Here is a similar story about service dogs trained specifically for people with PTSD. They will do things like ensure no one crowds up too close behind their human, as well as offering the emotional interaction.
I guess you're being down voted for sounding like people with PTSD would be fine if they just tried to be more positive. That's obviously not true and hopefully not what you meant.
However it is true that perception is a huge part of PTSD, it's just no one knows how to change these perceptions or the devastating brain pathways created as a result of them.
I knew a guy who had moderate PTSD. He could work and keep a steady job. His number one issue was loud, unexpected noise and sudden surprises. Slamming an office door, for example, would cause him to jump under a desk, run outside, etc.
Once we all learned of the issue, making his work-area a quiet place and letting him know to expect loud noise before it occurred, helped a lot. When walking up behind him, we let him know we were coming, start humming a song, but start it at a distance in a calm manner while approaching. These little things made all the difference.
So don't throw a 'surprise' party for someone with PTSD where everyone in the office jumps out from hiding yelling surprise! Everyone else may get THE surprise at the reaction.
And if you have PTSD, it's a good idea to let your co-workers and friends know now, otherwise, they'll continue doing things that cause problems for you. You'll find that most people are very helpful, some even understand it just like you do, but have never said anything about it.
I am happy to read about this particular experience.
One of the severe irritations I have with focus on a "cure", is that it can forego discussion of and consideration of finding ways to work with the situation as it is.
If a quiet environment is an aid, and if people can function much better when they have it, then let them have it.
There may be a "cure", someday. There may be other, viable solutions available today for letting people with PTSD have a productive, reasonably stress-free life.
After all, a lot of PTSD originates not in isolation but within the community (family, city, military, etc.), in the first place. A community response to coping with it, seems only reasonable.
> And if you have PTSD, it's a good idea to let your co-workers and friends know now, otherwise, they'll continue doing things that cause problems for you. You'll find that most people are very helpful, some even understand it just like you do, but have never said anything about it.
I don't have PTSD (thankfully), but I went to a school with a large milvet population, and a number of my friends & classmates had varying levels of PTSD. Two of my close friends have PTSD from (separate) traumatic events that occurred during the time I knew them[0], and I've seen the struggles that they have to this day as a result.
Unfortunately, not only is there a huge stigma around mental illness in general, but PTSD is very often misunderstood. And many people with PTSD have been in the position where they have trusted friends or coworkers with that information, for the exact reasons you describe, and it has come around to bite them[1]. Since PTSD is oftentimes triggered by environmental factors, this only reinforces the learning cycle, and actually worsens the PTSD.
It creates a terrible cycle, where they have legitimate reasons not to want to seek support from their environment (they have real reason to distrust it), but where they can't function without the support of their environment as well.
[0] ie, after we were already friends; I wasn't present at the traumatic events themselves.
[1] e.g., a friend lets this information slip to someone that the original person didn't trust, or a coworker uses that information to trigger them intentionally as a "joke" (yes, this happens).
> It creates a terrible cycle, where they have legitimate reasons not to want to seek support from their environment (they have real reason to distrust it), but where they can't function without the support of their environment as well.
It took years before I started to realize this was the case for me, particularly the 2nd part. So many things I never could find even a correlation for slowly started to "click" for me. The way you put it helps a lot, I haven't been able to describe it to anyone. Thanks :)
I similarly have a strong startle reflex. I hate open office spaces, and particularly office spaces where my desk has me without my back to a wall.
People moving around behind me is very stressful and distracting.
Similarly I'll never walk up behind someone and tap them on the shoulder if I can help it. I always try and come up beside them, in their eye-line and wave or say hi to get their attention.
Basically, Leary grew to prominence but his scientific methods were often faulty and he turned to mysticism. He became a cultural advocate, not a scientific one. But his ties to psychedelic research it a bad name and made it much more difficult for people to get their hands on these drugs for the purposes of actual research. Eventually, mostly due to backlash against Leary, these substances were prohibited from research use for several decades. It was only in the late 90s that we began to pick up the pieces.
There is fantastic research being done by MAPS on using MDMA to assist in psychotherapy for PTSD.
The trust and openness brought about by the effects of MDMA appear to be extremely effective at helping patients come to terms with their trauma--"night-and-day" changes after mere hours of talking; the effects of years of therapy in a single dose.
If you are the sort of person who can see the healing potential of psychedelic experiences, please donate to http://www.maps.org/
Yep, we're getting there. Use of psychedelics in therapy isn't a magic pill -- the patient still has to be aware, but yeah, it's great.
It isn't just applicable for those with PTSD. There is a Brazilian group that is trying therapy for those who have committed heinous crimes. There's healing in that as well.
Lastly: I think the rising of VR/AR tech into the mainstream, such as the Oculus Rift, Magic Leap, and the Hololens will do a lot for reducing the stigma of psychedelic therapy. Those technologies don't even scratch the surface of the kinds of experiences of psychedelics, yet even though they are relatively primitive in comparison, they are capable of inducing existential crises. I think that, more than anything else, along with accessibility to the mainstream, will change a lot of things for us.
