Hey there. Part of the "mechanics" of PTSD is that traumatic memories are stored in the amygdala, the lizard brain, bypassing every reason center we have, and the longer those memories are stuck in there, undealt with, buried, forced away, the more potent they become. If he's repressed those memories, when they surface, it's going to be like the trauma just happened (Lizard brain can't tell time) so all the grief and fear and panic are right there
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"So big chunks of his memory could be just...not there. "
I will ditto this. I have absolutely no memory of the traumatic episode I witnessed as a child. I was told where I was and what I saw by the person it happened to, but other than a memory of the place (where I lived for several years), there's just nothing. There's not even a hint of a real memory. It's been 25 years. I've lived with chronic depression, emotional instability, social anxiety and "irrational" aversions to situations other people happily fall into. I was in therapy, but somehow we missed the root of my issues, so it never really got treated, per se. The person it happened to has actually been treated more successfully than I have... And yeah, I totally feel like "I got off easy." It remains to be seen what will happen next.
Thank you so much for your input! I never heard about the Lizard Brain before. I just looked it up. What I found was rather....interesting, to say the least.
Huh. that sounds like a good way to handle the triggers. I could work with that.
Though I am rather confused by what you mean when you say "lost time, loss of affect, inability to engage properly." I tried to look them up but found nothing.
I am abashed to say I never thought try that. I'll get to the link right away. Thanks again! :)
Well, lost time; a triggering event can cause you to disassociate and you go on about your business for hours, weeks, months an have no memory of it, "waking up" sometime later to find yourself doing something and you have no idea what the steps were that got you there. And often, people don't notice that you're not all in there, except that your reactions might be a bit flat, a bit off. In my case, very passive. It's like you go very deep inside yourself for protective purposes. The lizard brain controls fight or flight, right? What if you can't do either? You create a way to flee inside yourself.
In ability to engage properly. I find it very hard to trust people past a certain superficial level, and when nervous, extract or excuse my way out of social situations.
I might be able to help a little with this. I've had Complex PTSD (PTSD that stems from multiple events,) since I was nine. Although my triggers have a lot more to do with the behavior of people around me than any one single situation, so it's very hard to manage them, what I've found most effective is just actually getting out of the situation - at which point you can focus on calming yourself, or hide under a table armed with a fork until it's over if that fails. However, being thirteen, it's probably going to be pretty bad for your character, because people don't really have much control over their lives at thirteen, and well-meaning but uninformed adults will probably be dragging him into situations that might be triggering in a misguided attempt to have him "get over it," which isn't going to help at all. Neither is the fact that most adults aren't going to take his concerns seriously - especially if, like me, he tries to hide what's wrong under being a good kid who never gets into trouble
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Hugs (or whatever gesture of reassurance is within your comfort zone), and thank you for coming forward.
(OP: Does your character's altered nature have any effect on his sapience and/or impulse control? In other words, to what if any extent are his fight, flight, and predatory reactions those of a shark?)
First of all, I should be the one thanking you, for taking the time to respond to this entry at all, as I imagine it can't be very comfortable.
You bring up a valuable point with well-intentioned but uninformed adults. This particular character though, attempts to hide his concerns behind an abrasive attitude and an aggressive wall. Talking back to his teachers, getting into fights, bullying his peers, etc.
Oh no, I can't let myself getaway with anything while writing this story! especially while representing sensitive topics like psychological conflicts and such. Thanks again, I will take your words into account while planning this out. Let's hope I don't suck at it too much.
It probably goes without saying, but just in case you aren't aware of it- you might look up 'shark boy and lava girl' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424774/ Your premise is, of course, completely different, but since you are doing teen superhero, you might want to steer extra clear of any overt similarities :-)
I also applaud your wish to present PTSD in a realist manner.
eta: I've seen this movie's various parts several times since my kids loved it- it's actually good in that 'I can't NOT watch' kind of way when you're trying to do something else instead :-)))
Lol, yea, I remember watching that movie when I was a kid. Pretty neat. This fic is actually inspired by my love for both superhero comics and this show I'm going to write about, so I should probably worry more about similarities with the DC/Marvel comics than this movie :P
Just to mention, sharks rarely (possibly never) attack boats, but it's certainly possible that the boat capsized, the two adults got the kid back in the boat and then were attacked by sharks. Depending on what country this is, the kid will most likely be in foster homes or small group homes, not an orphanage.
Thank you so much for your response. This will help me immensely. The essay in the link is also very helpful.
I had no idea people with PTSD have higher chances of getting sick. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely include that. I feel I have better understanding of what PTSD is now. I'm so glad I got up the courage to ask. I had no idea my knowledge of PTSD was quit so superficial before.
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I will ditto this. I have absolutely no memory of the traumatic episode I witnessed as a child. I was told where I was and what I saw by the person it happened to, but other than a memory of the place (where I lived for several years), there's just nothing. There's not even a hint of a real memory. It's been 25 years. I've lived with chronic depression, emotional instability, social anxiety and "irrational" aversions to situations other people happily fall into. I was in therapy, but somehow we missed the root of my issues, so it never really got treated, per se. The person it happened to has actually been treated more successfully than I have... And yeah, I totally feel like "I got off easy." It remains to be seen what will happen next.
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Huh. that sounds like a good way to handle the triggers. I could work with that.
Though I am rather confused by what you mean when you say "lost time, loss of affect, inability to engage properly." I tried to look them up but found nothing.
I am abashed to say I never thought try that. I'll get to the link right away. Thanks again! :)
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In ability to engage properly. I find it very hard to trust people past a certain superficial level, and when nervous, extract or excuse my way out of social situations.
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(OP: Does your character's altered nature have any effect on his sapience and/or impulse control? In other words, to what if any extent are his fight, flight, and predatory reactions those of a shark?)
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You bring up a valuable point with well-intentioned but uninformed adults. This particular character though, attempts to hide his concerns behind an abrasive attitude and an aggressive wall. Talking back to his teachers, getting into fights, bullying his peers, etc.
Oh no, I can't let myself getaway with anything while writing this story! especially while representing sensitive topics like psychological conflicts and such. Thanks again, I will take your words into account while planning this out. Let's hope I don't suck at it too much.
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I also applaud your wish to present PTSD in a realist manner.
eta: I've seen this movie's various parts several times since my kids loved it- it's actually good in that 'I can't NOT watch' kind of way when you're trying to do something else instead :-)))
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I had no idea people with PTSD have higher chances of getting sick. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely include that. I feel I have better understanding of what PTSD is now. I'm so glad I got up the courage to ask. I had no idea my knowledge of PTSD was quit so superficial before.
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