What Trauma Survivors Want You to Know About PTSD

Prior to experiencing PTSD myself, I had never met anyone who openly admitted that they have PTSD. Although I had heard the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and even studied brain development during my University studies, I never really knew what it entails until I experienced it myself. After my PTSD diagnosis, following my traumatic accident, I spent my days researching and learning as much as I could about it. Living with PTSD was a challenging journey. There are so many things I wish I had known before my diagnosis. Now, a few years later, I have made so many meaningful connections with other trauma survivors, and I know that I’m not alone. And I want you to know that you are not alone either, no matter what your trauma or diagnosis. This was the message I wanted to advocate through my project PTSD: My Story Project, a safe space for trauma survivors to share their stories and help inspire others. I truly appreciate every survivor who shares their story and becomes part of the PTSD: My Story Project. And I’m grateful that some of them shared their thoughts on what they want you to know about PTSD.

You can find out about PTSD and my experience in my post ‘What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? My Experience‘ where I discuss the definition of PTSD, its causes, types, and symptoms, as well as my personal experience with PTSD. However, there are many aspects of PTSD that are not so well documented nor widely discussed. And that’s why this post is about what trauma survivors want others to know about PTSD, or even what they wished they had known prior to their own diagnoses. So, what do trauma survivors want you to know about PTSD?

Read also ‘Powerful Self Care Tips for PTSD From Trauma Survivors‘

What trauma survivors want people to know about PTSD?

• Wanda Lopez @herstoryinasmile

PTSD is a mental health condition that occurs when a traumatic event takes place in an individual’s life. Although not all trauma causes PTSD, PTSD can be developed even long after the traumatic event. I believe it is important for people to know that PTSD, just like other mental health conditions, is experienced in various ways, depths, and complexities for each individual person. Those who suffer from PTSD are just like any ‘normal’ person who just wants to live and lead a healthy, peaceful, joyful life. And although we may experience all these good things, the darkness of PTSD comes without warning. Leaving many (like myself) in a deep state of depression, suicidal ideation, and severe social anxiety. 

As a woman and trauma survivor, I believe it is important for others to know that “proximately 10% to 12% of females experience PTSD at some point in their lives. This rate is higher than in males. Women are two to three times more likely to develop PTSD than men.” Traumatic events such as such as sexual assault, sexual coercion, and intimate partner violence are some of the top reasons that lead to PTSD in women.

PTSD can lead an individual to feel heavy distress that can lead to many symptoms, such as intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, dissociation, and other forms of mental disorders/illness, and even lead to a further level of PTSD called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Therefore healing can take longer depending on how the individual copes, their biological factors, environmental factors, resources. And as we are discussing today, AWARENESS and KNOWLEDGE of how to cope and heal in a way that is tailored specifically to the individual. There is NO ONE WAY that FIXES ALL. This is why ADVOCACY is important for not just the individual but also the family of those with PTSD. It takes a tribe for us to heal and lead a life we are worthy of living all along.

Let it be a reminder, as a PTSD survivor, to give yourself GRACE, lots of it! For those supporting PTSD survivors remember ADVOCACY, KNOWLEDGE, COMPASSION and ACTIVE LISTENING goes a long way!

Check out Wanda’s story here: The Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adulthood

• Dawne McKay @Crash Support Network

Motor vehicle crashes can be extremely traumatic and it’s natural for individuals involved to experience a range of emotional and psychological reactions. Someone with PTSD might look okay so it’s important to be understanding and supportive even if you can’t see us struggling.  PTSD healing is a process that takes time, patience and support.  If you are struggling, please reach out to a professional. No one is immune to PTSD.

You can read Dawne’s story here: The Impact of Trauma – Nothing Can Prepare You

Read also ‘How to Support Someone With PTSD?‘

• Karen Sargent @karenlsargent

PTSD was not the diagnosis I was expecting. Isn’t that what combat soldiers come home from war with? Isn’t it what happens when they’ve watched a buddy get his leg blown off by an enemy-planted mine or seen a child killed in crossfire?

It is, but there’s more. PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress. That means it can occur after (post) any traumatic stress. Car accidents, assault, abuse, medical procedures, even a difficult birth can cause PTSD. 

