PTSD- post traumatic stress disorder

PTSD- post traumatic stress disorder is the hip new way to get prescription drugs. Military- new moms suffering post-partum, and trauma survivors like me are most likely to be diagnosed with it. Sometimes it is a chemical imbalance and sometimes psychological. Luckily, I never had it. I now see how unusual that is. Some of its symptoms are:
Reactivity on exposure to cues that resemble the event
Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the event or numbing of general responsiveness by efforts to avoid thoughts/activities/places/people that arouse recollections of the trauma; feelings of detachment.
Difficulty falling asleep, irritability, anger, difficulty concentrating hypervigilance.
Depressed Mood/diminished interest or pleasure in activities
When I look back, none of the above applied to me. Not that I have never experienced sadness, or pain, or depression. But—I never let it wash me away. I knew it for what it was and nothing more. Everyone thought I would have trouble driving once again –but that didn’t happen. I was a passenger in a car that was in an accident. The cue- the digital signpost trailer that severed my hip. Well, now I see them everywhere. I call them my little friends and smile when I see one. I sleep well when it’s not noisy (like in the hospital). And I talk about the accident easily and in great detail to anyone who asks. And believe me, they ask- in the mall, the grocery store, at the coffee shop, etc.
But I think the real key is when you look at survivors like Nelson Mandela, and many victims of intense torture, (and studies have proven this) the ones who go on to survive and thrive are the ones who do not disassociate with their experience. Being mindful and present of your attacker, your vulnerability, your pain, your environment, puts you right there. You experience it. It’s over. Maybe you experience it again. And it’s over again. Each moment is fleeting. It doesn’t have to scar your heart even if it scars your body. Only you can make that choice- in each moment.

Tagged as: mindfulness, PSTD, torture