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As an adjunct to my mental health-related writing projects, I’m building extensive resources on Pinterest. I’m currently working on about 75 125(!) “secret” boards, which really just means “not ready for prime time” yet. I’ll release them to public viewing gradually, as I continue to work on the book(s) which they support.

Today I’ve released the new “What PTSD Feels Like” board for your perusal. It has 209 pins that try to capture the essence of what PTSD really feels like. Not everyone experiences it in the same way, but so much of it is universally relatable. You’re not alone in these feelings. And truly, you’re not crazy, even if at times it feels that way.

If you’re on RSS and can’t view the Pinterest widget below, either click through to this blog post, or go directly to the What PTSD Feels Like board on Pinterest.

NOTE: You can see my previous Pinterest releases in the DID/C-PTSD boards collection in this new dedicated DID/C-PTSD on Pinterest page in the header topics above.
 
 

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The good folks over at GoodTherapy.org invited me to join them for a Q&A session to discuss mental health stigma, and therapy issues pertaining to dissociative identity disorder — and I accepted!

I mention how PTSD is becoming stereotyped in that every time a veteran commits suicide or violence against others, the news media connects “PTSD = unstable and violent.” It does a disservice to all veterans, as well as to anyone else diagnosed with PTSD.

I also discuss my therapy process for dissociative identity disorder, especially in the early years of my treatment, and describe what I believe should be the goal as far as “integration” is concerned.

So come on over to Becoming One Every Day: An Interview with Author Sarah Olson, and feel free to join in on the great conversation already ongoing in the comments!
 
 

Continue reading]]> This week’s focus: News and Views

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@WisdomalaCarte “There is a crack in everything,
that is how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

Some Tweets to Ponder

@SoulHealr “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ~ Mark Twain

@HealthyPlace “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

@LillyAnn “Dismiss whatever insults your soul.” ~ Walt Whitman

@PsychCentral “if you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” ~ John Irving

Linked Tweets

News and Views

@NAMIMass Americans need to focus on the fact that the mental health care system is already in crisis.
[SEO: An excellent post about the Aurora, Colorado shootings: “Public discussion initially focused on the wide availability of guns in our society. It has now shifted to the question of whether or not the mental health care system failed leading up to the tragedy. It is an issue addressed eloquently in USA Today by Pete Earley in a guest column, ‘Massacres No Excuse to Stigmatize the Mentally Ill.'” Lots of food for thought here.]

@vetawareness Saddest statistics ever. RIP brothers.
[SEO: Scroll down the page for the story “Army Releases July Suicide Data”. It’s grim, but as a nation we must stop looking away. The July numbers pretty much doubled the June numbers. “Army officials said 187 active-duty and reserve soldiers have committed suicide so far in 2012. Last year’s total was 283.” And these numbers don’t include veterans!

Where is the outrage, America? An entire generation of American active duty members and veterans is obviously being given grossly inadequate mental health care. It’s not entirely about stigma, either. It’s also about money. And politics. And that those last two are even in the mix is shameful.

NOTE: At the bottom of the linked article you will find links to numerous suicide prevention resources for military members, veterans, and their families. These include crisis helplines, and suicide prevention training resources for families.]

The Rest of the Best

@SarahEOlson2009 Harborview Center for Sexual Assault ~ Creating the Trauma Narrative
[SEO: This free treasure trove of 11 .pdf client handouts can help you (preferably with your therapist’s guidance) to create a trauma narrative — to tell your story and help make sense of it. The .pdf handouts range from describing your feelings about being abused, how it has affected you, a letter to the perpetrator, remembering what happened, telling the sexual assault secret, and much more.]

@ssanquist On Loneliness
[SEO: “Loneliness isn’t just a case of the sniffles that can be cured by a singing Hallmark card. It’s associated with increased risk of heart disease, higher rates of inflammatory disease, and diminished immune function. …”

“Like depression, loneliness can become unbearable in that so much shame is attached to it. University of Massachusetts sociologist Robert S. Weiss, one of the first researchers to study the theory of loneliness and a prominent expert on the topic today writes in his book, Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation: ‘So great is the shame of the lonely . . . that they are wary of each other’s company — a bit like Groucho Marx, who believed that any club that admitted him could not be worth joining.'”]

