Has anyone returned to work full-time and went on to live a productive life after being diagnosed with PTSD?

Question

If so, how long did it take for you to get better? Do you feel PTSD can be cured or only managed? Can others tell you're suffering from some form of anxiety when they meet you, even though you're working again and are productive? I'm especially interested in hearing from those who have PTSD which results from being abused as children and/or raped.

Answer 1

I truly believe it is possible to heal from PTSD. The events in your life that led to your PTSD will always be a part of your history and can never truly be forgotten. However, through learning how to process those events, you can put them events firmly in the past without the power to continually sabotage you.

PTSD can be treated and dramatically improved in most cases with brief cognitive therapy. In particular, I have worked with PTSD clients who have been sexually abused using a 17 week therapy called CPT-SA. The woman who developed this therapy is Kate Chard, PhD, and she is fantastic! I'm attaching of couple of links below so that you can learn more. I don't know where you are, but she may be able to refer you to someone in your area.

This therapy really works. I've witnessed amazing changes in people who have done this treatment and seen it through to the end. There is certainly help out there for victims of PTSD, and it is absolutely possible for them to lead happy, productive lives.

I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 2

I haven't personally but I know some people that have. One of these individuals also has a fractured tail- bone and a punctured spleen and works 8-11 hours a day 5 days a week. The government doesn't do what they promise even if they would it will take a minute to get all of the criteria in order.By that time you'll be broke, hungry and homeless. Do what you gotta do until you just can't. YOu really start to feel bad when you are doing nothing because you have more time to think about everything. That's where nervous breakdowns come from. I have scoliosis, a bad knee, and bronchitis but if I stop , I'll stop. You understand?

Answer 3

Absolutely, I suffered thru years of an abusive marriage. I was verbally, physically, and sexually abused by my husband when we were first married, I was 18. I went into total shutdown and survival mode. He got me involved with Jehovahs Witnesses (he and his entire family were). I became a master at putting on a happy face. I could go from being held against the wall by my throat to smiling and chatting with the congregation within an hour. BUT... this all catches up over time. I became incapable of allowing him to touch me. I could barely stand to be hugged by someone I did love.I had horrible flashbacks. After a while, I started to wake up. I began doing research on my own and discovered I was suffering from PTSD. fortunately I was mostly able to help myself. I found a psycologist (he had no experience with this at all) but what I needed from him was to tell my story to a neutral party. He also encouraged me to write everything down, that helped get all the memories to the surface. The memories will continue to do seroious harm unless you bring them up and then you can begin to let them go. I also left him, left the wacky religion and started my life all over at 33. It took a little while to get back to who I should be. I had to sow some wild oates. Needed to date and figure out what I wanted and what I didn't. Needed to reconnect with my family and tell them the truth. Now I have found the man of my dreams, I am happier than I have ever been. He knows about what happened and has helped me to rid myself of the last vestiges of my former life. I do suffer from one small symptom still. I have an over active "startle" reaction. I jump at sudden noises. I just learned that this is usually something that will never go away. The brain remains in a hightened fight or flight mode after years of trauma. One of the most important things I can say to you is, work actively at getting over this. Don't become bogged down in a "woe is me" attitude. Be firm with yourself. Identify the problems you are having and address them vigorusly. Ignoring the symptoms of PTSD is what gives them their power. Bring it to the surface, face it head on, say what you need to say, and let it go.

Answer 4

In 1998 I know someone very close to me that was raped and she went through extensive counseling and now is an LPN and is doing amazing. You need to commit yourself to wanting to get better and get all of the support you can! I have alot of trauma patients that come back to my hospital telling and showing that they are doing so much better! Good Luck!