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| Ingredients: Orange, Apple |
Some things never fade, never, like the screams of people trapped with their children in their attic. People who scream for help and no one comes. Little old ladies who tried to climb up to the attic, then tried to swim up there but they were too weak to make it. Neighborhoods where everyone knew each other for decades ended in horrendous screams.
So this is for you, the son who stayed with his wheelchair bound father and they both drowned, the mother on the rooftop with her two children and four nephews and nieces who fell and died in the water in front of them, the twenty year old who broke his hand clawing through the roof, and all the others. How could we ever forget you?
Have you been diagnosed with PTSD? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? A lot of people think that you only get it from being in combat, but that's not true. What you just described is an Anniversary. An Anniversary is a calendar date that causes you to have flashbacks, anxiety, sleeplessness, irritability, fear a lot of different things at once. It's perfectly normal considering the circumstances. What you have to watch out for is that sometimes in order to alleviate the physical and emotional discomfort, people will drink too much, pick fights, drive recklessly, or participate in some other risky behavior. Other things can set this off directly, and those are called Triggers. Any situation that directly reminds you of being in the moment of the trauma can be a trigger. Sights, Sounds, Feelings, Sensations, Smells, etc., can all be triggers that can also cause you to experience flashbacks, anxiety fear, anger, etc., A lot of times this causes problems sleeping. I like something called GABA, a supplement that helps me sleep. I wasn't in Katrina, but I know a little about this.
ReplyDeleteJust remember when you get really freaked out, that eventually your body will run out of adrenaline. That this too shall pass. It cannot last forever. Try and do something that makes you feel solid and comforted. For me it's reading, or singing with the radio, or a good long talk with a close friend with lots of inappropriate humor.
For you it might be making crazy pastries that look like Southpark characters.
Which reminds me, there are cakes that look like litter boxes, and have you considered making Hankie the Christma Poo? A box of those sent to your favorite local BP sell out could send just the right message. :)A gentle Reminder, Remember, you cannot use real poo.
Here is a site to help you understand more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder
Thanks! I was diagnosed with PTSD right after the storm. It only bothers me now on a few occasions, and always at this time of year. I'm used to it, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the kitty litter cakes. I love Mr Hanky. I made a Make Your Own Mr Hanky kit for my son a few Christmases ago.
Sounds like you are quite familiar with PTSD too.
Yep. I am quite familiar. Like you, its very rare that it really bothers me. People or Mother Nature have to do something extra special to get me going with that any more. But it took years to get here. Some people have it so bad they are non-functional. My heart goes out to them. I have discovered that going to amusement parks help. That going on a really fast roller coaster or scrambler gets my adrenaline going and it sort of resets everything, or over-rides the low-roar of being triggered.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing I have learned is this: Some people call the fear and anxiety of PTSD, Paranoia. Paranoia is an unreasonable fear of something that is highly unlikely. PTSD is caused when one has experienced just about the worst case Scenario short of death. So your worst fears have come to pass. Its not fair to categorize that as entirely in your head as if it is a pathology, or a dysfunction. It would honor your experience more, in that moment, if others were to acknowledge the authenticity of your experience, and allow you to wring whatever there is of value, there is to be had out of it, and pass that wisdom on.
PTSD is an altered state of consciousness. You now live in a different place than most other people. That is not wrong. It is not a pathology. It simply is what it is. If allowed to, you will embrace a new normal. You will still be different. But different doesn't mean defective.