@BeyondMeds Just accept it: The voices are real
[SEO: Growing up, I heard many voices inside me. I knew from age five to never reveal them because my mother threatened to throw me in the “crazy house” if I kept up my stories of being abused by her “family friend”. I never ever admitted to hearing voices until after she died 30 years later, and even then, it was said out loud with tremendous fear that my therapist was also going to lock me up. But not all inner voices are evidence of insanity.

This post argues that hearing voices could actually be viewed as something normal. Read it with an open mind. And check out this blogger’s index of all her posts which deal with the experiences of voice hearers.]

@PsychCentral Why Shouldn’t You Spank Your Kids? Here’s 9 Reasons
[SEO: These nine reasons go much deeper than “because it’s politically incorrect”. They deal with the psychological messages conveyed when a child is spanked. But beyond those very real messages, the one that gets me (as I was spanked/hit till age 14) is the basic truth that “No one can learn when they are afraid.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. I did learn how to dissociate.]

Continue reading]]> This week’s focus:
Mental Health News; and Male Abuse Survivors

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@PsychCentral “Life’s challenges
are not supposed to paralyze you,
they’re supposed to help you discover
who you are.” ~ Bernice Johnson Reago

Some Tweets to Ponder

@WisdomalaCarte “What can you do when your dreams come true, and it’s not quite like you planned?” ~ The Eagles

@rcinstitute “Truthful Tuesday: knowing the truth begins with facing your real feelings and needs.”

@healthyplace “A great deal of the chaos in the world occurs because people don’t appreciate themselves.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa

@zebraspolkadots “Identifying the problem is one thing…when we begin to identify ourselves by our problems another… you are more than your past.”

@Tamavista “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ~ Carl Rogers

Linked Tweets

Mental Health News

‏@NAMIMass How Depressives Surf the Web. If an app were available would you use it?
[SEO: “In a study … we and our colleagues found that students who showed signs of depression tended to use the Internet differently from those who showed no symptoms of depression.” Explains their methodology and conclusions.

Their long term goal is to create an app that would warn you if your Internet usage changed in ways to suggest you are depressed and need to seek help. This would eventually include notifying school counselors — without your knowledge or consent? They don’t say. They do acknowledge that privacy concerns “would need to be addressed”. Yes, in a hugely transparent way.]

@fearlessnation PTSD News: 1 in 8 heart patients suffer PTSD
[SEO: “Any life-threatening event can leave a person with symptoms of PTSD. Now a new study finds not only that a heart attack can lead to PTSD but PTSD can double a person’s risk of future cardiac events and death.”]

PTSD Awareness Month – cont’d

@samhsagov Millions of Americans are affected by PTSD. To find resources and more, read our latest Blog.
[SEO: A good basic resource with many embedded links to take your research further. Describes what PTSD is, its symptoms, and how to find help for it.]

‏@PsychCentral Trauma: It’s Not Just Jargon And It Hurts
[SEO: This is excellent. Explains in greater depth what trauma is, and offers examples that might not seem obvious, such as homelessness; witnessing violence; living through war; and less extreme examples, such as repeated incidents of bullying. Discusses symptoms of trauma and how trauma is dealt with.]

Male Survivors of Child Abuse

@DrKathleenYoung Today, sex abuse victims are less alone
[SEO: An excellent CNN Opinion post, it focuses on how the Sandusky trial may facilitate men, especially, to come forward for help to resolve childhood trauma.

“So a case such as this with male victims coming forward, explaining how conflicted they felt, why it took them so long, what it did to their lives, but nonetheless giving convincing testimony that has clearly been believed by the prosecutors and much of the press, this certainly must give other boys and men some sense of possibility.”]

@DrKathleenYoung 1in6, Inc. and RAINN Join Forces to Provide a 24/7 Support Line for Men who were Sexually Abused as Children
[SEO: “‘The current sexual abuse trials in the media will be an enormously triggering event for the millions of sexually abused men who will be inundated by the media coverage that the event will generate’, said Dr. David Lisak, founding board member of 1in6. ‘Thankfully, there are resources available to help these men, as well as their partners and family members. The 1in6 website was specifically designed to provide these men with information, access to a 24/7 SupportLine, and to do so in a receptive and non-threatening way. Men can find the help and information they need at their own pace, in complete privacy, and with absolute anonymity.’”]

