{"id":188,"date":"2016-01-11T15:47:37","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T15:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artherapievirtus.org\/vda\/?p=188"},"modified":"2016-07-28T14:32:44","modified_gmt":"2016-07-28T14:32:44","slug":"kate-gillie-what-it-is-to-live-with-ptsd-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artherapievirtus.org\/vda\/kate-gillie-what-it-is-to-live-with-ptsd-in-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Gillie What it is to live with #PTSD in progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CYAhCOmWcAAQByf\"<\/a>Kate Gillie<\/p>\n

POTUS<\/span><\/h5>\n

Yesterday kicked Mental Health (MH) Advocacy back a century. \u00a0In one quick press conference he itemized a system of reporting and cataloguing any individual seeking help with MH challenges whilst in the same breath stating he was working towards eliminating MH STIGMA.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always thought the best way of defeating the STIGMA around a particular challenge or identity to be to establish a list that will be used against an individual admitting to being of that ethnicity\/human grouping. \u00a0Walk into a counselor\u2019s office in the US after yesterday\u2019s POTUS announcement and ask for help with your PTSD, you run the risk of being slapped onto the the President\u2019s list. \u00a0Worked for the Nazi\u2019s in WWII, why not for the President of America?<\/p>\n

What a wanker.<\/p>\n

What is it like to live with #PTSD Mr President? \u00a0Take a look at that art piece I did and read:<\/p>\n

MIND<\/span><\/h5>\n

\u2013 Flashbacks \u2013 a re-run of the event(s) \u2018flashes\u2019 before our eyes, it was sometimes hard for me to know which was reality, the flashback or the present. \u00a0The one is so loud and clear. \u00a0The other dulled. \u00a0It\u2019s one of the first skills we learn when fixing our injury is to remain \u2018present\u2019 \u2013 by taking notice of our surroundings, counting tiles, describing the decor in our heads or out loud\u2026 anything to not go back to the hell that hurt us.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Depression \u2013 when in danger we are wired to remain in the cave, quiet and isolated until the danger has passed. \u00a0That\u2019s one of the reasons the brain pushes us to depression when we are triggered; when we are in a situation that reminds us of the time we were injured.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Fears and phobias \u2013 places\/smells\/sounds\/tastes\/sights\/touching objects that remind us of \u2026 the world is so full of innumerable cues to send us back to hell.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Nightmares \u2013 left me physically bruised. \u00a0Still, on occassion, I will wake up beaten. \u00a0When it\u2019s bad I wake up feeling like I spent the night on a spin cycle in a cement mixer.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Interpersonal problems \u2013 trust, anxiety, sensitivity, anger\/fear\u2026 \u00a0you name it, we live with it. \u00a0Move forward from it. \u00a0Injured but not a life sentence, we take our recovery and we push to be free of the thing(s) that hurt us. \u00a0It requires a village to bring up a chid; it requires a village to get us back to health.<\/p>\n

SOUL<\/span><\/h5>\n

Loss of purpose\/pleasure \u2013 how to see the beauty of life or the possibilities of the future when all there is is pain?<\/p>\n

Existential crisis \u2013 what\u2019s the point of it all? \u00a0Why keep going? \u00a0Loss of hope, loss of self, loss of the very fabric and foundations of our existence. \u00a0How to find our way through on the constant chaos of negative thought, the disturbing and destructive thoughts that remind us of what happened.<\/p>\n

Proxy Self \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>offering the world and ourselves a made up version of ourselves; developed to protect us, it enivitably traps and retards our ability to heal.<\/p>\n

No Self-Worth \u2013 self explanatory, this is key to recovery. \u00a0Our self-worth has to start with SELF, not in others. \u00a0But we must chose to find ourselves worthy of happiness, joy, kindness and empathy. \u00a0Too often we fall into the trap of being \u2018protected\u2019 and \u2018saved\u2019 by others \u2013 this simply keeps us feeling a victim, of little worth and permanently trapped in PTSD.<\/p>\n

BODY<\/span><\/h5>\n

Panic Attacks \u2013 about as fun as stabbing yourself in the eye with a pencil. \u00a0Humiliating and vile.<\/p>\n

Self-harm \u2013 a way of releazing endorphins to no longer feel, see, hear\u2026 what happened.<\/p>\n

Sleep\/Eating Problems \u2013 how to sleep when you know the nightmares are waiting? \u00a0And eating? \u00a0Why would I feed me when I can\u2019t see the point of any of it.<\/p>\n

Gynaecological Problems and Sexual Dysfunction \u2013 obvious, but too little focus given to this. \u00a0It is made worse by the monster drugs we are regularly slammed on.<\/p>\n

Headaches\/Migraines \u2013 a constant and unremitting torture.<\/p>\n

High Blood Pressure \u2013 for some, others of us simply flat line.<\/p>\n

So, there you have it.<\/p>\n

That is what living with PTSD is. \u00a0President of the United States answer to this is to slap us on a registration list? \u00a0Because after serving their country, their state, the people of the US or surviving an abusive childhood\/marriage that\u2019s the best thing to do?<\/p>\n

Wanker.<\/p>\n

Pour aller sur le site, cliquez sur l’image fixe<\/span><\/h5>\n\r\n\t
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