Episode 8: C-PTSD and Christmas - Hope In a Dark, Dark Year

Explicit content warning

12/24/20 • 32 min

Out of My Mind in Costa Rica-Living with CPTSD

Today, I take on Christmas. PTSD and C-PTSD have been with me for most of my life, but I didn't know that until about 8 years ago. This means that most of my holidays have been without the knowledge I have this problem.
I grew up in the 1950's in rural, small town, America where life was simple and neighbors were helpful. The economy was roaring and families everywhere were indulging themselves at this time of year. It was an amazing time and place to grow up in.
Christmas as a child was magical. My parents went all out on the tree as well as what went under the tree. There were mountains of presents. I kid you not. A lot of people my age can relate to this. It was a fantastic time to be a kid.
Life changes when you grow up and for many of my adult years, Christmas was a jolly time, that is if I were in relationship. If I were not in relationship, they were dismal, depressing and painful experiences.
Here we go for another round of holiday festivities, although this year is unique because, many of us never made to Christmas because of COVID-19. My heart goes out to those families who have lost a loved one to this terrible pandemic. It also angers me that our government has failed the people so completely and so ingenuously.
As usual, here are a few websites that may help you take the edge off this holiday season.
The CPTSD Foundation is a wonderful website and I will probably be posting there links here quite often. Here is a cornucopia of ideas to help you take the edge of this holiday season.

https://cptsdfoundation.org/2018/12/24/surviving-christmas-how-to-turn-a-helliday-into-a-holiday/

Below is a line to one hell of a brave person’s YouTube channel. You need to know that this video shows someone who has taken the road less travelled. I relate so much to what she is saying, even though it is clear that this work takes its toll on her at times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwUSH2c-Z4

Beauty After Bruises is a fantastic organization and they offer great advice for those of us with traumatic stress in our lives. The article below is chock full of helpful hints to make this year a better than you expected year.

https://www.beautyafterbruises.org/blog/survivingtheholidays
Be Courageous, Be Strong, and Be Kind.
I'll catch you later.
Ray

https://cptsdfoundation.org/2018/12/24/surviving-christmas-how-to-turn-a-helliday-into-a-holiday/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwUSH2c-Z4

https://www.beautyafterbruises.org/blog/survivingtheholidays
Be Courageous, Be Strong, and Be Kind.
I'll catch you later.
Ray

Previous Episode

Episode 7: C-PTSD and Shame - A Heavy Load to Bear

The decision to talk about shame today came about as a result of being called out by a social work friend. She was absolutely right, I had fucked up. Fortunately it was easy to fix. All I needed to do is delete some footage and edit a couple of paragraphs out of the transcript. Piece of cake, right?
Not so easy when you have PTSD or C-PTSD. In my family, mistakes were dangerous and I tried really, really hard not to make mistakes. Which was impossible, of course. In today's episode I talk about my family and the roles we were all forced to to play in order to survive.
Shame played an integral role in my parent's lives and it played an integral role in my and my brother's lives. I talk about the impact of shame on development and how shame is an incredibly power tool to manipulate and control people.
Here are a few
https://cptsdfoundation.org/
https://www.verywellmind.com/ptsd-and-shame-2797529
https://www.verywellmind.com/ptsd-and-shame-2797529

Next Episode

Episode 9: C-PTSD and 2020 - Endings and New Beginnings

C-PTSD and 2020

Out with the Old and in with the New

It’s New Year’s Eve and the end of 2020. Yeehaa! Today I am looking at endings and beginnings, like everyone else, I am sharing my resolutions for the new year, although I don’t call them resolutions, I call them priorities, because that is what resolutions are.

We’ve all been waiting for this day to arrive and it is just like 2020 to go and fuck our New Year’s Eve celebrations. What has the world become. Anyway, for people with PTSD or C-PTSD this time of year usually brings about a lot of anxiety.

We know, from experience, that the new year will probably just like the old year. But for a few of us faithful, there is always the possibility of healing.

I talk about Attachment Theory and Attachment styles today and if you are in a roller coaster relationship, then maybe, this episode will help nudge you along in a direction that will yield real results. I’m not saying it will be easy. Quite the opposite in fact, healing and change is never easy, so buckle up and hang on, 2020 will likely spill over into 2021 so you had better get your priorities straight.

Here is a great website on psych issues overall, but this article give you a quick look at attachment styles and you will be able to get a good idea of where you fit into the models. All you need to do is be honest with yourself.

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-change-your-attachment-style#3

Here’s a great article on healing from C-PTSD by Dr. Arielle Schwartz. A key component of healing according to her article is it is critical for the survivor to take personal responsibility for their habitual thoughts and actions. It’s straight forward and easily digestible. Give it a read.

https://drarielleschwartz.com/hope-for-complex-ptsd-recovery-dr-arielle-schwartz/#.X-5OkthKhEY

The Wellness Society has published a great handbook for those of you who are suffering from the symptoms of C-PTSD. Your loved ones will benefit from checking it out as well.

https://thewellnesssociety.org/healing-cptsd-the-ultimate-online-guide/

Until next time, remember:

Be courageous. Be Strong. Be Kind. I’ll catch you later. Bye

Out of My Mind in Costa Rica-Living with CPTSD - Episode 8: C-PTSD and Christmas - Hope In a Dark, Dark Year

Transcript

C-PTSD and Christmas

Holiday Hope in a Dark, Dark Year

Hello and welcome to Out of My Mind in Costa Rica. I’m your host, Ray Erickson. Merry Christmas everyone. Yeah, I know not all of you are big fans of this once pagan holiday, but for me Christmas, especially when I was a child was a glorious day. Growing up in America during the greatest economic expansion the world has ever known meant that Santa would be busy.

As a child, Christmas was ever