Introduction
According to the National Comorbidity Survey Reports over 7.5 million people are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder every year in the United States alone. Most of them suffer from the post-trauma predicament. A predicament is a security system developed by our instinct which prevents us from further trauma. We make a mistake when we think it is an unmanageable disease. Yes, it's definitely a complicated health and mental issue but we can bypass it using simple techniques.
What is a trauma?
A trauma is condensed stress. When an event of our life or a chain of events pile up a huge amount of insecurity within our subconscious mind, we experience a trauma. The major characteristic of a trauma is that it is more of a subconscious affair than a conscious matter. So, to deal with trauma we need to specifically work on our subconscious mind and generate a habit of feeling protected. To do that we need to understand that our subconscious mind is connected to a few things, like- our body, our memory, our environment and the community we live in. If we can manage all these aspects then we'll be able to balance rejuvenate our subconscious mind.
How does post-trauma predicament behave?
The post-trauma predicament is a security system developed by our instinct which protects us from further trauma. Yes, it's a security system that saves our butts. But in this process, it ruins us the other way. In a post-trauma condition, our body cuts the connection between our nerves and muscles. It stops the flow of oxygen in the Neuromuscular junction and we cannot move our limbs. We know this situation as a predicament.
Let's understand this in an example; suppose you want to check your email and you turned on the email app on your mobile phone but there's no internet connection. You can see the "loading circle" on the screen. Your device is trying to synchronize the app with your email account. And, it fails. You try again and the same thing happens. The email app in your mobile phone cannot load the inbox page because the connection between your mobile phone and the internet is broken.
Same thing happens with us when we go through a predicament. We try to do some activity, our brain initiates the process but the muscles cannot perform it because the connection between our nerves and the muscles is broken.
How to stay active?
Most of the P.T.S.D. challengers spend a good amount of time lying in bed and sleeping. They get out of bed, have some food and go back to sleep. If you are one of them then don't feel ashamed. It's totally okay. Your body needs that rest. You need to give yourself a minimum time to recover from the immediate shocks of the trauma.
1. Start with 'No-brain Activities':
(Use your sensory organs)
You should start by doing the 'no brain-activities'. After the immediate shocks of trauma, our body develops a practice of feeling stressed all the time. While feeling stressed there is more blood flow to the back part of our brain (mainly in the hypothalamus) and less blood flow on the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe executes all logical and analytic processes. So, it's difficult for us to perform actions. That's why we should start with no-brain activities.
Use your sensory organs to start working. Use your eyes, your ears, your tongue. You can start by simply watching TV or listening to music.
2. Engagement Is The Key
(Use your hands)
Next, you need to do physical tasks. It's the time when you introduce your hands with your eyes and ears. You need to practice what you have learned so far. Simply start singing, start dancing, try to enact your favorite scenes from your favorite TV shows, start cooking, start drawing, do make ups, start working out, literally anything that involves physical engagement. Just keep in mind you should pick one or two of the tasks you like. Do not overwhelm yourself. If you overwhelm yourself with a bunch of projects and cannot finish any of them then you might end up sabotaging yourself. You can schedule a routine that you'll cook in the morning and paint at night or whatever suits you.
Remember, you still do not have enough blood flow to your logical brain so your brain cannot handle more than one or two tasks. Don't set goals, don't pressurize yourself. Just hang out with your task and try to create a relationship with it.
3. Join a community
(Utilize The Power of Collective Humanity)
Next, you'll need to join a community. A community is always helpful. You get to meet a lot of people dealing with similar challenges like yours. You also meet people who have survived similar situations. You'll get to talk to them, you'll get to listen to them. They'll empathize with your pain. And, most importantly they'll recognize your achievements. Also, when we are around people who support us we feel more protected. It is a good therapy for a PTSD challenger.
So, join a community that shares similar beliefs and interest. The community should be a physical community and not an online community.
4. Start a Venture
(Use your legs)
Starting a venture is more of an advanced stage and probably the most difficult one. Most of the challengers fail to nail this one. But, the fact is if you are able to execute stage 4 you'll never look back. It's like a reward to yourself, it's a gift from the Universe. So, you have to start a venture.
Now, what is venture? Anything that is dedicated to a purpose and requires consistent engagement is a venture. If someone has a family he is a member of a venture, if someone works for a company then he is a member of a venture if someone works for a nonprofit group he is a member of a venture. Now you also need to be a part of a venture.
Either join an existing venture or create a new one. It's the best way to attract gratitude which will bring you recognition and empowerment. And, empowerment is one of the best remedies for a post-trauma condition.
5. Keep the ball rolling
(Maintain Continuity)
Now, you have to maintain the continuity. It is said that most of the trauma challengers fail to stay active because they fail to continue the process. It's a secret how to keep the ball rolling.
a. You Need A Strong 'Why'- define a purpose of your life. It's a way to hack the rules of the Universe. As a human being, we tend to stay active if there are people depending on us. If you can convince yourself that there are a few people depending on you, you'll more likely to stay active than if not.
b. Create a Community of Yours- create a support group of your own. They'll keep you motivated and even help you to start a venture. Your community should contain a core and a buffer group to help you in different situations.
c. Establish your actions with rituals- you have to establish the activities I taught previously. Rituals are the best way to do that. A personal 'Mantra' or 'Japa' can help you. Even lighting up a candle can help you to continue your journey.
JUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
It's all about what you believe. A trauma has a two-way effect. It affects our physics and our psyche. We do not have much control over our physics but we can control our psyche. And, by controlling the psyche we can govern our physics to some extent. The goal of a PTSD-challenger should be to get full command over their psyche and guide their physics to recovery.
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