Ptsd

[Scooter]

I was a psychology major in college, and when we were learning about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), I was surprised to find how many of the symptoms matched with what I feel in church sometimes.

For a long time, I couldn't make myself go to church because it was too traumatic. Even though I logically knew that the church was different, I'd still get panicky, tense, and miserable. Sometimes a certain smell or someone saying something a particular way would remind me of my old church, and I'd get scared.

I saw one thread in the archives about PTSD, but what do you all think? More and more I'm thinking that emotional PTSD is a valid experience, even though it's not officially recognized.

My question is, why isn't it recognized? Wouldn't it be a pretty good way to define the journey of people recovering from any kind of abuse?

[Doug64]

It seems that in the religion arena especially, that counselors and psych/psycho professionals (pun intended) rarely see spiritual abuse as resulting in the disorder.
Yet I have a nephew with it and he never saw active duty.

Doug

[yeshua'smags]

Seeing as we are all on a forum full of people that get "triggered", which makes us unreasonably sensitive, and reactive. Or gun-shy and submissively postured....I would chalk it up to some sort of trama!

[Scooter]

Have you ever watched that program on TLC - Trauma: Life in the ER?

We could write and produce a show called "Trauma: Life in the Church"

:) Don't mean to offend anyone.

[yeshua'smags]

That is hilarious! I think we should do it!:D

[Zoe]

Thought I'd share a link on trauma for anyone interested in trauma information. :)

http://trauma-pages.com/

[Voyager]

When you invest your whole life and soul into something and then lose it all, there is definitely a traumatic loss that occurs. Many people who suffer divorce after many years of marriage suffer PTSD as a result of the traumatic loss. Here are a few of the criteria required to meet the DSM-IV diagnosis of PTSD:

The person's response to the event or events must involve intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues (triggers) that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event, including anniversaries of the trauma; and/or

Physiological reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues (triggers) that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event (e.g., a woman who was raped in an elevator breaks out in a sweat when entering any elevator).


I would guess that many of us on this forum have these symptoms - especially when in an environment that resembles our spiritually abusive experience (such as a church).

:cool:

[Voyager]

Thought I'd share a link on trauma for anyone interested in trauma information. :)

http://trauma-pages.com/
I've been to that site before Zoe. Great stuff!

:cool:

[Voyager]

Here's another interesting article on this subject:

http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/giambalvo_carol_copingwithtriggersandptsd.htm

:cool:

[Willow]

My question is, why isn't it recognized? Wouldn't it be a pretty good way to define the journey of people recovering from any kind of abuse?

I think it is recognized. At least it was recognized by the recovery facility I visited. Wellspring Retreat. That is one of their main emphasis... that spiritual abuse victims suffer from PTSD. I also saw a local counselor who was mentored by Patrick Carnes who also purports the same message.

[jane]

I saw one thread in the archives about PTSD, but what do you all think? More and more I'm thinking that emotional PTSD is a valid experience, even though it's not officially recognized.

My question is, why isn't it recognized? Wouldn't it be a pretty good way to define the journey of people recovering from any kind of abuse?
__________________


I am not sure what the DSM III says about emotional trauma being or not being a part of PTSD but I know that in the social work areana, especially in child welfare which is where i work. It has long been recognized that emotional and verbal abuse leave scars that are difficult to treat...... bruises go away, broken bones heal but fractured and damaged self esteem takes incredible amounts of time to heal and rebuild.

I believe fully in the brains ability to heal, the hearts ability to heal.....and yet I too still after 2 years gone, find certain phrases almost debilitating....

frozen I stand with my heart pounding loudly and unable to think clearly when someone just mentions things like "J-O-Y-----Jesus Others than Yourself" well actually on that one I feel like puking....but you get the idea.

I doubt I will ever walk into another church body in my life. Even the mainstream tame ones I just can't hear hymns or bible verses without getting a blank stare and feeling condemnation....and shame.

And I really get sick of being told by christians that I NEED TO FORGIVE and TO NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING OF THE SAINTS>..... my reply is often, "oh, I have forgiven and honestly you're right, I just can't find any saints :p "


love,
jane

[jane]

Willow-
we must've posted the same thoughts at the same time ;)


love ya,
jane

[Willow]

LOL... I guess we did! GMTA!!

