Help Dealing with trauma

[CyanideSoup]

I don't know if this is the right place to post but does anybody have any advice or resources for dealing with trauma? I'm really struggling to come to terms with a recent event, and it's also bringing up past trauma I had been suppressing for a long time. I keep reliving it all and I don't know how to cope.

 

[Meretlein]

To be honest, the only thing the works for me is trying to replace those traumatic memories with exciting ones.

 

[thereisnoneed]

if u r struggling with insomnia/nightmares

i can suggest u sleeping pills in my hardest days i used to take sleep pills and go faint after a bit of time

recently when i got depressed again i learned a technique that i applied that helped my sleeping
and it is to let my body dont get me wrong i dont mean astral project

but it takes its principle
i clear my mind and i imagine that my mind is melting or something like so

at first, i used to get frightened cus i feel my body is melting to outside and u lose feeling with ur body kinda of even tho i wanted to stop doing it cus i started sleeping well

8 to 10 hours a day

back in the day even with pills i only get 6 hours a day

but i literally lose the feeling of everything even in the space of my room and bed

but i got used it with months of training when i got used to the feelings of melting and i started to nt get frightened off it

i know that u ll feel that ur soul is being taken off ur body slowly and u r falling apart and melting but i got used to it

i can now sleep even in bus lol using this method too
i hope that can be helpful to u and sorry 4 my bad english

 

[pole]

honestly, knowing that you don't have to go through it alone helps. you don't have to come to terms with the recent events alone. and supressing past trauma is underlying events that negatively impacted you're life that need to be addressed. there's only so much you can bottle inside, and only so far you can go without speaking and addressing such underlying issues of traumatic pasts. it's easier said than done, and it's so much easier to run from it, instead of confronting it head on, face to face; and i definitely understand, but it only goes so far because supressing it is only gonna eat you alive.

as far as reminders. again, attempting to understand why helps. are you having these daily reminders solely because of the recent situation that happened that has now triggered previous undealt-with and unaddressed trauma? is it all interrelated and that's why the trigger and reminder is even stronger than it usually is? other things i'd wanna ask is if you're situated in an environment that influences these triggers and flashbacks, and serves as a trigger to you're traumatic past; whether you're still in the very same environment you were traumatized and hurt in, or whether you're still somehow attached to these traumatic experiences indirectly through still being associated to those involved in you're drama, and you being around them serves as an active trigger.

there's so much that goes into dealing with this and it's so complex, that my point is it's extremely vital to talk about it, obviously with someone you're perhaps comfortable with, instead of supressing it; cause only then will you truly know how it's best for you to cope with it and through this, develop coping mechanisms to help you deal with it.

take care.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

EMDR and emotional freedom technique helped me with some traumas. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, so I do something like that for myself now.

I pace and toss a ball back and forth between my hands, I use a smooth myofascial release ball that is rubber so it has some weight. While I pace and toss the ball, I imagine how I would have handled the situation differently if I had had the power, the resources, the advance knowledge, a way to defend myself. And then I take back whatever inner resources I didn't have at the time of the trauma.

PTSD comes from having been powerless. Using this method has helped me get back a lot of my power. If you want to try it, don't push yourself and overdo it, the point is to release a little bit at a time, get back a little power at a time, not retraumatize yourself. You can just pace and toss the ball to calm, maybe another day do that and think about something calming, then another day think about just one small element of the trauma and surround it and fill it with power and capability. If you feel overwhelmed, you can stop, put your hand on your forehead, chest, and/or belly, do calm breathing, drink water, and be aware of your surroundings -- touch, sound, sight, smell. Maybe have something soft to touch, suck on some ice, put your bare feet on different surfaces and/or in water. Just give yourself time to be back in the present, back in your body, and safe.

In my mind, I have beaten up my mom, I have grown from little kid to taller than her and let her have it, I have pushed her, I have said no and held her off, etc. That's just one perpetrator. For each one, or each incident, I have created several different outcomes. I have way less flashbacks now, and they are no longer intense. Songs trigger me less, I am less afraid of people who resemble perpetrators, I feel stronger, I recover more quickly from triggers, I am able to stay more present through triggers and breathe and talk myself through them, I have more of my own power.

I also recommend taking a self-defense class, the yelling is awesome and re-empowering, and I recommend doing posture and core strengthening exercises.

Wishing all the best for you.

 

[Emily_Numb]

There is an excellent book by Pete Walker called Complex PTSD From Surviving to Thriving. I think you will find it useful. Probably the best (most useful) book I've ever read on the subject of trauma.

 

[noaccount]

Really depends what you feel you need... Distraction? vs, people to talk to about it? vs, just machining through other mundane work tasks? vs, advocacy / legal advice / help getting justice? I'm really sorry you're dealing with this, regardless.

I like the suggestions other people have posted so far... Whatever you need from us, let us know. And I'll add, from my experience: Tetris. Rhodiola Rosea. The act of rolling my own cigarettes. Being more confrontational to people saying shitty things. GY!BE.

 

[LittleBlackCat]

Really depends what you feel you need... Distraction? vs, people to talk to about it? vs, just machining through other mundane work tasks? vs, advocacy / legal advice / help getting justice? I'm really sorry you're dealing with this, regardless.

I like the suggestions other people have posted so far... Whatever you need from us, let us know. And I'll add, from my experience: Tetris. Rhodiola Rosea. The act of rolling my own cigarettes. Being more confrontational to people saying shitty things. GY!BE.

Good to see GY!BE getting a mention
My traumatic experiences seem to all come into my head at once, when I'm trying to sleep.. I've been having real issues with my sleep. Now I'm trying Zoloft (sertraline) but prior to this I took two Kalms lavender a day (not sure these are available outside the uk) I found these helped me. Also ASMR helps me a great deal.

I might try the ball passing technique. Sounds like it could work.