Friday, January 4, 2013

In Response to "How long does complex PTSD last?"

Today somebody found my blog by typing "How long does complex ptsd last?" into the Google search engine.  I'd like to address that question briefly--

From what I have learned through my own experience and by asking mental health professionals, I believe that C-PTSD lasts until the person who has the condition decides to commit to healing and then does the necessary work to bring healing about.  

For those of us who have the condition, C-PTSD, the good news is that the condition can be dealt with and healing can take place.  Through our own efforts, WE can heal ourselves--with the help of a gentle, trained, and understanding therapist.  C-PTSD is NOT an incurable disease, and it is NOT a condition that is cured passively through medication.  If one wants to recover from C-PTSD, one needs to commit to putting forth the effort to do the necessary work with a specially trained therapist.  

So the answer to the question of how long C-PTSD lasts is this: "The amount of time C-PTSD lasts is controlled/determined by the client and the therapy/healing process of the client."   A person with the condition can choose to do nothing about his or her C-PTSD, and the condition will remain unchanged or worsen.  On the other hand, if a person is determined and committed to his or her healing, then with diligence and competent help, that person will heal.  

The reality I have accepted is that at age 73, I will probably never be completely free from all aspects of my C-PTSD, but I'm doing my best--and succeeding!--to heal as much as I can in the years I have left.  Any amount of healing I do improves the quality of my inner life.  So at least I can tell myself that if I hang in there, my inner life will continue to improve.  For me, continuous improvement is good enough.  If I were a lot younger, I might not settle for "good enough," but in my case, "good enough" is good enough.  

If I were, say, in my thirties or forties, I might consider entering into a permanent relationship, a mutually satisfying relationship, mature and balanced--healthy, in other words.  If that were the case, and if that were what I wanted in life, I would perhaps become more determined to "finish" healing--if anyone really finishes healing. But at my present age, I just want to be more peaceful inside myself and enjoy my last years of life.  At my age now, I'm not sure that I have the energy to put into making a full-time relationship with a partner work.  I have too many projects that I want to finish before I "fall off my perch"--a euphemism I learned from a distant relative in Scotland.  Energy that I would put into a relationship would be energy I would not have to finish up the projects I want to finish.  So, as I said, in my case, "good enough" is good enough.

The above, then, is my attempt to answer the question appearing in the title of this post.  I hope this helps!  Jean

4 comments:

  1. Jean, it may be true for you but not for everyone. I find the statement that one must want to recover, choose to heal, pretty offensive.
    Glad it worked for you but do never think you can speak for every person with CPTSD.

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    1. Hi, Dee . . . I'm sorry you were offended by my statement that a person must want to recover and choose to heal. I'm not sure why it is offensive to you, though. If a person doesn't choose to recover, healing won't just happen on its own, usually. Time by itself won't bring healing. If a person doesn't want to heal, the trauma damage will remain in the brain. The posts on blogs of people who are working at healing support this. It's not just MY experience; it's the way it is for a LOT of people trying to recover. The process of recovery for the people who have chosen to recover is not straightforward or simple or painless, but if they keep at it, they do make progress and life gets better. That's the difference between C-PTSD and other disorders--you CAN recover from C-PTSD through your own efforts and with the help of a skilled therapist. It is possible! That's all I'm trying to say. And it's a choice. If you choose to not recover, it's up to you. But it truly won't happen unless you want it to happen. If you have found that recovery and healing from C-PTSD happen without any effort on your part, let me know.

      I resent the fact that I've had to work so hard to clean up the mess that others have made since I was born, but I figured that attempting to do that was worth the effort. It's all up to the individual, though. I know a lot of people who are working hard to do the same thing I'm doing, and they are succeeding. All I am trying to do with my blog posts is let people know that healing can take place, it's possible. I did not expect anyone to take offense at that message, but if you did, I apologize. I would like to hear more from you as to WHY you find my message offensive because I am not sure as to your reason for being offended. You obviously have a reason, and I'd like to know what it is so that I can consider what you say.

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    2. Hi, again, Dee--Maybe what we have here is a misunderstanding of terms. When I said that a person must want to heal, I was not saying that everyone with C-PTSD is obligated or should be forced to heal. I'm saying that healing will take place only if one WANTS to do the work it takes to heal. If you thought I was telling everyone that they HAD TO heal, I can understand why you were offended! I would be, too. I hope that clears this up. If a person wants to heal and is invested in the process will healing take place. The good thing about C-PTSD is that it CAN be healed to some extent. At least, it can be healed enough to improve the quality of life.

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    3. Hi, Dee--After doing even more thinking about your comment and my post, I can see that if what you are saying is that if a person struggles and struggles to heal and doesn't, then that person might think it's impossible to heal no matter how much a person wants to heal and tries to heal. I can understand, if that is the case, how what I said might be offensive. If that was the way you read my post, then I get it. But, again, my intention was to let people know that in general, healing C-PTSD is possible. If you are struggling and not making the progress you thought you would make, then you might think it's an impossible job. There are other factors, however, such as the skill of the therapist, that come into play here. Also, the extent of the trauma damage must be considered. There are so many reasons why the whole mess may seem overwhelming. If that is the case for you, I am truly sorry. I am on your side! Each of us is different. All I can do is report what science and research have said and also use my own experience to inform what I say. Please don't give up if you are struggling.

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