This is what I want people to know about PTSD. Just because I am not a former soldier, don’t assume I can’t have PTSD.

Read Karen’s story here: There Is Nothing Wrong With You

• Leigh Hurst @Purposeful Living Healing Center

When it comes to mental illness or PTSD, society needs to remember the magic that comes from this individual. Having patience and acceptance creates a feeling of trust and being comfortable around people. We really have no idea what a person is going through when their PTSD arises.

In my younger years as a new social worker, I lived in Michigan, USA and a nursing home in Reno, Nevada, USA paid for me to move out to Reno. They gave me 179 dying individuals to oversee. There was a young man in this nursing home who was missing a good portion of his head. He was in a snowboarding accident, and they had to remove half his skull. Everyone had given up on him, and I was afraid of him. In his file, it said that he was known to bite people. 

My mom had flown out to see my new life and she spoke to this young man who was trapped in his own PTSD. He wanted to hold her hand (usually how he bites), I told her, and she moved slower and gave him her hand. He just stared at her and touched her hand softly. She encouraged me to explore it. I gave him my hand and he stroked my hand and was very happy with our interaction. The nurse saw this and came over, took my hand away from him and gave him her hand. Just then he took her hand, brought it to his mouth and bit her.

This is truly an example of how all individuals can feel energy. A person with PTSD cannot be forced into our way of thinking, doing and being. As individuals, we need to breathe, slow down, show love and meet them where they are at in the moment. 

View Leigh’s story here: Mindfulness and PTSD

Read also ‘Trauma Survivors’ Advice: What Not to Say to Someone With PTSD’

• Nicole Dake @Millennial Mom

I wish other people realized that PTSD is brain damage.  It isn’t a choice or just some undesirable behaviors that you can easily change.  No matter how much healing work you do, your brain is still not going to function the way that it does for someone who hasn’t gone through trauma.

According to the Highland Springs Specialty Clinic, “According to recent studies, Emotional Trauma and PTSD do cause both brain and physical damage. Neuropathologists have seen overlapping effects of physical and emotional trauma upon the brain. With such an overlap it can be seen that both of these traumas have a detrimental effect upon the Amygdala, the Hippocampus and the Prefrontal cortex of the brain. Meaning that Emotional Trauma or PTSD does indeed result in brain injury/damage.”

Having PTSD and panic attacks isn’t a choice.  It isn’t something you can just snap out of.  It is a change in the way your brain works and functions.  These symptoms will be with you for life, just like if you hit your head on something.  It’s time to stop blaming people with a mental illness because we can’t just pull ourselves together, and go back to the way we were before.  Believe me, we all wish that we could.  We wish we could get our lives, and ourselves back.  We wish we could be who we were before the trauma.  Know that we aren’t acting this way to spite you or upset you.  

Mental illness doesn’t have a cure.  Just treatments.  We can learn how to cope with our symptoms and get life under control, but there are always going to be things that are triggering, and it is beyond our control.  Please, have some compassion, and hold time and space to listen to your friend or family member with PTSD, so you can understand what we are going through. 

Check out Nicole’s story here: The Path Out of Darkness

• Amber Jeann Parker @Choose Joy In the Midst

A balanced, long-term perspective is key to PTSD healing. For the person who has experienced trauma and has PTSD, it is important to recognize the pursuit of healing as a continued long-term focus rather than an instant cure. Those with PTSD have individual trauma triggers that activate their fight or flight response.

There are many therapies that have been used for trauma, but let’s focus on a powerful trauma therapy called EMDR. EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) is a body-focused therapy which allows for the processing and re-integration of trauma, emotions, thoughts, and beliefs that haven’t been worked through yet. By processing the ones connected to the trauma, PTSD symptoms can improve. It is important to note that even following an EMDR therapy regimen, there usually are still triggers and reoccurrence of symptoms to navigate, albeit improved symptoms and responses. This is okay and normal. Remember, the focus of therapy is the continued improvement of symptoms and lessened responses as the therapy sessions continue. 

