Do I have PTSD? If so, What now?

PTSD: The Hidden Weight We Carry

Lets' talk about it, PTSD. PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is not a sign of weakness, like many believe. It is the body signaling for help. PTSD occurs either after a specific traumatic event like a car crash, or a series of events that take place in our lives like physical or sexual abuse. It can look like depression and/or anxiety. Sometimes those symptoms don't go away and/or come every time we are reminded of the traumatic event.

PTSD and Identity

Being firm in identity is vital to healing from PTSD, or any disorder, because without a solid foundation, which we learned can only be found in Christ, can radically shake who we thought we were. PTSD can and does change who we are and distort the lens we see life and people through. When identity is built on fear, shame, survival and self-preservation, it becomes fragile. Like building our identity on sand instead of the rock which is Jesus, it will shift, crack and eventually collapse under pressure. We have to make sure we are firm in who we are, which we can evaluate through my identity blurprint > https://re-assembledlife.com/identity-blueprint

Myths about PTSD

The number one myth about PTSD, is that it is only a diagnosis for veterans. Which veterans absolutely can get PTSD, however so can anyone else. It can look different for everyone. PTSD can happen to anyone who suffered a loss or abuse, even abandonment and betrayal. It can happen after childhood trauma, physical violence, medical trauma and more. Another myth is that it happens directly after a traumatic event. PTSD can actually start occuring months, even years after. The last myth I want to talk about is that people with PTSD are dangerous. Which obviously is ridiculous. We all have some form of PTSD and not everyone is a dangerous person. Putting labels and misunderstanding people does cause damage. Our identity can again become distorted when we define ourselves by symptoms instead of truth.

Faith and Identity

When someone is misdiagnosed, it can wreck how they see themselves. Most of the time, you don't have a disorder, your body is just responding the only way it knows how. You are allowed to challenge a label that doesn't feel accurate, research your symptoms and ask questions. real healing comes, when we take action. I want to encourage you to reevaluate habits, goals, relationships and patterns. Trauma doesn't just hurt you, it shapes you, and healing is to reshape your identity. To properly heal, we have to do practical things, like eating and sleeping well, getting enough sunlight. Sometimes trauma repeats itself because we haven't healed and we stay in places we should have left. It is not 'loyalty' or 'forgiveness' to remain in toxic situations and environments that are destroying you. Reoccurring trauma is not normal! I also want to encourage you to find creative outlets to express your pain and heal. It doesn't have to be artistic necessarily, but it can be symbolic. Like breaking something that holds a tie to the event that traumatized you. What happened to you isnt your fault. But healing is your responsibility.