Healing, trauma, emotions, a patients view on post traumatic stress

©Copyright LillyGrillzit all rights reserved 07/31/2010

There are psychiatric terms for a disease or malady, called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Syndrome . It is likely referred to by professionals and laypersons as PTSD or PTSS.

Lilly is not not a professional, but has sought professional help for this. She has searched for wellness, and cures for her emotional and mental issues over the years . As with most other humans, she has experienced several traumatic blows. What happens is an occurrence or event strikes a human so deeply for sometimes unknown reason, but it will always be there. Some healers call it, body or deep tissue memories .

Soldiers who see battle almost always have residue affects. There are some people who are able to handle it, compartmentalize it, and live healthy and fruitful, while another soldier, standing 5ft from those who cope, can be tormented for decades or a life time. It is what is witnessed. What picture flashed - how deeply it is remembered - felt.

People with no sense of protection, are more likely to repeatedly fall into familial patterns of unhealthy or mismatched relationships. It is natural to lean toward what is familiar. This does not mean they prefer or seek abuse, they do not know any other way.

Those who would lay blame on a person for falling into these patterns is operating as a hurtful or damaging entity.

For decades, PTSD was solely associated with War Veterans, and it has not been used to up treatment of War Veterans probably affected by said Syndrome. PTSD has only recently been addressed in civilian society in the U.S.

When a person meets terrible circumstances, their body is constantly at alert, and certain triggers can bring the past, and injurious episodes back instantly. Most research has been compiled by cases of Veterans of War...In the past few years, psychologists have found that Post Traumatic Stress is not isolated to Veterans of War.

Survivors of violence, rape, incest, robbery , kidnapping, abandonment , and other heart / mind wrenching episodes , may experience Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) ...If a person is beaten to a bloody pulp, 12 years ago, and the song Don't Worry, Be Happy was playing in the background, whenever the victim hears that song, their blood pressure will rise, heartbeat will increase, Panic can easily set in. Years later , and far away from the beating, Hearing,Don't Worry Be Happy , may cause distress. The long-ago victim may consider it a strange reaction, but it is not.

One of the problems in understanding, or making the connection is that when someone survives tragedy, the wonderful human mind and body have done everything to get you through it.

A victim may not even realize the song was playing in the background when the Beating was occurring, and may they may not understand their own "crazy" reactions.

The victim, hopefully survives, moves on, and perhaps gets counselling. Although counselling goes well, and a person is mostly well adjusted, whenever that song comes on, her body and mind will react as if she were in the rape once more. Our minds and bodies get us through tragedy, but these triggers can bring us back to the feeling of helplessness and terror. Fast heartbeat, crying, being appalled by sexual activity with a trusted partner. Anyone who has experienced grave trauma will benefit from specific PTSD counselling.

In 2002, Lilly lost her youngest daughter to a car wreck. Lilly does have great faith in a higher power, but she was in need of support. Along with the millions who have health insurance, that is too expensive to use, she searched and found a 12-Step program as a support system.

It was during this time, while reading and pouring through the literature, Lilly found stories of those who suffered for years undiagnosed, they spoke about PTSS.

The more she learned about it, the more Lilly actively searched for counsellors who offered this type of counselling. At the time, the only counselling available was geared toward Veterans. Seek and you will find...

Lilly located one brave woman who was offering counselling for PTSD. It took some juggling to make contact, when Lilly did, she let the Counselor know, that she could only afford onesession. The Counselor charged $125.00 per hour.

Lilly asked the nice counselor Jill, to please give this to her in the Reader's Digest Condensed® version. In A Nutshell. Ms. Jill did an excellent job. Lilly wants to pass on the a couple of helpful knowledge. Hopefully this will help others find their own path to wellness and peace.

Lilly has a deep burden for the younger people, because adults are given the responsibility of protecting these gems. Children often do not have words to describe what is happening to them, or they bury it for survival purposes. Later, as adults we have issues .

When something terrible happens to a person , it may be buried for a time, but until the terror, sadness or trauma is "Felt", it will continue to pick at the wound. It will not go away without a few tears and some pain.

As a child, Lilly had the bad luck to have a mean and spiteful babysitter. She burned and scarred Lilly's little hands, front and back. That was a lesson to Lilly not to play around the ironing board.

Lilly was very young, and cannot recall everything. There are some dark and frightening moments that have found there way to the surface. She liked smothering Lilly, give her air,smother...while Lilly types, she is feeling physical affects like quickness of heartbeat. Shortness of breath, an a reluctance to revisit.

Sharing this, Lilly feels scared, and a little panicky. Years away from that abuser, Lilly is no little helpless child any longer, but the trauma remains. It is no longer a mysterious ailment that pops up during a innocent conversation, or brings fear for seemingly no reason.

Lilly has worked through different things. One example, for the sake of others, is, the Babysitter, used to say, I want to talk to you later Lilly! She would play this out for hours or days. It was torment, because she took pleasure in then tearing Lilly down.

When Lilly became an adult, at the job, in a loving relationship or friendship, if someone would say, Lilly, I need to talk to later about something. she would begin a slow descent into hell.Blood pressure, heart rate, depression.

Before the PTSS counselling, Lilly did not associate these sorrowful feelings with anything other than life being unfair, and people were out to hurt her. Unaddressed, those simple words, transported Lilly right back to a defenseless child who was going to be harmed mentally and maybe physically.

By learning that past trauma can remain buried deep in our minds, hearts and tissue, and getting an ah-ha moment when you can learn to grip your response with what you now know. Knowing is half the battle, or a third or whatever the measurement is.

Understanding is the beginning of healing. The other thing the Brave psychologist taught Lilly, is the opposite of storing trauma, and that is the stored Good Memories and experiences.

Lilly's favorite thing in the world is to be in the woods during the Fall, going into the Ozark mountains. She will find a giant Oak tree, snuggle down into her mighty roots and imagine a loving Mother that is protecting her from everything. The scents of the Ouachita Forest are forever etched deep in her tissue memory. From there her ears can hear, relating to the heart, the song of Piney Creek. Other sounds and smells can bring her back to the feeling safety and happiness in moments. It brings Lilly calming and peace whenever she thinks of it, or is there.

Those who have had it rough, and have deep tissue memories of horror, has a positive weapon ready to be made. Make or Recall good feelings, and happy moments.

If there is even one time you were safe, or had someone step in and stop the terror, think about that Good. Anyone who escaped from a kidnapping, or recovered from a beating due to the brave actions of a loving person, can imprint the healing memories to counter the Stressful memories.

Lilly hope this helps, if even one person. We are all in this together . If we are blessed enough to survive hell, we can bless others in letting them know that people do survive, and can thrive.

If one person can go on to have a decent life, then everyone has the same chance. Often, it depends on us.

Lilly recently experienced a reunion with someone who helped her during her childhood . They were empathetic to Lilly as a child, because they were mal-treated growing up. It had been 30 years, and upon their reunion, Lilly learned that the person who helped her, was still tormented by an abusive parent who had passed. They felt like that parent had "ruined" their life...

Personally, Lilly believes where there is life, there is HOPE. We are only ruined if we decide to let our experience ruin us.

Lilly's life is not perfect, and she admits to issues needing work, but Lilly's life is not ruined. She is blessed and lucky to be alive. Lilly wants to pass these blessings on...