Introduction

[Seren]

Hi everyone
I am Australian and was diagnosed with CPTSD after a severe health event and six days in the ICU.  While there one of the cardiologists asked if I had been abused as a child which I had both sexually and physically by my father and my mother has diagnosed Munchhausen.  Although I have been high functioning it took an extreme health event for me to pause and I was sent to a clinical psychologist.  We have been working together for four years now.  I am hopeful and I am hoping also to be involved in chats with others on the same journey!

[Kizzie]

Hi and a warm welcome to OOTS Seren!  I am sorry to hear of all that you went through as a child. I am also quite amazed that a cardiologist picked up on a possible history of abuse.  It's wonderful for you in that you got help and wonderful for all survivors to hear that a medical specialist saw it and did something about it.

We're currently writing a book here at OOTS to raise awareness about Complex Relational Trauma and the harm it causes so that professionals will become more aware of what survivors go through and what we need, want and deserve. Also, quite soon we will be recruiting participants for a study to develop a resource for medical/mental/dental health institutions to include much more about Complex Trauma in their curriculum. There's little training about CT currently. It will be a "bottom-up" resource based on the perspectives of survivors.

Anyway, not to blather on but I got excited as you can tell that a cardiologist picked up on your past.  I hope being here helps you on your journey of recovery and healing. 

[Papa Coco]

Hi Seren,

Welcome to the OOTS forum! This has been a helpful community for me for about two years now. There are many compassionate people here. The best part of interacting with the members here is that we don't need to explain ourselves. Even with varied and different past experiences, we all somehow ended up knowing how it feels to have C-PTSD. It's refreshing to talk with people who understand each other well enough that we don't need to explain or even defend ourselves for being who we are or feeling what we're feeling.