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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 13, 2013, at 19:23:36
Ah, PTSD. The gift that keeps on giving. I meditate. I journal. I eventually and with some trepidation (given the bridges I took flamethrowers to) came back here, because it doesn't go away. There is so much I don't handle with grace.
Wayyyy to hot to walk it off, or even just sit outside. I feel good and trapped in my house, where it's not always healthy or comfortable for me to be.
I do go to a women's circle on Sunday evenings, but get pretty weepy there too. I remember when life was just life and words didn't gather in the corner to come screaming at me. Once I'm triggered, then anything will set me off.
I wish I had a tranquility tank. Has anyone ever tried one of those?
PC
Posted by alexandra_k on August 13, 2013, at 21:23:39
In reply to PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by Partlycloudy on August 13, 2013, at 19:23:36
A tranquility tank? Is that one of those weightless ones where you float suspended? I am not sure how I would feel about that. The void. Is that what you meant, or something else?
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 14, 2013, at 7:06:07
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by alexandra_k on August 13, 2013, at 21:23:39
> A tranquility tank? Is that one of those weightless ones where you float suspended? I am not sure how I would feel about that. The void. Is that what you meant, or something else?
I think so. Remember the film "Altered States" where the guy using the tank started experiencing evolutionary regression?
Just something to cut off the sensory input. I think I get overwhelmed and everything gets much worse. I become more easily triggered if I don't have that quiet, dark place to recuperate in.
PC
Posted by Phillipa on August 14, 2013, at 9:59:43
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » alexandra_k, posted by Partlycloudy on August 14, 2013, at 7:06:07
I must have PTSD as seems everything triggers me and then I'm off & running in my head. Phillipa
Posted by Poet on August 14, 2013, at 11:06:03
In reply to PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by Partlycloudy on August 13, 2013, at 19:23:36
Hi PC,
I haven't succeeded very well with meditation, obtrusive thoughts keep invading what is supposed to be my quiet space. Dr. Cluelss recommended short breathing exercises.
I've been doing it and I can follow it pretty well (won't tell Clueless that, I'd hate for her to think I actually listened- LOL)
Poet
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 14, 2013, at 17:35:44
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » Partlycloudy, posted by Poet on August 14, 2013, at 11:06:03
> Hi PC,
>
> I haven't succeeded very well with meditation, obtrusive thoughts keep invading what is supposed to be my quiet space. Dr. Cluelss recommended short breathing exercises.
>
> http://drdansiegel.com
>
> I've been doing it and I can follow it pretty well (won't tell Clueless that, I'd hate for her to think I actually listened- LOL)
>
> PoetHow strange. I thought I had replied to your post this morning. Oh well (rolling crazy eyes). I use a technique called yoga Nidra for slowing down breathing and guided imagery. It is supposedly Reccommended for PTSD patients. I try to do it 2 x a day. When I have the presence of mind to be able to just listen to the CD, it does help.
Next is a solo trip. And maybe a lawyer.
:-(PC
Posted by baseball55 on August 14, 2013, at 19:37:21
In reply to PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by Partlycloudy on August 13, 2013, at 19:23:36
>
> I wish I had a tranquility tank. Has anyone ever tried one of those?
>
> PCNo tranquility tank but I do meditate and do a gratitude list each day. I learned how to meditate mostly by working with a DBT therapist. They specialize in PTSD and focus on learning acceptance and self-compassion. It's been hard and taken me a long while, but all in all, therapy and 12-step groups have changed my life and attitudes. It is not easy to find DBT specialists. I called thirty people before getting an appointment with this woman.
I also did dynamic psychotherapy with a p-doc for several years. That helped a lot. Helped me talk about my past and work through it instead of trying to bury it. It was my p-doc who urged me to find a DBT group or therapist.
If you don't live in a major city where you can find a DBT group or therapist, look for a psychodynamic therapist with whom you can form a strong bond of trust.
