Making the Shift: Coping with PTSD & trauma anniversaries

Tweet

As we continue through this month of celebrating the joy of survival leading up to a fabulous free PTSD teleseminar NEXT TUESDAY(!) with civilian and veteran survivors and professionals talking about how to cope with trauma anniversaries, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes here. I continue to talk with both survivors and professionals about their experiences and tips for coping strategies. Last week we compiled the responses of some survivors. This week, I bring you thoughts from the professionals…

Optimism Motivation Resiliency Specialist and survivor himself, Michael Ballard outlines ideas from his own life:

• I took an Outward Bound Wilderness adventure see http://www.outwardbound.org/ for details… amazing experience.
• I learned to Roller Blade when most of my friends over 40 were becoming coach potatoes…
• I took up snorkeling – I’m not a great swimmer – but learned to snorkel for hours at a time
• I took up biking again
• I volunteer with children and families struck with adversity
• I phone and write those that supported me and reminded them of how their investment in me changed my life
• I play music that reminds me of just how much joy I am worthy of and help “Conduct it”
• One year I stayed in and cooked myself my favourite meal. Ate it and gave thanks for the means and ability to do so
• Another year I cooked myself my favourite meal. Invited friends over and gave thanks for their support
• I lay on the floor in the living room and went through a check list of what exactly I’d been through (got to be ready for this one) and gave myself and family credit for having survived and moved this far ahead in life

Clinical Psychologist Melissa DeGeso suggests:

I am a firm believer in ceremony and use of symbolic representation. I call it, “Remembering the Forgotten” as those anniversaries often sneak up without the survivor “realizing” why they are so symptomatic all of a sudden.

Vocational Consultant Elissa Tomasini, writes,

It can always be helpful to have resources available to deal with stressful events such as anniversaries or triggering places. Here are some ideas:

• Acceptance – acknowledge that the day may be harder, so go easy on yourself.
• Find support – see a friend, go to a group, meet with your counselor, connect spiritually.
• Healthy activities – exercise, eat right, meditate
• Distraction – read, watch tv, play a game, do something fun, validate self
• Take in the moment – grieve, journal, process the feelings and thoughts

Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Laura Umfer suggests:

For people who have not had therapy or can’t afford to continue, prepare for the day. Schedule something fun and distracting with supportive people. Leading up to the date and after might be challenging, expect it, and schedule accordingly. Perhaps more distractions, or more time looking within to process feelings will help. Meditate to ease anxiety. There are websites that can teach this for free and offer self hypnosis downloads that are affordable, see link below. Exercise to relieve stress. Set limits with people around you to get the support you need. Avoid as many stressors as possible. Avoid alcohol or other impulsive self medicating activities. Acknowledge the event and thatyou have survived it. Look at where you were then compared to now. Identify what you need to continue moving forward. Check the web for support groups online and in the local area for additional support and possibly affordable or pro-bono therapy.

Empathic Mental Health Clinician, Shannon Flynn Lewis, finds this helpful:

Now I help others through art therapy, and I have a very small “tip” that I have used with people struggling with PTSD or an over-aroused nervous system. For the hospital where I practice art therapy on the weekend, I bought a few colored plastic tabletop labyrinths. When someone seems to be too disorganized or upset to focus, I may suggest that they listen to quiet relaxing music (often I play classical) while tracing their finger tip or a stylus around the folds of the labyrinth, to the center and out again.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Holly Seerley, says:

I find perspective-taking can be helpful for some—taking the giant I-MAX screen & surround-sound of the trauma and contextualizing it within the person’s lifelife and identify in different ways. Visual representations, such as drawing a lifeline/timeline and placing the trauma on the line along with other traumas plus joys, successes, + surprises. E.g., noting how many September 11s have gone before and how many will come. What else has NY meant to you…before 9/11. What else will NY mean to you if you continue the timeline. Trauma is not to be erased or ignored but held by our larger history and history of mankind, so it does remain embedded in the body taking up more than it’s fair share of our cells.

Learn to cope with us: Tuesday, August 31st @ 8pm EST

Tweet  us your trauma tips using the hashtag #TraumaAnniv @healmyptsd or @micheleptsd.

Share your trauma anniversary tips with us on Facebook.

Want a little daily PTSD healing inspiration? Click here to sign up to receive our free Healing Thought of the Day email.

Photo acknowledgement.

Tags: ptsd