Please feel free to visit Early Mornings with Herm www.hermthomas.com Recently,
I celebrated my 50th birthday. Usually, when one celebrates a birthday,
the emotions involved can be breathtaking. Those emotions took me back
to my 7th birthday in 1975. As
a child, I never really focused on gifts associated with Christmas or
my birthday. All I really cared about was being with my mother. I can
remember us celebrating my 7th birthday (1975) with my first-grade
classmates at Mahalia Jackson (PS 123) in Harlem, NYC. It was a huge
surprise to me and I was so ecstatic that my mother chose this setting
to celebrate this special day with my classmates and me. Also,
I incorrectly assumed that the party with my classmates was it, but a
few days later, we had a private celebration in our home, as well. I
can recall her baking a coconut cake and watching me open my gift. It
was just the two of us which was a big plus for me because her abusive
boyfriend had already destroyed our last Christmas together. Four
months after this celebration, my mother was murdered. The last time I
saw her alive, she was struggling to breathe and trying to hold on to
life after being shot several times. This alone makes it very difficult
at times to go back in time to reflect back on happier days with her. Although
we shared some great times together, I consider the above mentioned one
of the best because it was precious time spent alone with her on a
special day. The only thing I regret is that I was too young to help her
fight off the three individuals that invaded our apartment. After
many years of battling with flashbacks, nightmares, and depression, I
was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is an anxiety
disorder that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic
event, or become aware that a traumatic event has happened to a loved
one. Feeling
frightened is a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Experiencing intense fear that comes on suddenly could mean you're
having a panic attack. This sudden fear may come without warning or
without any obvious reason. Or a panic attack may happen when something
reminds you of your trauma. Also,
determining the difference between post-traumatic stress disorder and
other trauma disorders can be a challenge. Confusing this issue is the
fact that PTSD and other anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety
disorder (GAD), often co-occur. When
anxiety levels are high a person will generally experience ‘Flight or
fight’ response (Acute response). This describes a mechanism in the body
that enables humans and animals to mobilize a lot of energy rapidly in
order to cope with threats to survival. There
are six major types of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder,
panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobia, social anxiety
disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Although
it isn’t always an easy task to take your mind back to happier places,
it can be very therapeutic. Also, please remember that you’re not alone. If
you feel the need to talk to someone, call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) to reach a trained
counselor. Current and former service members, use that same number and
press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. Sources: Psychology Today TraumaAbuseTreatment Helpguide.com PTSD UT Counseling and MH Center |
This post first appeared on Can't Keep Running Away: Mental Illness And PTSD, please read the originial post: here
