Did you know: Many victims 0f #PTSD have a difficult time communicating what they are going through #arttherapy

victims 0f #PTSD – Did you know: Many victims of #PTSD have a difficult time communicating what they are going through. Coping with trauma through creative arts is a healthy way to express various feelings without speaking. #arttherapy #communication #trauma #mentalhealth

PTSArtTherapy
10 Ways PTSD Messes With Communication:

Interpersonal / Social

Powerful Sense of Disconnect. Being in my own world characterized by the fight-flight perceptions means I don’t know how I am coming across and may not grasp the other person’s point of view. I won’t be able to anticipate their reactions. People may not understand what I’m saying. I feel as if I do not belong in their world which means the commutation has to cross a great distance.
Unable to Create Emotional Rapport. Not being good at creating a sense of rapport in the beginning of the conversation, due to numbness and lack of affect, means the communication may fall apart easily.
Lacking Assertiveness. Exhibiting PTSD symptoms of learned helplessness, shock, numbness, apathy may mean I get treated like a doormat. Feeling helpless and powerless may lead to problems getting heard and getting needs met successfully.

Nervous System Activation – High Stress Condition in Brain and Body

Hypersensitivity. Being extremely sensitive – to the other person’s tone of voice, if they are rude or if they are not listening etc. – makes me cut off communication at the slightest thing. Also, being sensitive to standards of behavior that demonstrate trustworthiness, having a sensitivity around betrayal and breaches of trust, means I may exit the situation if someone is acting below my standard.
Rage. Being prone to experience sudden, overwhelming rage (the fight response), whether expressed or repressed, may lead to the communication ending in a negative way – e.g. arguments, cutting off the person, leaving.
Rigidity. When I won’t budge on my idea or position about what needs to happen, this can stop communication from progressing. Being rigid around specific things that are important to me is my way of preventing any danger. It’s my way of taking back the control I lost during trauma.

Mental Issues

Difficulty Processing Information. Sometimes, while listening and while speaking, I may lose track of some piece of information and need to be reminded of what all the pieces are and spend a moment catching up to you and seeing the connections. I may not be able to come to a decision right away during the conversation. I may need to write some things down so I can completely process it all after the conversation and then get back to you with my decision. It takes time for me to find my own conclusion after being given a lot of information.
Difficulty Organizing Information. Sometimes, I don’t say things in the most optimal order because I have not organized it all in my mind before speaking. Sometimes I mix things up even if I had them organized before beginning the conversation. If I’m nervous I might get scrambled. I may forget to give the context first and details second.
Lack of Concentration and Focus. I can get distracted by things while trying to communicate. I may experience distracting thoughts or feelings. I may need to ask you to tell me what you just said again.
Memory issues. Sometimes I lose my train of thought and forget what I had intended to say or what my goals were when I set out to have the communication. I may have to call back a little later when I remember something important I wanted to say.

Kate Gillie – Some days I feel I’m drowning #ptsdchat

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Kate Gillie – The masks we wear; the need to be accepted in a world we do not, can not, understand.

What’s going on with Kate? #PTSDChat

Please note this is not about any one person in my life or experience; what I give here in the 8 things that are going on could be any person with PTSD.  Pick a number.  Dr Jonathan Douglas has been super kind to add some words of wisdom on the first point: if you have PTSD or somebody you love with this brain injury, it’s worth the time it takes to read and think about what he says.

In the last few weeks I have been called a “racist” about 17 times on average before breakfast.  A few death threats before lunch and well, ain’t life grand?  Worst of all, I find a delicious enjoyment from poking that dangerous viper’s nest.  I was called a “racist c*nt” this morning for a post on Obama effectively painting a target on cops backs over the last 8 years, a normal person would have been a tad horrified.  Me?  I laughed out loud.  I did delete the post, mostly because nobody needs to be triggered by the comment or by a post from me.  Still.  Not a normal reaction.

I have a recurring flashback from my childhood spent watching white people killing black people, black people killing black people and a lot of people trying to kill me.  I have had near death experiences with TIAs and a diagnosis of lupus: asymptomatic.  I have had a terrible PTSD episode.