@SarahEOlson2009 Philadelphia’s Msg. William J. Lynn Is Convicted of Allowing Abuse
[SEO: Breaking news this afternoon: “In the first criminal conviction of a Roman Catholic Church official in the United States for covering up sexual abuses, Msgr. William J. Lynn was found guilty Friday of endangering children by allowing a known pedophile priest to continue ministering to youths, resulting in an assault on a 10-year-old boy.”]

@PsychCentral Childhood Trauma Makes Adults Emotionally Vulnerable
[SEO: “Children living in unstable or dangerous environments, children who are abused in any way, children who witness abuse or violence, children who are neglected, children of divorce, or children who must endure invasive medical procedures, generally have no power to change their situation.”

“Even events that we see as ordinary, or at most annoying or difficult, can be traumatic for a child. The really painful part of all this is that a child can get ‘stuck’ in traumatic response and this can carry through to adulthood.”]

The Rest of the Best

@PsychToday Can’t sleep? Six common reasons you can fix
[ETA: As of 06/29/12 this link works perfectly, even though it is marked as broken. I tried replacing the link, same result. Try it, and let me know if it works for you, too. Thanks!]
[SEO: “Americans have gotten so used to chronic sleep deprivation maybe 95% or more of us no longer knows what it’s like to feel fully alert, awake, and aware.” Discusses six things you can do to improve your chances of getting better sleep.]

@natasha_tracy When do you need a psychiatrist?
[SEO: This is a good basic primer in how to know when and why you or a loved one need a psychiatrist. Of special note is the list of symptoms or occasions which may call for a psychiatrist. Each point has embedded links for further information.]

Continue reading]]> This week’s focus: June is PTSD Awareness Month

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@WisdomalaCarte “So often in time it happens,
we all live our life in chains,
and we never even know
we have the key.” ~ The Eagles

Some Tweets to Ponder

@Tamavista “It is because life isn’t fair that we must speak up.” ~ Kitamori

‏@WisdomalaCarte “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding everything you see.” ~ The Beatles

@ShareAwakening “In most cases, our so called limitations are nothing more than our own decision to limit ourselves.” ~ Daisaku Ikeda

@PsychDigest “You cannot change what you refuse to confront.”

@PsychCentral “In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” ~ Albert Camus

Linked Tweets

June is PTSD Awareness Month

@DrKathleenYoung PTSD Awareness Month
[SEO: “June is PTSD Awareness Month, and the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs are raising awareness about the problem, along with providing tools, information and assistance for service members who may be dealing with PTSD. Of course, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) does not only impact vets. PTSD, by definition, can follow any traumatic event.” See this post for ways you can help raise awareness in your own community, and learn statistics pertaining to PTSD in the military.]

@DrKathleenYoung Do you want to know more about PTSD?
[SEO: An excellent place to start if you’re new to PTSD, either for yourself or someone you know. Post asks “Do I have PTSD?” and provides a comprehensive Trauma Symptoms Checklist, and many resource links for further study.]

‏@VA_PTSD_Info While it may not feel normal there are common reactions to PTSD in a loved one
[SEO: To promote PTSD Awareness in June, the VA put together a 4 part series: Week 1: How I knew I had PTSD; Week 2: My family suffered; and Week 3: Hear how treatment has helped me. The tweet refers to the Week 2 family resources. (Week 4: My Advice: Don’t Wait is still to be published.) Each section offers links and resources, many of which are of help to anyone with PTSD, not just veterans.]

@tlomauro Predicting post-traumatic stress disorder before it happens
[SEO: This sounds promising. “The project … uses electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the areas of the brain that regulate the emotional response to traumatic stress, then decode the brain functionality which indicates pre- or post-trauma psychopathology. It’s a powerful and novel approach to probing the susceptible brain and providing ongoing monitoring tailored to each individual.”]

@PTSDdotOrg Options expand for wounded as more heal PTSD with alternative treatments (via Stars and Stripes)
[SEO: “Alternative approaches that heal mind, body and soul — therapy dogs, outdoor retreats, acupuncture, art and music programs — have been touted by researchers, doctors and service members. Now, supporters are just waiting for science to catch up. … Initial research indicates alternative methods work when used in tandem with trauma-focused therapy and medication.”

@DCoEPage We’re all in this fight against PTSD together. What can you do to help? Check out 12 ways.
[SEO: Post offers 12 ways that community members can help in the fight for PTSD awareness, each with resource links. Always keep in mind that these resources are for anyone with PTSD. Links specifically pertaining to veterans are usually marked as such.]

