People living with PTSD have a hard time communicating with others about issues related to their PTSD. I am hoping that sharing my experience and thoughts on living with PTSD will help friends and loved ones be able to approach conversations with a better understanding of what it is like to live with PTSD. This has the potential to put the person living with PTSD more at ease or give them better tools to communicate about what living in their world is like.
I often think in some kind of visual analogy so you will see a lot of those in this blog.
Think of trying to start a fire without a match or flint. If you have ever watched the beginning episodes of a season of Survivor, you know this is very difficult, tiring and frustrating. Often this is what it is like for a person with PTSD to talk about issue related to their PTSD. The words won’t come out or they don’t have the right words to communicate what they are trying to say accurately. This is very frustrating for the person living with PTSD. Often this also frustrates you because you do not understand why this person you love or care about has such a hard time just explaining their feelings or experiences to you. This in turn adds double frustration to the person with PTSD because they are now also frustrated because you are frustrated. Everyone is experiencing normal emotions but unfortunately these emotions may lead to a breakdown in communication with one side or the other giving up in frustration.
When you read something in this blog and then say to your friend or loved one, “Hey, I read this about PTSD. Is this the way you are feeling?” or “Is this what it is like for you?” It may not seem like much but it could be the equivalent of handing a match or flint to someone who is trying to start a fire. It may spark a conversation, resulting in some real and honest communication.
It may help open a door that has been locked shut or it may penetrate a hole in a wall that has existed for years. It may not look like much to you but this is a huge move forward for the person with PTSD.
Listen well to your friend or loved one. Let them explain and then repeat back what you heard to give them a chance to verify that things were communicated accurately or give them a chance to try to explain again in a different way. This is a very important step in good communication. It is vital to closing that gap of lack of understanding between a person with PTSD and a person without PTSD.
If you have a question about what it is like to live with PTSD, please use the link at the top of the page to submit your question to be answered in a future blog.
I often think in some kind of visual analogy so you will see a lot of those in this blog.
Think of trying to start a fire without a match or flint. If you have ever watched the beginning episodes of a season of Survivor, you know this is very difficult, tiring and frustrating. Often this is what it is like for a person with PTSD to talk about issue related to their PTSD. The words won’t come out or they don’t have the right words to communicate what they are trying to say accurately. This is very frustrating for the person living with PTSD. Often this also frustrates you because you do not understand why this person you love or care about has such a hard time just explaining their feelings or experiences to you. This in turn adds double frustration to the person with PTSD because they are now also frustrated because you are frustrated. Everyone is experiencing normal emotions but unfortunately these emotions may lead to a breakdown in communication with one side or the other giving up in frustration.
When you read something in this blog and then say to your friend or loved one, “Hey, I read this about PTSD. Is this the way you are feeling?” or “Is this what it is like for you?” It may not seem like much but it could be the equivalent of handing a match or flint to someone who is trying to start a fire. It may spark a conversation, resulting in some real and honest communication.
It may help open a door that has been locked shut or it may penetrate a hole in a wall that has existed for years. It may not look like much to you but this is a huge move forward for the person with PTSD.
Listen well to your friend or loved one. Let them explain and then repeat back what you heard to give them a chance to verify that things were communicated accurately or give them a chance to try to explain again in a different way. This is a very important step in good communication. It is vital to closing that gap of lack of understanding between a person with PTSD and a person without PTSD.
If you have a question about what it is like to live with PTSD, please use the link at the top of the page to submit your question to be answered in a future blog.
I am glad you are sharing your story, much can be learned from it, especially for us family members who really want to help our loved ones out, or at least have a better understanding. Thank You !!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment. I hope the blog posts continue to be helpful to you. Please pass on the link to anyone else you feel may benefit from the posts. :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you have any questions, frustrations or concerns about relating to someone with PTSD or what living with PTSD is like, please use the link at the top of the page to submit your questions. Thanks!