From Michele Rosenthal, PTSD Overcomer:

http://www.healmyptsd.com

Communication: Talk with people you trust.

I don’t know about you but the last thing I wanted to do is talk about my trauma, my survival, my PTSD or anything else for that matter. What I did want to do is crawl into my shell and never speak again.

After my trauma I felt overwhelmed by emotion, so it was better to shut down than ‘share’ or ‘express.’ I also didn’t have the words to explain my experience or what I was feeling. I couldn’t, wouldn’t and didn’t talk about any of it – for 16 years. And then PTSD brought me to my knees and I found poetry and finally a way to begin putting into words what was literally threatening to kill me. It was because I found words that I eventually found help.

Don’t let that be how PTSD mangles you. It’s true, struggling with symptoms of post-traumatic stress can make language hard to grasp, but it isn’t true that we can’t do it. Putting pain into words can help contain, relieve and lessen it. Be brave.

Communicating is the crux of surviving survival. Start talking!

EXERCISE:

In order to get the help you need it’s imperative you begin to wrangle language. So often we don’t talk because we don’t know what to say or how to say it. But think about this: Actors rehearse. They have important lines to get out and they memorize them so they get the playwright’s intention perfectly. You can do the same. I know you’re capable of talking, you just haven’t gotten around to figuring out how. Today, start figuring it out.

1. Pretend you’re the lead in a very dramatic play. Your role: ‘Survivor’ and in this scene you need to explain to another character what it feels like to be you.

2. This will be a monologue. Write it out. And then memorize the key points. In the flood of emotion (that will surely come until you get used to telling the many different facets of your story) it can help to have a script. Read it over and over. Get familiar with it. Feel how the words roll around in your mouth. Listen to the sound of your own voice.

3. If you don’t want to memorize the script then practice, and take the page(s) with you to an appointment or to meet a friend. Read them out loud to someone. Words are the key to your freedom. Start getting comfortable with them.

For further ideas on how to improve your PTSD communication, join our free BRIDGE THE GAP healing workshop. The second month is all about how to talk about trauma.

It’s my pleasure to invite you to join our free monthly teleseminars. The April teleseminar was all about how to talk about trauma. A free link to the seminar is on the site through the link here.

It is possible to conquer the past and create the future – the first step is choosing to take the journey.

Seek joy,

Michele

One Response to “Got PTSD? Michele Rosenthal Helps “Heal My PTSD””

1. donna says:

   July 26, 2010 at 5:11 pm

   Well, now I’ve never had a problem talking about the traumatic things that have happenwd to me but I’ve know many people who have bottled up what they are feeling. It has to come out and often does in very distructive ways if not dealt with. Mostly it hurts the person themselves because their behavior causes others to just leave them alone. This is the last thing they need so it goes round and round until there is a break, either a break-through or a break-down. Talking has been my salvation so I would encourage anyone suffering in silence to seek the appropriate help and what you’ve written here appears to be that kind of help. Thanks for sharing.