According to European Journal of Psychopathology, between 5%-6% men suffer from PTSD. Way fewer than 5% of Earth’s population has been in combat.
The PTSD Viking
“Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.” PTSD means carrying a huge, heavy mirror everywhere you go. Closing your eyes won’t make it disappear. So, look back. See it. Face it. Watch it turn into transparent glass. You may choose to forgive, although you won’t forget. What matters is no longer being ashamed of harm that’s been inflicted upon you.
While this website is technically aimed at men with PTSD, women can possibly benefit from some of the articles – as long as you remember I have no experience what it’s like to be a woman and how different your pain can be from mine.
About me
I have never seen a war, apart from a TV screen; I’ve only seen one dead person, who was my elderly mother in law; I have never been in a major accident, a victim of a cult, or whatever you probably associate with PTSD. In 2012, on my 35th birthday, I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. I then proceeded to spend twelve years in the mental health system before receiving the right diagnosis: extreme complex PTSD, childhood abuse.
I am writing those words less than nine months since my diagnosis. I am in full remission now. It feels a lot as if the prison gates have opened. I’ve got a lot to share and I am free from shame that has been stopping me until now.
Photo: a man with c-PTSD (me)
More about me →
Start here
Explained in words I understand. (There is one science-y word: amygdala. You can refer to it as lizard brain, though. I do.)
I used to think c-PTSD was the same as PTSD, but more. I was wrong. It’s… complex. This is bad news.
My childhood ended when I was five years old. What replaced it was daily struggle for survival… and I don’t (just) mean physically.