Treating PTSD: You Have Got To BELIEVE
Friday, October 23rd, 2009 • Uncategorized •
A big debate going on after yesterday’s post about whether or not people believe PTSD can be healed. The lines have clearly been drawn between those who do, those who don’t, and those who aren’t sure.
I know from my own experience it’s difficult to be in full-blown PTSD and feel such overwhelming certainty about healing and how you’re headed there that you have the impulse to shout your plan from the rooftops.
OK, no, that wasn’t how I felt. Instead, I felt like I was gnashing my teeth and attempting to pull behind me an enormous, heavy set of railroad cars. It was beyond me how I was going to make the train budge an inch, but I was determined to do it.
Did it occur to me I might fail? Yep, often.
Did I fail? Yep, more than once.
Did I stop believing I would succeed? Yep, once. And then I realized I couldn’t afford not to believe.
My mother always taught us, “The mind knows only what you tell it.” I used to snicker at that but the truth is, she’s right. In my research and training I’ve learned the brain is very literal. It takes its cues from the stimuli and information you give it. In fact, it looks for proof of what it’s fed.
So…. you tell it you can heal, and the brain will look for evidence to support that. You tell it you can’t heal; it’ll find evidence to support that, too.
Which brings us to the BTG Big Question of the day: Are you doing what it takes to believe you can heal?
If you aren’t pointing your brain in the right direction you aren’t doing all you can to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.
Which direction are you pointing your brain in?
I believed I could heal because I could simply no longer imagine living the PTSD life forever. There had to be something else. I imagined a life of joy and health and daily moved toward that vision. One of the things I did was dance.
For those of you who also believe PTSD can be healed, what has brought you to that belief, and how have you sustained it?
(Photo: Noosedkitty)
Tags: Doing Whatever It Takes To Heal, heal, healing, post-traumatic stress, ptsd
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It never occured to me it wouldnt work when I set my heart on it. Right now I feel somewehre between arrogant and naive. I was living in darkness and despair and have seen so many people content, happy and laughing. I was sure this can be reached. I am still on my way, I slip, I am exhausted but I never doubted I would make in the end. I will make it. MIll of hugs to you from this side of the pond
quote: If you aren’t pointing your brain in the right direction you aren’t doing all you can to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sorry, i find this quite disrespectful to all the people who DO suffer! It is NOT their fault. It is the same stupid saying like all this esoteric people, who tell you the only reason, why you are poor is that you have chosen to live such a poor life. It is not a “you must be d
Respect is the only clue to a heart to heart communication. If we, people with ptsd, cannot respect others with ptsd and give them warmth and understanding – no matter at which state they are in their healing process – how can we hope for society to understand ptsd and to give us respect.
your intentions with this website seem friendly but after a while one get’s the arrogancy behind it and that you DO suffer from ptsd still – although you take so much time and effort to deny this.
Nothing is more to be feared than a person with a problem, who did not really solve it:-(
Sorry, I am not going to visit your page again, i don’t have time enough for such fake-ptsd-free persons:-(
@Igasho – I’m sorry you feel the way you do. My intention was to support you, to make you feel you can do it, and also, to remind all of us that it is up to us to do the work, to believe and to keep our eyes trained on that belief so we can move forward. All of us with PTSD have to make our best effort to point ourselves in the right direction to heal. We mustn’t accept someone else’s belief that we cannot do it. That was all I was trying to say, that regardless of what anyone else believes, in order to make our best effort at healing we ourselves must believe and face ourselves in the direction of that belief. Best of luck to your continued recovery effort.
@Paula – I so agree! I had days when I didn’t believe and then when I set my heart on in and decided never to doubt…. I still had days I slipped but that belief is what helped me get back up.
LOL, I think in order to heal we do have to slide between arrogance (believing we can do it) and naivete (not exactly knowing HOW to do it!).
You sound strong and determined. I believe you will make it. I’m beside you in spirit, even all these miles away!
I’m with you Michele, making the decision to use my strength as a warrior to fight back was the turning point in my healing process. Not everyone is at the point where they have had enough of being a victim and I believe that some may never get there. But for those of us who do, we should band together and in unison sound off and let our voices be heard to all that will listen. Think it, know it, believe it and live it. Life is ours for the taking, we just have to have the courage to reach farther than we are comfortable with. That is much easier then settling for defeat at the hands of PTSD.
Jason
OperationPTSD
darling–and i thought you were not listening!!!! loved the shout out. ilgasho is speaks from such a deprived perch. fighting windmills i am afraid. do not allow this kind of inability for insight get in your way. you are brilliant and everything you say is spot on and accurate. suspect envy in these kind of moments. dragons be here. just keep walking your path.
who loves you, baby?????
Hi Michele,
I am 100% with you and Eileen. The things you share on this blog are inspirational, motivating and k\give me just the kick up the butt I need. You have shifted my entire perspective on healing and overcoming my PTSD- I now face my journey with a strong intention to heal, rather than as a victim. Thank you for everything you do and share, and please don’t ever let people like ilgasho get you down. xxx
I believe what you say to be true as well. I do not have PTSD but my cousin does. She was in and out of hospitals all the time and her whole family told her she was “crazy” and did not support her. I stepped in 7 years ago and she has not had an episode yet. I told her “you can do what you want in life” you can overcome your situation and she was doing great. That is, up until last week. Unfortunately, she was under a LOT of stress and pressure, and started to lose it, and I had not been in touch with her so that I could have caught her when she started showing mild symptoms 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately her ex saw it as an opportunity to get child custody (which he managed to get practically overnight) and had her restrained in a hospital. My advice to those of you with children is to make sure you have “crisis plans” for your children should something start slipping and a ‘psychiatric advance directive’ should they have you restrained in a hospital. Unfortunately I did not know about these things until researching today in my attempt to help her. Good luck to you all.
I am claiming this new year, 2011, to be my healing year. I am devoting this year to myself to heal. I believe that healing is possible with effort and faith. It is my faith in God that is strong. God is the great healer and he can perform miracles. I know that he healed my daughter of a fatal disease and I believe that he will heal me. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In Jesus name, I pray.
@Elizabeth — FABULOUS! Sometimes, you just have to put a stake in the ground of your recovery and claim it. Good luck!