Now, a person may have complete resolution of their PTSD symptoms through therapy, but it’s usually a gradual process. If complete resolution of symptoms occurs, they can celebrate that victory while acknowledging a reoccurrence could occur in the future, even years later. This perspective is not one based on fear but from a place of awareness with a focus on continued healing. A long-term perspective helps a person not give up when working through difficult memories, thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. By decreasing one’s symptoms and the intensity of PTSD and the fight or flight responses through EMDR therapy, one is able to have an improved quality of life. To pursue healing is a lifelong journey and one incredibly worthwhile.

View Amber’s story here: My Story of Being a Caregiver and Trauma Survivor

Read also ‘How to Heal Yourself: ‘7 Keys To Self-Healing’ A Trauma Survivor’s Guide‘

What do I wish people understood about living with PTSD?

I want to thank those who have shared their thoughts on what they want you to know about PTSD. To finish off, I am adding a few things I wish people would know about living with PTSD.

• PTSD can cause physical, as well as mental, sensations – trauma held inside can lead to physical symptoms even years later. Trauma reshapes not just our brain, but also our body. You can read more about this in this New York Times bestseller The Body Keeps The Score, written by the author, psychiatrist, researcher and educator Bessel van der Kolk.
• PTSD can make you more empathetic as it heightens your senses – individuals impacted may become more sensitive to the suffering of others.
• PTSD can be triggered by sounds, smells, or thoughts – seeing or hearing about something that resembles the traumatic accident the person went through can be a trigger.
• PTSD can disrupt a person’s whole life – it can disrupt daily life, such as relationships, work and even the ability to enjoy life. And using the term PTSD in throwaway statements can diminish its seriousness and increase the stigma surrounding it.
• PTSD is often misunderstood and can be misdiagnosed – PTSD gets often undiagnosed, or even misdiagnosed, so there is often the danger of not receiving the correct treatment. There is also still lots of misconceptions about PTSD. You can watch my video explaining the myths about PTSD here.
• PTSD is an injury, not an identity – it doesn’t define who the person is, even though it may involve a sense of loss of identity.

Are you a trauma survivor and wish you knew more about trauma and PTSD before it happened to you? Is there something you wish others would know about your PTSD? I want to invite you to share your thoughts and concerns in the comments below. Only by spreading awareness, sparking conversations and offering support, we can create a world where those experiencing trauma feel understood, safe and empowered on their recovery journey.

Get the keys to your healing

If you are going through a hard time and feel that a bit of encouragement and support is what you might need right now, feel free to download my free e-book 7 Keys To Self-Healing, A Trauma Survivor’s Guide. It will equip you with knowledge and tools to assist you on your healing journey, help you care for yourself, and feel more in control. Download your free e-book here. 

Thank you and till the next blog post, 

Read some more real-life stories from trauma survivors here: ‘PTSD: My Story Project‘.

‘PTSD: My Story Project’

Do you have experience with PTSD, or do you take care of / live with someone who has? Would you like to share your story in a guest blog post? 

Aim

I’m not an expert or a health professional, so the aim of this project isn’t to offer professional advice. Neither is it to pity those who experience PTSD. That’s not what I want. My aim is to raise awareness of PTSD. By sharing your story, you can inspire and empower others. You can highlight the methods that helped you. This way, you can encourage others to reach out for help.

And it may help you as well. Perhaps it’s something you feel like you’re not able to talk about within your closest circle and would like to connect with others in a similar situation. It’s nothing more than bearing an untold story inside you. The fact is that our society still lacks an understanding of mental health.  Therefore, I’ve decided to share my story and invite others to join me in this project and write a blog post about their experience. By working together, we can help destigmatise mental health problems and promote wellbeing.

To be featured

If you would like to join in and share your story on my blog but don’t have the experience of writing a blog post, this isn’t a problem. You can still contact me, and I’d be happy to assist you with the writing. And you can use a pseudonym if you wish to stay anonymous. You can share as much of your story as you want in a way you feel comfortable with.

The only thing I ask is that you mention ‘PTSD: My story project’ in your post and briefly state why you have chosen to take part in it.  You will be allowed to approve the post before publishing it, should it be edited.

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