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 14, 2013, at 20:16:15
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by baseball55 on August 14, 2013, at 19:37:21
> >
> > I wish I had a tranquility tank. Has anyone ever tried one of those?
> >
> > PC
>
> No tranquility tank but I do meditate and do a gratitude list each day. I learned how to meditate mostly by working with a DBT therapist. They specialize in PTSD and focus on learning acceptance and self-compassion. It's been hard and taken me a long while, but all in all, therapy and 12-step groups have changed my life and attitudes. It is not easy to find DBT specialists. I called thirty people before getting an appointment with this woman.
>
> I also did dynamic psychotherapy with a p-doc for several years. That helped a lot. Helped me talk about my past and work through it instead of trying to bury it. It was my p-doc who urged me to find a DBT group or therapist.
>
> If you don't live in a major city where you can find a DBT group or therapist, look for a psychodynamic therapist with whom you can form a strong bond of trust.Before all this started getting bad, about a year ago, my T and I were talking about termination. Now I am reading your post and wondering if a change in therapists would be better for me. I have asked her in the past about DBT and she did not seem to think it was right for me at the time. Perhaps with circumstances and the last couple years' experiences it is more appropriate. I don't want to pursue a divorce in order to be happier. It would be the same old me, only without a partner. And it isn't that I don't love him so much, but he has pretty much forgotten that I am a sick person.
Thanks for the thoughts and advice.
PC
Posted by Phillipa on August 14, 2013, at 21:02:40
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » baseball55, posted by Partlycloudy on August 14, 2013, at 20:16:15
I relate to this. To them it gets old. P
Posted by Hugh on August 16, 2013, at 15:45:49
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » Partlycloudy, posted by Poet on August 14, 2013, at 11:06:03
> Dr. Cluelss recommended short breathing exercises.
>
> http://drdansiegel.com
>
> I've been doing it and I can follow it pretty well (won't tell Clueless that, I'd hate for her to think I actually listened- LOL)
>
> PoetI got Mindsight, Dan Siegel's book, from the library a few days ago. I've been doing lots of breathing exercises lately, and find them helpful. Here's an interesting one:
http://www.buteykobreathing.com.au/
A breathing exercise that I devised on my own (I think) and that helps a lot with sleep is to inhale for three seconds, hold it for three or four seconds, exhale for three seconds, and then wait four seconds before my next inhalation. Most people are lousy breathers -- they take shallow, frequent breaths instead of slow, deep breaths. Your belly and not your chest should expand when you inhale.
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 17, 2013, at 9:15:04
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » Poet, posted by Hugh on August 16, 2013, at 15:45:49
I learned a similar technique in yoga. Taking a deep though not uncomfortably full inhalation, then releasing it in sips, totaling 3 until you take another inhale.
Didn't calm me in the least, but it took my mind off everything else...
PC
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 17, 2013, at 9:17:35
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded » Hugh, posted by Partlycloudy on August 17, 2013, at 9:15:04
One of my solutions is to book a week away. I will see my sister and play with her dog.
Another is to walk on the beach early enough that it hasn't become hot. That's a challenge.
pc
Posted by Partlycloudy on August 20, 2013, at 11:34:45
In reply to Re: PTSD triggers galore, and escalation, crowded, posted by Partlycloudy on August 17, 2013, at 9:17:35
So I went to see my pdoc today as my appointment had been rescheduled. She didn't know about it.
Grrr. Office administration. My T has helped a lot in the past but at this point she is ready to refer me to someone else. I don't do well with massive change like that.
On the better news front, my husband agreed to pursuing marriage counseling again. I get the vote as to whom we go with. He thinks I am the one with all the problems. DUH, I am mentally ill. At the same time, he has forgotten all the skills acquired in counseling the first time around, like boundaries. Last week he handed me my mail in the shower.
Back to the beginning we go.
pc
This is the end of the thread.
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