PTSD and computers?
What is the link between PTSD and computers?
We are like computers. Our life experiences, thoughts, and actions are printed into our memories like the computer. We type messages, add images and words onto the computer which is then stored in its data/memory.
If we don’t like something or we want to change the information we can add/delete/edit a file on the computer. However a forensic computer expert can find it, we can never completely erase it. The message, the words, links, the images are all in there somewhere pushed deep and buried inside. Not easily accessible but still in there.
For those dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the trauma and the experiences are locked inside, deep inside our brain and body. It took a long time before the diagnosis of PTSD. Up to that point, it was mental suffering in silence.
For some, it could be years from the traumatic event. Thoughts and images may feel like they’re long gone and have a little impact on our lives.
We may not be thinking about it every day. But it’s there and our triggers are what bring that ‘trauma file’ forward and we have to relive the experience all over again.
We cannot easily delete a file from the computer so it’s erased forever and we cannot delete the trauma from our brain so that it is erased forever and all emotional reactions/experiences are eliminated. That would be great but we cannot do it.
The challenge for those living with PTSD is finding ways to manage your triggers, to navigate in an emotionally healthy way through our pain and memories, and find a way to inner peace.
It’s important to have positive supports and self-care tools that you use to help you deal with the emotional and physical impact of the triggers and trigger responses.
That sense of inner peace, calmness looks and feels different for everyone. Just like a trauma for one may not be a trauma for another yet it is powerful and it’s a physical and emotional connection to the person experiencing the event.
Recognizing that PTSD is not a life sentence of gloom and doom. It can be one of self-discovery as we learn about our triggers and how to deal with them. It can be confusing for your family as they may not understand about trauma and PTSD. It is important to keep the conversation going on mental health, workplace bullying and harassment, and PTSD.
It has been my experience that those who love us the most may not have the tools to support you. They can learn just like we learn to deal with PTSD it is about learning. PTSD support is a phone call. Asking for help is a sign of courage, not weakness. As police officers and first responders, we see some really horrific things and it may be one event or many that result in PTSD.
PTSD: SELF CARE TIPS FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILY
As seen in Nature of Things doc PTSD: Beyond Trauma, it’s becoming clear the trauma that causes PTSD rewires the human brain, in some cases leaving a permanent imprint on a victim’s sensory and hormonal systems. In the past decade, neuro-imaging studies have proven that PTSD is real, measurable and can afflict almost anybody subjected to trauma.
Helpful links for PTSD and their families. Love is often not enough and that’s okay, be curious about yourself and needs and share with those folks who you know can give you the loving support needed. Have those discussions with your partner about mental health and PTSD. Knowledge is power.
TRIGGERS
The trauma can be triggered by large-scale ordeals, like terrorism attacks or devastating natural disasters, or highly personal events like a car accident, losing a job or business, divorce, failing to achieve a goal, loss of a loved one, seeing or hearing of a death, personal injury, childhood trauma or any other life-altering experience.
Triggers look different. For me, it is about other suicides from workplace bullying and sexual harassment. It can be as simple as a brown envelope in the mail, an unknown number on the phone, someone touching me without my permission. Be patient as you learn about your own triggers and responses.
SYMPTOMS
People who suffer from PTSD exhibit a variety of symptoms. These can include a deep sense of helplessness, problems at home or work, abnormal fear, feelings of devastation, flashbacks from the event, a feeling of numbness, aversion to social contact, or avoidance of situations that might trigger memories of the event. Some physical responses may include depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, panic attacks, irritability, anger outbursts, difficulty with concentration or memory, feelings of vulnerability, fear of normal every-day activities, or feeling overwhelmed by the smallest of tasks.
LONGTERM EFFECTS
If left untreated, PTSD symptoms can become worse. Some documented cases include addiction to drugs or alcohol; chronic pain, hypertension or physical maladies; self injury; overwhelming fear of death; compulsiveness; personality changes; and self destructive incidents, to name a few.
“Trauma can become a vital part of your life – just like stones can support and strengthen the root structure of a tree. Like a tree, you are resilient. With patience and support, your roots can be restored, and your branches will spread again.
Looking at PTSD from my own lens, I use the analogy of the computer. Our trauma has become a hardwired file in our mind and body. Added files of trauma that sit in our mind and body and react to triggers, respond to triggers unexpectedly, and leave us emotionally wounded again. Have positive supports, your own self-care tool kit ( again this looks and feels different for everyone) ask for help if needed, use self-compassion, and practice self patience on your journey with PTSD.
I have PTSD it does not have ME! The journey continues in how I navigate the trauma…