosed if you don't have at least one of those two symptoms.

"Oh I just have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, but I don't have nightmares." Criterion E (Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity) includes difficulting sleeping outside of nightmares.

"But I didn't have many/any trauma symptoms until a long time after the trauma happened." There's literally an entire specification for that.

Really it just shows how despite being one of the most well-known mental illnesses, people really don't know much about PTSD. If you have trauma, I ask you to at least look at the criteria before you decide you don't have PTSD. Hell, even if you don't have trauma, look at the criteria anyway because there are so many symptoms in there that just are not talked about.

PTSD awareness is not just about flashbacks and nightmares.

[honeypleasejustkillme]

it’s a fun time when you have both :,)

literally awful, i never know what love is but i crave it so bad

[safe-haven-safe-place]

[pigeon-system-boys]

No bitches are talking about dirty side of cptsd

What about having molding cup of tea in kitchen, because it's too hard to clean it?

What about saliva that is running down your face during flashback, because you will not swallow it ?

What about peeing yourself during flashbacks or nightmares?

What about vomiting, because you still remember the taste?

What about not being able to shower??? It's popular, people talk about it, but not about the disgusting smell that it leaves on you

What about eating food from trash or dog food or expired food, because it's a thing learned from childhood?

What about sticky wetness in underwear that you feel after the most fucked up things, because it was way of coping during abuse?

What about feeling dirty?

Constantly.

[traumaalchemy]

[nothing0fnothing]

There will be good days. They seem so far away right now, but they will come and they will be wonderful.

Will they make it all worth it? Probably not, but they don't have to. All that matters is that they will be there. That at first they'll be a break, and eventually, they'll come two in a row.

Once you get two in a row, it won't be too long till there's three in a row, four in a row, a whole week, two weeks and then, one day, there will be mostly good days.

One day you'll be able to have a bad day, and it just be a bad day. It doesn't make it worth it, but that's okay, it doesn't have to.

[andiealessandra]

From @itsachronicthing on IG.

[thebeesbox]

Day 37 of Pride Flags Drawn as Foxes: PTSD flag

[natty-tuning-in]

CPTSD is so painful why am I scared to go outside

[becorbin]

I love this quote so much.

One image wasn't enough.

[starfishinthedistance]

My last post on PTSD being more than flashbacks and nightmares kinda took off, so I wanted to talk about something many people mentioned in the reblogs: flashbacks are probably not what you think they are.

The depiction you see in movies where someone is suddenly thrust into this vivid hallucination where they see everything in extreme detail and completely forget where they are is possible, but certainly uncommon.

For a lot of people, it's kind of like a mental image. Like your brain just involuntarily starts strongly daydreaming the trauma, and you're seeing it in the back of your mind. Sometime it's an "I close my eyes and see it again" that kind of thing. But there's also other kinds than visual.

There's auditory, but that can happen without a visual component. And it can feel like a hallucination, but again it can feel like your brain is playing the audio from the back on your mind, like a vivid daydream.

There's also somatic (sometimes called tactile or physical) flashbacks, which is where you physically feel yourself being touch like how you were again (very common in assualt and physical/sexual abuse survivors), sometimes as a hallucination, sometimes as the same sort of back of the mind daydream thing.

And then there's emotional flashbacks, really common in abuse survivors and C-PTSD, where you feel like you're emotionally back where you were when the trauma happened. You're feeling what you felt when the trauma happened vidily enough for it to feel like you're back there. This is different from emotional reactivity after being reminded of trauma, because it's this exact sort of re-experiencing of the emotions you felt. Emotional flashbacks actually feel like you're back there, emotional reactivity doesn't, it feels like you're reacting to it but it's not happening again.

All of these can occur together in the same flashbacks, or separately. So you can have an auditory-somatic flashback or just an emotional one, etc.

People also said this is similar with nightmares, but I don't experience them myself so I can't say (people with PTSD nightmares feel free to share your experiences!)

[all-minds-matter]

Hello everyone, Lucas here. I’m a 26 year old learning to live with multiple mental health diagnoses including; BPD, CPTSD and MDD with psychotic tendencies. This journal is my attempt at externalizing my feelings about my journey of healing and hoping that it might help some people who don’t have a voice about their own problems to know they aren’t alone.

My Discovery:

You know that inner voice? The one that’s like a personal GPS, guiding you through life’s decisions, like reminding you to look both ways before crossing or nudging you towards that lemon ice tea you can’t get enough of. It’s a mix of a coach and a critic, especially when you’re beating yourself up over a mistake. But here’s the kicker: I recently discovered that what I thought was just me… isn’t just me. I’ve been hosting an uninvited guest in my head, let’s call him “Jeremy.” This guy, Jeremy, isn’t the cheerleading type. He’s been with me since I was a kid, whispering sweet nothings of the not-so-sweet variety, convincing me I’m less than, leading me down paths best left untrodden.

This revelation hit me like a freight train during a group therapy session focused on the not-so-gentle art of self-talk. We were peeling back the layers of self-criticism when suddenly, my internal dialogue split right down the middle. For the first time, I could hear “Jeremy” as someone separate from me. The realization that I wasn’t alone in my head was terrifying. I mean, hearing voices is one thing I never wanted to check off my list, and here I was, thinking I had just unlocked a new level of “not okay.”

The aftermath of this discovery had me floored — literally. I was a mess, tears and tremors, caught in the grip of fear. It felt like my mind had turned against me. But, salvation came in the form of my psychiatrist’s timely intervention. He explained that “Jeremy’s” presence wasn’t as outlandish as it felt. For someone juggling BPD, CPTSD, and MDD, hearing a voice like Jeremy could be part of the complex tapestry of my mental health. It seems my brain’s eclectic mix of conditions created the perfect stage for Jeremy to perform his unsettling monologues.

A New Chapter:

Switching meds isn’t always smooth sailing, but in my case, the timing couldn’t have been better. I was already in the process of tapering off my old antidepressants when “Jeremy” decided to crash the party. Given the new developments with my diagnoses, my psychiatrist thought it was time to introduce anti-psychotics into the mix. It’s been 2.5 days since I started the new medication, and the difference is night and day. My mood has lifted in a way I hadn’t dared to hope for. “Jeremy” has been unusually quiet, and there’s a newfound sense of joy threading through my days.

While I’m savoring this peaceful phase, I’m conscious that the immediate uplift might be due to the novelty of the new medication. There’s a chance its effects could diminish over time. That’s where my therapy plays a crucial role. Thankfully, my diagnoses respond well to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which equips me with skills to maintain this level of mental peace alongside the medication. I won’t lie — it feels daunting. The path to managing my mental health seems like a steep climb, and part of me questions if the effort is worth the reward. However, the thought of the people who care for me, who support me unconditionally, reignites my will to push forward. I owe it to them, and to myself, not to give up.

[ed-recoverry]

To anyone who was suicidal at age 14 or younger, here’s your permission to grieve. Here’s your permission to not joke about it or just flat out ignore it. Here’s your permission to acknowledge that lost child who felt way more pain than any child should ever feel. You’re allowed to cry for that child, whether you healed or are still suffering the same thoughts. Finally allow yourself to grieve for that child filled with undeserved hurt.

[pigeon-system-boys]

Me, laying in my cozy bad, completely safe, with loving parents in another room: "I wanna go home :( "

The closest thing I can imagine when I say "home":

Anyone same here ??? No?? Like... Pls???

[traumaalchemy]

[flittermousemoth]

Self-aware of my self-destruction, yet unable to stop myself.