ptsdconfessions:

Become knowledgable about PTSD

What causes PTSD:

• Emotional abuse // Psychological Trauma // Bullying // Rape & sexual abuse // Natural disasters // Sudden death of a loved one // War // Witnessing a traumatic event // Kidnapping // Vehicle accidents // Physical abuse // and many other things

Symptoms of PTSD // Myths & Facts about PTSD // DSM 5 Criteria for PTSD // Complex PTSD

Overcoming PTSD is not a black and white process and it will take time. Try not to hold high expectations for yourself such as ‘If I do such and such I’ll be cured overnight!’. Unfortunately there is no magic cure for PTSD, but there are things we can do to help.
Remember that not every technique will work for everyone.

Therapy & Medication
Types of therapy:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy // DBT for managing PTSD // How DBT can help trauma survivors
• EMDR // Can you benefit from EMDR?

Demonstration of a therapy appointment // Step-by-step how to get a therapist // Differences between types of therapists

Tips on picking a therapist // 50 signs of good therapy  // 50 warning signs of bad therapy

Online Therapy:

• Blah therapy - costs $25+ per session to talk to professionals, can talk to everyday people for free.
• 7 cups of tea - free as far as I can tell, but the people you talk to aren’t professionals, anyone can become a ‘listener’ after doing the short online class. This site is good as you can browse through all the ‘listener’ profiles to find someone who suits your time schedule and someone who has more experience with what you are going through.
• Online therapy - $349 for 8 weeks to access their full services.
• Anxiety online - can’t tell if it’s free or not.
• E-therapy - the people you talk to are registered therapists, costs money but you have to make an enquiry to find out how much
• Talk Space - free to begin with, then $25+ per week

Antidepressants and how they work // Medication for combat PTSD

Self Help Books
The Courage to Heal // The Way of the Journal // Healing from Trauma

Flashbacks, Dissociation & Anxiety

• Start meditation and do mindfulness exercises (each word is a different link). Utilising these techniques can help with anxiety in general as well. The more you practice them, the easier it will be to use them in times of high stress/anxiety.
• Grounding worksheet
• Make a grounding box
• Mental grounding exercises // Physical grounding exercises // Soothing grounding exercises
• How to cope with flashbacks // More on coping with flashbacks
• Fidget toys can be great to use. They can distract you when you feel triggered or have high anxiety. Basically just have a small object you can fiddle with whilst going about your daily activities. These objects can be small stones, tangle teezers, koosh balls, water snakes, blowing bubbles, cats cradle (can be made with string), magic loops, putty, fidget rings
• More fidget toys
• 3 practices to calm an anxious mind
• How to calm anxiety
• 6 quick breathing exercises
• For flashbacks any of these are good techniques to practice: one, two, three
• Dual awareness protocol (you just have to click show more at the bottom of the post)
• If you get triggered during a class or somewhere similar, just leave. If you need to, just tell the teacher you are going to the nurse’s office or to the toilet. Take a walk around and try to do some breathing exercises. Apps can be great in this situation because they can be right there with you all the time.
• Managing dissociation

Other Helpful Resources
Surviving the holidays // Intimacy after trauma // Dissociation explained // Bullying forum (where you can talk about how bullying has affected you) // Self care after rape // Anxiety Self help // Why you aren’t bad for loving your abuser // Self care masterpost // Resources for male survivors // Help for men with PTSD // Emotions chart // Showering when you don’t feel up to it

Useful Apps & Websites

• Use Super Better for anxiety (or anything else they have listed there)
• SAM app - help for anxiety
• PTSD Coach - helps you when you are triggered/having bad anxiety. It takes you through different exercises to calm you down according to how you are feeling (ie. feeling disconnected, worried, angry, unable to sleep, reminded of trauma etc.)
• Mood gym - online help for anxiety
• Smiling Mind app - takes you through different relaxation/meditation exercises
• Stop, Breathe and Think app
• Websites for when you want to… (be comforted, get a hug, avoid boredom, etc.)
• Emergency Compliment
• The Quiet Place Project
• The Thoughts Room
• Make everything okay
• Masterpost of apps for mental health support
• Moodscope - helps track your mood

If Self Harm / Suicide Ideation is an issue for you:
Free self harm workbook // I want to self harm powerpoint // Play on Weave Silk // The Butterfly Project // International Association for Suicide Prevention // Alternatives to self harm // More alternatives to self harm // Reasons to live // More reasons to live // Even more reasons to live

Distractions

• Grounding box
• Start an art journal
• Bad X-Factor auditions
• Find a new hobby. This can help distract you when triggered.
• Visit a museum
• If you can’t get to a museum in real life, here are some online/virtual ones: British Museum online tours, Museum Victoria collections, Smithsonian Virtual Tours
• Go to the zoo or an aquarium
• Take part in operation beautiful
• Stretch or start yoga
• Dye your hair
• Candy Box 2
• Do some origami
• Clean out, rearrange, redecorate your room
• Get creative ideas from here
• Neopets
• Play cookie Clicker
• Watch the stars
• Try to beat Akinator
• Free education!
• Free MIT classes
• Plan a relaxation day - no work, no homework, no pressure on yourself to do anything but relax. Have a bubble bath, invite a friend over, make a blanket fort, watch movies, stay in your pyjamas all day, have a picnic in your garden (or living room if you don’t have a big garden), etc.
• 50 ways to take a break
• Make a mixtape
• Climb a tree
• Go on a picnic
• Read a book
• Free audiobooks
• Have a bubble bath
• Make a pet rock
• listen to sounds

For Friends and Family of those with PTSD:
How to help a friend who has been raped // What can I do? // What to do when someone is dissociating // 3 ways to help someone having a panic attack // 4 things you shouldn’t say to someone having a panic attack // How to help someone who is suicidal // How to be a friend to someone with PTSD