[Illuminated]

My question is, why isn't it recognized? Wouldn't it be a pretty good way to define the journey of people recovering from any kind of abuse? From my understanding the only part of PTSD that isn't recognised is a sub-category of it called Complex PTSD. Which, of course, is the kind that is seems most spiritual abuse sufferers have. I could tell you some stories.....:(

This is only my opinion and not meant to be professional advice. It is based on my experience with complex PTSD and treatment for it.

There is a sub-category of PTSD called complex PTSD. It develops from repeated trauma over a period of time. Here’s the deal, from what I know, about the way complex PTSD develops. This is in layman’s terms and is the best way I can explain the physical reasons for complex PTSD and its affects.

When you are forced, or choose, to put up with a situation that you think is morally or spiritually wrong, your brain doesn’t like it because it goes against what you normally do when faced with situations like that – leave or speak against the situation. When we remain, or must stay, in a situation that we think is wrong, then the brain tries to compensate by changing the way it thinks.

So, the brain starts changing the way it is thinking and uses different parts of itself to store sensations and emotions. The stress of this can cause depletion of the brain chemicals serotonin and a few others. Lack of serotonin and the other chemicals can cause clinical depression.

The brain doesn’t like this dilemma of hanging around when something is going on that we normally would not accept. Something called cognitive dissonance develops. Your brain is saying “Something is wrong here!” but your body is staying physically in the situation, which causes the dissonance. Your body senses fear and your muscles can tense up and store the adrenalin that it produces when it encounters an unsafe situation. Your emotions are ‘stuffed’ and over time they become very intense because they are not expressed.

Your body is going against everything it has learned previously over the course of your life: unsafe situation??? LEAVE!!!!! – or- Speak out against the situation and change it!!!! When we stay in a spiritually abusive situations and don’t speak out against it, then our bodies suffer. The body and brain relate events that we experience with dissonance and stress.

When we experience those events again (a trigger), our brain goes to that part of it where the response to the abuse is stored. Our brain thinks we are back in the abusive situation. Our bodies and emotions still react in the same way – something is wrong here! Flee!! The adrenalin kicks in and we feel that ‘something is wrong here’ whether it is wrong or not. Our body and brain think we are back in that abusive situation once again, and they don't like it and can go bananas and the physical sensations manifest. Bummer.

Here are some of the addresses of posts about PTSD on this forum. They are very wordy as they are from professional websites. There are many more posts than these.
Complex PTSD:
http://www.christianrecovery.com/vb/showpost.php?p=26687&postcount=20
Other topics:
http://www.christianrecovery.com/vb/showpost.php?p=26686&postcount=19
http://www.christianrecovery.com/vb/showpost.php?p=26688&postcount=21

[Scooter]

Ah, good ol' cognitive dissonance. So I'm wondering what happens when a child grows up in this environment. Is it only when we hit adolescence and can start thinking abstractly that we experience the cognitive dissonance? Or has God given us an inherent sense, even as children, that spiritually abusive environments are harmful - so that we experience cognitive dissonance, albeit unconciously?

All right, Scooter is rambling. :) I'm just trying to unravel why I started to experience chronic depression at age 10. Was it the oppressive nature of my church's doctrine? Was it that I was helpless? Was it that I was a child who needed to please others and be approved of? Was it cognitive dissonance?

Like every other answer in psychology, it's probably a mixture of everything. Thanks for all the info, everyone!

[jane]

scooter-

dont' forget to take into account nutrician.....I have come to read so much about food and how it affects the body.....

and also genetics. I now believe (after so many years of not) that genetics play a role in depression.

10 is young.


jane

[Scooter]

You're right, jane. I left out one of the biggest factors - genetics. Get this...my maternal great-grandfather was depressed, suffered from alcoholism, and committed suicide. My maternal grandmother had depression at one point. My mother continues medication for depression. My sister was depressed. Hmm...yeah, I think genetics played a role. Sometimes I wonder if we (except my great-grandfather) would have developed depression if we hadn't all been in my old church.

Nutrition is another good point. I try to eat a balanced diet with as few processed foods as possible. I've also finally started to take vitamins regularly.

[jane]

I knew a woman once who suffered with depression for years. Found out it was a vitamen B shortage. Took a good complex B and hasn't suffered with depression now for over 6 years.

This isn't true for everyone but you know if a simple cure like a vitamen works- or some say having sunshine every day or using those sun lamps in the winter.

So different than the church that I came out of....depression was a sign of disobedience....not trusting the Lord enough and being content with your current life as a gift from him :rolleyes: ignorance. pure superstitious ignorance.

jane