Now, if there are visionary artists willing to work on VR experiences ... :-D
I'll just throw in my recommendation for EMDR therapy. There is no universal thing that fits everyone, but I've seen this do wonders for someone firsthand. Find someone properly trained in it and give it a go. Like anything, it takes time.
Where does PTSD begin and end? Was this person predisposed to other mental illnesses before their trauma? Their illustrations seem to indicate a level of depression and/or compulsive behavior that may not necessarily been caused by their trauma. I am curious whether the popular portrayal of PTSD as an all consuming life ruining problem is counterproductive in terms of how society views and treats victims. Wouldn't it be much more positive to say "PTSD is real, but it doesn't have to define you, here are some resources that can help".
There's a great Netflix doc called Free The Mind[1] that follows several PTSD patients in an experimental program focused on meditation / breathing exercises.
23 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 53.3 ms ] threadhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3nzeykzpy8
"Clinically, there is not enough research yet to know if dogs actually help treat PTSD and its symptoms." - National center for PTSD.
That said, the risk/reward ratio seems pretty good for something like this.
http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/service-dog-helps-i...
Frikkin' awesome.
However it is true that perception is a huge part of PTSD, it's just no one knows how to change these perceptions or the devastating brain pathways created as a result of them.
Once we all learned of the issue, making his work-area a quiet place and letting him know to expect loud noise before it occurred, helped a lot. When walking up behind him, we let him know we were coming, start humming a song, but start it at a distance in a calm manner while approaching. These little things made all the difference.
So don't throw a 'surprise' party for someone with PTSD where everyone in the office jumps out from hiding yelling surprise! Everyone else may get THE surprise at the reaction.
And if you have PTSD, it's a good idea to let your co-workers and friends know now, otherwise, they'll continue doing things that cause problems for you. You'll find that most people are very helpful, some even understand it just like you do, but have never said anything about it.
One of the severe irritations I have with focus on a "cure", is that it can forego discussion of and consideration of finding ways to work with the situation as it is.
If a quiet environment is an aid, and if people can function much better when they have it, then let them have it.
There may be a "cure", someday. There may be other, viable solutions available today for letting people with PTSD have a productive, reasonably stress-free life.
After all, a lot of PTSD originates not in isolation but within the community (family, city, military, etc.), in the first place. A community response to coping with it, seems only reasonable.
I don't have PTSD (thankfully), but I went to a school with a large milvet population, and a number of my friends & classmates had varying levels of PTSD. Two of my close friends have PTSD from (separate) traumatic events that occurred during the time I knew them[0], and I've seen the struggles that they have to this day as a result.
Unfortunately, not only is there a huge stigma around mental illness in general, but PTSD is very often misunderstood. And many people with PTSD have been in the position where they have trusted friends or coworkers with that information, for the exact reasons you describe, and it has come around to bite them[1]. Since PTSD is oftentimes triggered by environmental factors, this only reinforces the learning cycle, and actually worsens the PTSD.
It creates a terrible cycle, where they have legitimate reasons not to want to seek support from their environment (they have real reason to distrust it), but where they can't function without the support of their environment as well.
[0] ie, after we were already friends; I wasn't present at the traumatic events themselves.
[1] e.g., a friend lets this information slip to someone that the original person didn't trust, or a coworker uses that information to trigger them intentionally as a "joke" (yes, this happens).
It took years before I started to realize this was the case for me, particularly the 2nd part. So many things I never could find even a correlation for slowly started to "click" for me. The way you put it helps a lot, I haven't been able to describe it to anyone. Thanks :)
People moving around behind me is very stressful and distracting.
Similarly I'll never walk up behind someone and tap them on the shoulder if I can help it. I always try and come up beside them, in their eye-line and wave or say hi to get their attention.
> it's leary's fault psychedelic research became stunted
could you elaborate?
Basically, Leary grew to prominence but his scientific methods were often faulty and he turned to mysticism. He became a cultural advocate, not a scientific one. But his ties to psychedelic research it a bad name and made it much more difficult for people to get their hands on these drugs for the purposes of actual research. Eventually, mostly due to backlash against Leary, these substances were prohibited from research use for several decades. It was only in the late 90s that we began to pick up the pieces.
The trust and openness brought about by the effects of MDMA appear to be extremely effective at helping patients come to terms with their trauma--"night-and-day" changes after mere hours of talking; the effects of years of therapy in a single dose.
If you are the sort of person who can see the healing potential of psychedelic experiences, please donate to http://www.maps.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/dea-mdma-study_n_68...
It isn't just applicable for those with PTSD. There is a Brazilian group that is trying therapy for those who have committed heinous crimes. There's healing in that as well.
Lastly: I think the rising of VR/AR tech into the mainstream, such as the Oculus Rift, Magic Leap, and the Hololens will do a lot for reducing the stigma of psychedelic therapy. Those technologies don't even scratch the surface of the kinds of experiences of psychedelics, yet even though they are relatively primitive in comparison, they are capable of inducing existential crises. I think that, more than anything else, along with accessibility to the mainstream, will change a lot of things for us.
Now, if there are visionary artists willing to work on VR experiences ... :-D
[1] http://danishdocumentary.com/site/freethemind/