PTSD, Betrayal Trauma
I have been diagnosed with PTSD today on my first therapy session which lasted 2 hours. I discovered I might have PTSD a couple of months back after I found out my ex was chronically cheating. And I have witnessed his self-destructive hitting for 2.5 years. Those things accumulated to where I am today. I have anxiety attacks with waves of chest pains that come and go several times a day. My violent nightmares are visual and gruesome. I can hardly sleep with intrusive and very visual thoughts of him cheating over and over again. I also contemplated suicide yesterday. In desperation, I turned to a therapist and a counsellor in 2 different clinics. My therapist taught me a few coping strategies. But I would like to share one today that stood out for me strongly. We generated this together. Therapist: What are the recurring thoughts in your head? Me: That he is with another woman right now. Therapist: Do you want to be that woman now? Me: No. Therapist: How can you tell yourself then ...
