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

These statistics are from an excellent website Heal My PTSD. Michelle Rosenthal is a PTSD survivor and writes about the subject, both to inform and help others heal.

 PTSD General Stats

•  70 % of adults in the U.S have experienced some type of traumatic event, at least once in their lifetimes. That’s 223.4 million people.
• Up to 20% of these people go on to develop PTSD. As of today, that’s 31.3 million people who have had or are struggling with PTSD.
• An estimated 1 out of 10 women develops PTSD; women are about twice as likely as men.
• Among people who are victims of a severe traumatic experience 60-80% will develop PTSD.
• 50% of all outpatient mental health patients have PTSD!
• Somewhat higher rates of this disorder have been found to occur in African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, as compared to Caucasians in the United States.

 Combat PTSD

•  Lifetime occurrence (prevalence) in combat veterans 10-30%.
• In the past year alone the number of diagnosed cases in the military jumped 50%- and that’s just diagnosed cases.
• Studies estimate that 1 in every 5 military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has PTSD.
• 20 % of the soldiers who have been deployed in the past 6 years have PTSD. That’s over 300,000.
• 17% of combat troops are women; 71% of female military personnel develop PTSD due to sexual assault within the ranks.

 Charlene’s Note:

These are shocking statistics, and prove that PTSD is now a pressing national health crisis. Become empowered and learn more about PTSD. Visit Heal My PTSD for more free information and help.

 http://www.healmyptsd