Continue reading]]> This week’s focus: Veterans’ Issues (cont’d) and Med News and Views

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@healthyplace “The sky has never been the limit.
We are our own limits. Break your personal limits
and outgrow yourself to live your best life.”

Some Tweets to Ponder

@800273TALK “Life can deal you some crushing blows, and we all need a deep reserve of resilience to survive.” ~ Katie Couric

‏@Tamavista “Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee, and do not try to make the universe a blind alley.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

@AncientProverbs “What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.” ~ Aristotle

@Mindful_Living “Proust once said, ‘The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.'”

@ashwinsanghi “The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” ~ Paul Valery

Linked Tweets

Veterans’ Issues (follow-on to Memorial Day)

@DCoEPage Today [May 31, 2012] is the last day of mental health awareness month! Check out all the great resources!
[SEO: Aimed at helping veterans in all aspects of mental health, bookmark this page for future reference. Includes helplines, provider resources, resources for veterans, and for military families. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of mobile apps and sites dedicated to PTSD and TBI issues.]

@SuePeaseBanitt Harvard, Brigham Study: Yoga Eases Veterans PTSD Symptoms (Via @commonhealth)
[SEO: A lengthy, insightful article about the nature of PTSD, and how yoga can help to essentially rewire the brain. As always, these findings are true for anyone with PTSD, not just veterans.

“‘What we believe is happening, is that through the control of attention on a target — the breath, the postures, the body — that kind of awareness generates changes in the brain, in the limbic system, and these changes in thinking focus more in the moment, less in the past, and it quiets down the anxiety-provoking chatter going on in the head. People become less reactive and the hormone-related stress cycle starts to calm down.'”]

@FightingPTSD U.S. must pay its debt to war veterans
[SEO: This post takes a hard look at the statistics of caring for our wounded military personnel. It’s grim, and expected to go much higher — and was entirely predictable, which makes the government’s slow response times and lack of allocated resources all the more unacceptable. It’s an election year. Hold your candidates accountable on this issue.

“In 2011 alone, the VA received 1.3 million disability claims. About 230,000 of those claims were from Vietnam veterans or survivors because of a change in what conditions can be considered related to Agent Orange. Those complex, 50-year-old cases took a third of all the VA benefit staff’s time.”]

Med News and Views

@SarahEOlson2009 Fast-Acting Antidepressant May Spark Treatment Advances
[SEO: According to Wikipedia, “Ketamine is primarily used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, usually in combination with a sedative. It has been shown to be effective in treating depression in patients with bipolar disorder who have not responded to other anti-depressants.[8] In persons with major depressive disorder, it produces a rapid antidepressant effect, acting within two hours as opposed to the several weeks taken by typical antidepressants to work.[9]”

My linked post cites a study wherein the rapid effect worked in 79% of people tested, and it lasted for up to three days. This could be effective for acutely suicidal people. As Ketamine is injected, and apparently has been misused recreationally, it’s not something I’d expect to be prescribed for home use.]

@natasha_tracy How to Stop Antidepressants While Minimizing Withdrawal
[SEO: “While antidepressants can absolutely be life-saving medications, sometimes antidepressants aren’t the right medication at the right time for you. Or sometimes, it’s just time to try to get off of antidepressants. (For simple depression, this is often done if you have been stable for 6-12 months.)”

As emphasized in this post, never stop taking antidepressants abruptly. Read this post to learn why and how to taper off these meds gradually.]

The Rest of the Best

@kccounselling How to Build Self Confidence: 6 Essential and Timeless Tips
[SEO: Each “tip” is actually a short essay with discussion points and practical actions to take. These goals are long term; you work into them. The six topic areas are:

• Take action. Get it done.
• Face your fear.
• Understand in what order things happen.
•  Prepare.
• Realize that failure or being wrong won’t kill you.
• Get to know who you are and what you want out of life.]

@OneLifeTherapy How To Rest And Recharge: Bringing Balance To Your Life And Work
[SEO: In the western world, we tend to equate “rest” with doing nothing. This post argues that the “nothing” is really something, and explores what rest might look like for you. “Perhaps rest is a rescue from the hard stuff in life. The opposite of depletion. The opposite of overwhelm. An antidote for burnout.”]