I wanted to write about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD. Why? Mental health is important for everyone. Suffering is silence keeps us a prisoner, alone and feeling hopeless. There are many people who are suffering the effects of workplace conflicts, bullying and other violence. Some will recover, others will not and suffer in silence, the walking wounded, unaware they have PTSD. A trauma for one person may not be a trauma for someone else. We are all different based on our life experiences, therefore how we react and recover is different.
“Trauma is not always a single event in the past. Some trauma, particularly repeated acts like abuse or trauma during wartime, can impact a person’s life far beyond the symptoms of PTSD. Some use other terms like ‘complex PTSD’ to describe these experiences.”
What happened to me???. The despair – not one event but many events, a series of trauma, 20 Years of workplace stress, bullying, harassment, conflict, and other violence has left me scarred.
From my book FIND YOUR VOICE, “Sometimes we don’t even recognize what depression looks like or feels like until we are in so deep that there seems no hope.”
“While most people experience trauma at some point in their life, not all traumatic experiences lead to PTSD. We aren’t sure why trauma causes PTSD in some people but not others, but it’s likely linked to many different factors. This includes the length of time the trauma lasted, the number of other traumatic experiences in a person’s life, their reaction to the event, and the kind of support they received after the event.”
Workplace bullying destroys victims if management fails to respond to the problems. Like any violence if no one says anything the violence will escalate. It began at the my first detachment in Tisdale Sask, continued throughout my career. As a person living with PTSD I am acutely aware of the continued struggle with memories, nightmares and triggers of fears,the trauma and also the importance on speaking up to help other victims find their way to happiness, success and empowerment. Our scars remind us where we have been but do not have to define our future. I have PTSD it does not have me!
‘Sorry to hear about your workplace bullying but you look normal’.
Be curious about your feelings and speak up, seek positive supports and know that you are not alone.
http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/#.WQizefnyuyJ