CPTSD Anxiety Article Discussion

[rainydiary]

https://themighty.com/2018/06/anxiety-from-complex-trauma/

This article has been out for a while but is new to me.  I posted it in my recovery journal and a fellow member suggested creating a thread where more discussion could be had. 

I personally found this helpful to my understanding of anxiety I experience.  I often have people comment on how I seem anxious about the unknown which has never really made sense to me.  This article helped me understand that I am actually anxious about my past happening again.  The part that caught me the most in that article is the mention of how I am anxious about re-experiencing the terrible thing that I have already felt and experienced again. 

I still have a lot of unpacking of this to do.  In some ways it makes me feel better, in others really sad. 

[Kat]

Thanks, Hope!  I enjoy reading the articles you share.  Keep them coming.

[C.]

Thank you Rainy Day for starting this thread.  Here are some of my thoughts about the article:

I appreciated the information in this article for several reasons.  First, I love the validation.  Everything said rings true for me.  It explains why I feel irritated w/the behavioral/thought approach and DBT.   

I really and truly feel the emotion first as a result of a threat that reminds me of my past.  There is no "thought" first in my case...I have a child like fear or anxiety...so I have to start there.  But, knowing this allows me to analyze ahead of time that when I feel that fear I am re-experiencing the fear of my father w/someone else.  In that way I can immediately address the fear, remind myself it's another situation, and begin to practice moving on.  This has affected me in my relationships w/so many people: co-workers, Faith community, ex-husband, my son, etc.  And it allows me to realize these threats are different, and to cope.  And if the threat is more serious, like in my past, such as a toxic friend or my ex-husband, it helps me to understand why I need to let that relationship go.

Second, I love how it mentions healing needs to happen away from the abuse.  For about two years I cut off most contact with everyone but my own kids, my therapist, a bf, and necessary ones at work.  I needed to heal and since I couldn't figure what was healthy and what was not, I simply cleaned the slate, then added people back in again later.  Now I understand why.

Finally, for me the anxiety/depression awareness came first, later I figured out the history of trauma as the origin.

I look forward to using this information, especially at work, where I deal w/an unpleasant boss and a lot of clients.  Now when I get triggered I can simply think "it's not your dad" or something along those lines.  Has anyone here found helpful phrases to use when a person who triggers you?

[rainydiary]

Has anyone here found helpful phrases to use when a person who triggers you?

My phrase is "I am safe."  Sometimes words don't help and I need a way to bring my mind to the present moment.  Lion's Breath ( https://youtu.be/gIfW-3faVOU) usually helps with that. 

Thank you for all of the observations you shared.  I think I will need to re-read the article as there weren't things I picked up on the first time.