Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "One Perspective"

Quantum meets spirit is a discussion page about leading edge ideas around science and spirit. How it can help people with anxiety, depression, addictions, and in the extreme zone of addiction, isolation, near death, trauma and loss. And also just help people move to more happy and successful perspectives and therefore lives. My personal answers to moving from those negative areas of life, having experienced them, all lie in the arena of spirit and actually looking at cutting edge knowledge about laws of attraction, neuroscience, and of course quantum field ideas.

Post traumatic stress disorder is something I was told I had and was quite amused at the time and even thought ,”well, that's quite cool”, many years ago. The biggest problem with it I found was the isolation at the end of the stopping addictions and fitting back in.

I read a post on face book the other day, “ I don't need to fit in with anyone?” There were lots of likes. My first instinct was then why are you telling us? Are trying to fit in with people that don't fit in? The obvious honour badge was there of “ I don't care, leave me alone, help, I need attention!”, Which underscores most face book posts these days. The badge of honour of who has had it worse?

In meetings and groups for people recovering from addictions and related traumas there is a kind of one up man ship. So, if said, “ I nearly died”. Someone else would say, “I nearly died yesterday ...twice..” I am not making light of the issue of suicide. I am just pointing how when we wear a badge of hurt, sometimes we like to be the best at it. So my experiences were extreme to me, may not be to you, and may be horrifying to others. The point is it doesn't matter.

If you have been through a certain type of trauma, then talk to other people who been through the same or similar. Nothing heals more than a shared experience. That is the key and nothing to my mind helps more.

My aim here on a broader sense is to find solutions which may or not be relevant to you but in my experience seem to cover the arena of trauma after long periods of addiction, depression and multiple near death experiences. Even the crushing feelings of isolation and feeling different after long periods of trying to self medicate or fill that emotional gnawing gap with a whole spectrum of addictions and cross addictions.

I am not a “ qualified” expert on post traumatic stress disorder. It happens to people in many different scenarios. Quick trauma to sustained trauma over a long period of time. Myself, having faced death every few weeks for a great number of years, I just speak from my own experience.

This particular article focuses on how to deal with stress and anxiety, years after extreme addiction and depression, and deals with entrenched negative thought patterns that continue long after we have stopped using.

Cognitive Dissonance. Where you hold two contrary beliefs, I want to stop but I continue anyway.. This applies to smokers and many people even caught in negative thought patterns. I want to be happy but believe everything will be bad. This to my mind is at the heart of why we become traumatised after addiction. We have spent years killing ourselves and yet wanting desperately to stop. The stress during active addiction and then the trauma afterwards stems from it's many forms of negative thoughts about oneself. And the angst of “wasted time” having been stuck in that trap of addiction.

This feeling of stress or anxiety is a resonance of that traumatic period. Stress has also been described as our interpretation of what we think is happening to us. What also pulls us back to addiction for many years is guilt, shame, self judgement, self doubt, or simply leaves us in pain and shame for years after. Basically our thoughts and perceptions. We judge ourselves harshly.

I believe one aspect of us remaining in trauma is because of what other people think, or at the very least what we think they think of us.

Some people get better and stronger after trauma, and some don't. The difference is in our thoughts.

And a lot of thoughts certainly in the age of face book and selfies are how we think others look at us. We can say we don't really care, but of course we do.

Some of the most successful places that have dealt with addiction focus on connection with others. They found that connection with other people is the key. Forgive, love and help people with addictions and the related psychological issues. One of the biggest reasons people relapse or stay in active addiction is isolation. We isolate because we feel that we have been so bad or people will judge us because we are addicts or our behaviour was odd. Trust me pour lots of chemicals including alcohol on to the brain and any one's behaviour is different!!

Trauma after addiction is just the reflection, a thought of the past, of what happened. It's not happening now. It's done. Why continue to judge yourself? And who ever else judges you now is not worthy of your attention anyway. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Forgive yourself and succeed. God, the universe, the laws of nature, however you frame your higher power or belief system, is a force that moves with you and helps you on this journey. You need to make the first step.

I don't want to step into the religious arena but just feeling remorse and wanting to be forgiven is key, The 12 steps deal with that very well.

So God forgives us, we forgive ourselves. Excellent, but not quite there yet.

My real observation here is that we also need approval from others and therefore from ourselves too. To fit back in the real world after years of solitude or addiction or trauma that leaves us feeling we can't possibly fit back in to normal life.

The word repent from it's latin route simply means to turn and walk in the other direction. Whether you think are to blame or not. After trauma, You need to change your path, walk in light, not in dark with your thoughts. Move from the negative thought entrenchment.

The world is full of judgemental people wherever or whoever you are. Breathe and be judged. But rather live your life and know that you are walking in the right direction in the present than hide because of what others or your old self thinks of your past. Negative people will disperse including your own negative perceptions on your self and what you think they are thinking!!! My experience is that no one really cares, just you, so move forward anyway. Light attracts light and darkness or negativity dissipates in light's presence.

You are the CEO of your life. Where you are now is not who you are now. Other people will see you where you are now, and judge that's who you are. The trick is then not to limit how you see yourself by what others see. Fitting in to their view of you. The worst kind of Fitting in!!

When you feel the lightness of forgiving yourself and moving towards positive affirmations about yourself, the trauma or your thoughts about the trauma become less.

The truth is you are a powerful survivor.

In order for the ship to survive a storm it has to sail in one. And most people's lives, especially the one's judging are afraid to even step out onto the boat.

From a positive perspective as you survive trauma, you understand your self better under traumatic situations, and that you can survive. You have a new sense of purpose and ability to move forward.

You are no longer a victim but instead your vibrational frequency is that of a warrior.

Even those of us who feel it hard to accept the spiritual side of things, our bodies work much more efficiently and happily when stress is taken away. What is stress? Or even trauma. It is not a thing. It is how you think about things or continue to think about things that have happened and are past.

Love and connection with others and connection with God release all the physical effects of anxiety and depression. A divine blanket if you like.

Humour. Biggest release of stress. Don't take your self so seriously either. This article is also just a speculation not an entire answer, from someone who has moved on from extreme trauma.

“It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”, Eleanor Roosevelt. In other words be proud of who you are now, where you are now and where you know you are going.

Think in the spiritual realm and the physical takes care of itself.

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Thomas Fairfoot. Author of "Gladiators of light" and Comedian.

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