And you can private message me too. I am coping with PTSD in my life and I am not an expert but I big-time feel it and small-time understand it in some ways.

Let's get through this together

Yes Allissun. I've had PTSD - technically of course I still have it, as although I was diagnosed over 20 years ago, you never really get over it.

I am living it with my husband. Sometimes extremely severe and a little scary. And when things are more difficult, like dealing with stuff that is going on in the world, as we understand here - the stressors make it more difficult. Sometimes i worry that i may get - or have- secondary PTSD from the intensity of both sides - external world and family world.

I just think it is good to talk about. And mainly because if a person hasn't experienced it yet in his or her life, it might be best to hear about it before-hand, and see that it exists, and why, and what might help. Things, I think in Post-PO will not get easier, and it is best to be as prepared- especially mentally. The sooner the better, especially for PTSD.

Thanks Aussie.

Allissun, I'm very sorry if you, or someone you love, is going through this atm.

Both my DH and I suffered PTSD back in 1987 - big prison fire - trapped inside - many deaths - lots of political fallout. Eventually we were ill-health retired because of it. The first years were HARD, like really hard. Memory losses, inability to tolerate crowds (more than one was a crowd), inability to think clearly, panic attacks and so much more. Eventually we learned to deal with it to some degree. Still had anger issues and still couldn't cope with groups of people, but we just avoided crowds. We moved to a country location, stayed home, became insular, avoided shopping, and just learned to survive day to day.

As years passed we started to be able to cope a little more with people in small groups. We learned coping techniques when out shopping etc. We learned to deal with the panic attacks.

Now over 20 years later we are happy on our doomstead. We grow our own vegetables. We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat. We grow our own sheep for meat. We grow all our own fruit. We collect our own rainwater and have a well. We have our own PV electric system. For the most part we now able to deal with small groups and we both belong to our local fire brigade where DH is the communications officer and I am the catering officer.

I suppose the benefit for us is that we have practised living isolated for many years, so a SHTF situation which results in isolation of people will not affect us much. We also have been pretty much self sufficient for a long time and have little needs of outside inputs to our way of life. Of course we have some, but a lot, lot less than most people.

I am not sure, but think I may have a bit of PTSD. I lived in Guatemala in the 80's and there was a war going on at the time. One of my friends got killed and it bothered me a lot. I am a sensitive artist type, and what's been going on for the past 10 years has rattled me. Knowing about peak oil for 10 years may not have helped it much. It's a drag to know something that nobody else wants to hear about.

I'm certainly no authority on it... but I do teach the basics of PTSD in Intro Psychology... and I worked in CHild Abuse for 21 years... next to Fort Knox military base... so I am familiar with it. I always say I know enough to be dangerous

The main symptoms I noticed:
hypervigilance
insomnia
focusing issues. concentration
panic attacks and/or generalized anxiety
intrusive thoughts
would avoid anything that reminded them of the triggering event
tended to not like crowds or noisy places
distanced themselves from others
startled easily
felt the future was not going to be pleasant
Usually feelings of guilt, shame, anger, distrust, betrayal, aloneness, depression

Sound familiar ?

The people I worked with usually had experienced
Domestic Violence
Sex Abuse
Loss of a parent - or parents... forcefully... sometimes through the military; sometimes through child protective services, sometimes through violence
Substance Abuse
A lot of homes burned down in fires

I think a person does become numb... I know even as in-home therapists we seemed to suffer a secondary PTSD from being exposed to the constant horror
(I wasn't a Child Protective service worker... but CPS referred their families to our program... families at high risk of removal due to abuse or neglect or sometimes mental illness)
So I saw these situations daily... spent 8 to 10 hours a week with a family in their homes.... in their situations. Usually we worked with 2 to 3 families at a time.
I worked with a family that killed their twin 2 month old infants
a child who had the top of her scalp chewed off by a Pit Bull
children pulled screaming from their mothers by CPS
women beaten by boyfriends
one woman killed when she left her husband
a schizophrenic teenager who threatened his mother with a machete
one therapist was locked into the house by a Borderline client
failure to thrive infants
infants born blind and with heart problems and mentally retarded due to drug use of parents (one 14 year old teen had 2 of these infants from her use of crack)
one little 3 year old girl raised her shirt and masturbated in front of me
meth labs
times I was threatened - one skinhead teenager threatened me with his "herd" of Chows...As he walked me through the fenced in yard to the driveway... the Chows surrounded us. He smiled and said "All I have to do is say the word"... I just calmly said, "Well, don't say it"
After 21 years of working in this job I have a LOT more stories

They were numb to the horror... it seemed a normal way of life to many of them. The numbness was part of their PTSD... and mine

I am happy to see the responses to this thread. I think it is always important for people to know about PTSD. When I was discovering this about my husband (years after we were married... i had never heard of it), and did some further research about it, it made things a lot easier. To be able to understand signs and symptoms instead of to be totally taken off-guard. The first time I read about it I laughed and laughed... looking at some of the symptoms and scenarios i was thinking "yup... yup... it's like that... yup...omg!"

Ithink, though, the main reason I wanted to open this up for discussion was to bring awareness about PTSD. If you don't, suffer from it, or know someone who does right now, I think there will be some good chances that you will at some point into the future, as things are going to get tougher - a LOT tougher - with PO and hunger, and danger, and I think it is good to try to not only physically prepare ourselves, but especially to mentally prepare ourselves as best we can.

Imagine the people who have lived sheltered lives....never experiencing these things.

Yes. This is difficult to imagine. Although, Wordnerd, we were all, at some point, one of them.

Things are going to get tough, and tougher. And I can not over-estimate how difficult this will be. So I want to share my experience, in a very small way, to understand, and to help others see, and to get themselves ready for a tough emotional, metaphysical, and mental fight, in addition to the meatspace, physical one. Physical is only one aspect. What we are fighting for is our freedom! How is that defined? To me... not in the physical but in the mental and in the emotional, if i had to give preferences. I would rather have my mind than my body. Isn't that what we have here in cyber-space. I digress.

Right on!

Nice one!

Because that is what it is. It is going to be very tough. All the physical preps, storage, ammunition, will mean little unless you have your mind and your spirit prepping likewise.

Let's get through this together

all-the-best

all-is-sun