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[SERIOUS] How do you handle emotional flashbacks? (beehaw.org)

submitted 9 months ago by xilliah@beehaw.org to c/askbeehaw@beehaw.org

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Or anything else you'd like to share about cptsd!

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[–] RileyIsBad@beehaw.org 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

CPTSD is also something i struggle with due to a traumatic childhood, but for the most part I'm out of that situation.

Knowing that what's done is done really helps, it's in the past and I'm safe now (at least relatively).

I'm still living in the same house i was abused in but my abusers are gone, so being able to reclaim that space and objectively acknowledge that I've progressed as a person helps put distance between what happened and what is happening.

Also learning to recognize that the way i was treated affected how i treat myself, and catching when i start letting the internal voice of those people dictate my life. Knowing what is genuinely your thoughts and feelings and the ones that aren't is extremely helpful, though very difficult.

Getting better is hard and neverending, but it lets you appreciate what little good you do have going on.

[–] xilliah@beehaw.org 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Would you say safety plays a key role?

What you said about your thoughts, I said exactly the same thing to my therapist but I couldn't properly explain it. Acknowledging to read it here.

You must be proud that you're able to continue living in that house.

Have you also had issues being reliable at work?

[–] RileyIsBad@beehaw.org 3 points 9 months ago

Safety absolutely plays a role there, there have been instances where I've made brief contact with my abusers and it causes hardcore instability, but that's to be expected in those kinds of scenarios. But otherwise knowing that I'm a safe distance away from them helps so much.

I'm very proud of being able to stay there, especially since I get to live with people i know genuinely care about me and contribute to the healing process.

Work definitely gets affected by it though, I don't have that feeling of safety at my work unfortunately (am publicly trans in a pretty transphobic community) so that stress definitely gets me to fall back into the same feelings and coping mechanism from my previous situation.