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Hi,Ive been diagnosed with PTSD recently.Ive had several sessions with a psychologist which were useful re lowering anxiety levels,but,no real difference to my symptoms.Ive had one session of emdr,then i was told that my anxiety rating score was too high and i would need work to adress this.HELP ... I am 49yrs old a C.P.N. and face being made jobless(Ive been off work for 10 months)

Hi Murphy,

Welcome to the forum.

Anxiety can be a very intrusive thing to try an deal with when experiencing PTSD.

Has your psychologist not recommended any form of drug treatment? This can help to bring your anxiety levels down to something which is more manageable. Being a CPN, perhaps you have access to 'The Mental Health Handbook' by Trevor Powell which has a lot of useful information about anxiety and associated symptoms which can be used as part of a strategy to reduce your anxiety levels.

Anxiety is inevitable with PTSD - it is a matter of getting it down to a degree which has minimal impact.

Welcome to the forum.

I was diagnosed with PTSD in November & like you have been off work long term & I'm seeing a psychologist -12 sessions so far, for EMDR.
I've had a similar experience to you in that my anxiety was too high to start emdr sessions for the first 5 appointments when we did a very short session but with the result that I became re-traumatised & my symptoms became very intense. my psychologist told me that she would not be prepared to do any more emdr until I was on medication to reduce my anxiety. After 5 wks on citalopram I'm now feeling the benefit as my anxiety is down to a manageable level, which makes therapy sessions more beneficial & I feel well enough to return to work part time. Now of course I wish I'd taken them sooner!

EMDR therapy is very intense & makes the memories more intense for a while - I usually find it takes me 3-4 days to reprocess the material we used. I've had four emdr sessions now 2wks apart & I'm beginning to find my trauma memories are less intense. I have found working with a psychologist very hard work but it does pay off, she has put my recovery very much in my hands & at times can be very blunt- as she was last week & I left not wanting to go back but it's given me the kick in the right direction that I needed!

Are you using any relaxation techniques? I use meditation, deep breathing & mentally putting myself in my 'safe place' & have found them a great help. I've also been going to a spa twice a week which has been very beneficial.

Good luck with your therapy, it will get better as time goes on.
Keep in touch here, it's a tremendous help to have the support of others with PTSD.

Rosie

I suppose a little knowledge can be harmful,or so my psychologist tells me!Ive read the book you mentioned and found it helpful,but my anxiety is now revolving around a return to work,or not.The nightmares of past trauma haunt me and I am seriously considering suicide.Im not trying to be dramatic but my Gp,occupational health doctor and psychologist seem to think that my career is over!!

Hi Murphy

Give those 'professionals' a good kick in the backside!! What absolute rubbish.

Your career is not over at all! That kind of comment comes from ignorance.

I am not surprised that your anxiety is high because of returning to work. I work in adult mental health for the NHS and have lived with PTSD for over 12 years. It took six months of being passed from one person to another in the occupational health department before someone was prepared to make a decision - put their signature to paper. It sounds more like they are trying to pass the buck rather than come up with something constructive and positive. In the end I was referred to someone 'out of area' for assessment - which was the best thing that could have happened.

To be realistic, you may not be able to cope with full-time work. You do need to get your anxiety levels down to a reasonable degree, perhaps through MINIMAL drug interventions (such as SSRIs - citalopram as Rosie mentioned). It will not cure the anxiety but will help to take the edge off it to enable you to cope better through your own natural processes.

The next thing to think about is your attitude to living with PTSD. You know what it is (if you don't find out about it), you know why it happened, you know (better than anyone else in the world) how it affects you and you know you you want to get your mind back under your control. Forget any notion of trying to 'get back' to how you were - this will only result in more frustration and negativity. You have to start from NOW and think about what you want to do in the future and how you are going to do it. There is no point ruminating and it will only make you more of a slave to PTSD - because (in a very simplistic way) PTSD means that your mind is already stuck in the past - you need to help it move on.

Small steps equals very big changes in the effects of PTSD. You can make a start by addressing each of the symptoms you experience individually instead of trying to tackle PTSD as a whole. You have the information available, you have knowledge and you are more than capable of developing a very simple strategy which works for you and your circumstances. TRY IT and be prepared to ADJUST IT. There will be frustrating times and times when you wonder if anything will work for you so you can have a 'normal' life - this is all part of the natural process of learning to cope - which is your first aim.

Have a look on our main site (if you have not already) - you may find some inspiration and techniques there.

At the end of the day most mental health 'professionals' have very little idea of PTSD and the practicalities of coping with the condition. You need to work on your self and use a logical approach with common sense in addition to any other help you may get (such as EMDR).

I hope this helps at least a little. There is no reason why you can not return to work. It may take time and you should only do as much as you can realistically cope with. Perhaps you could look on work as a distraction from your own situation. When you return to work make sure you can 'escape' every now and then for 10 minutes to have some peace and quiet and recharge your batteries. Even though I have been back at work (also in the community) for some years, I still have to go somewhere else - such as a local park - for the odd 10 minutes of peace. It is all about re-conditioning yourself.

Just got back from a meeting with nhs management re my employment.Ive been finished.full pension but thats not what I wanted.

Hi Murphy

Sorry to hear about you're job. It sounds like there has been little understanding of PTSD from your managers which considering the nature of your job explains why it takes so long for people with PTSD diagnosis to get any help. I am having to fund my treatment so that I could recover enough to return to work on a phased return & have to be full time by the end of 6wks. It's such a shame that your medical support are so negative about your return to work. I too thought that until 4 wks ago, when I suddenly felt able to cope with going back. Although my trauma is not work related I had a flashback which led to a series of panic attacks at school & I'm still not fully comfortable about being there yet but it's getting better week by week. As with all our PTSD challenges we need the opportunity to work our way through the difficult times with support of those who understand, it hard work often sole destroying when its not rewarded but the sense of relief when yo realise that memories are starting to shift is tremendous.

I am finding the attitude of personnel managers very frustrating too. I was told on Friday that if I take any time off during the next 4 weeks it will be classed as a failed phase return & I'll be in to dismissal. all this is because I explained to them that if I have an EMDR session on a Thursday afternoon usually on a Friday (it will only be 1 friday it may affect) it causes me emotional distress to the point that I do not feel it would be appropriate for me to have responsibility for a class of 5yr olds. I'm getting the distinct feeling from them that they'd actually prefer it to fail, by leaving I would be a useful budget cut! I'm only in this situation because I have exhausted my sick entitlement having been of work for 14mths. How long have you been off? are you able to appeal the decision?

Are you in a union Murphy, although I don't find mine have any sense of urgency it is useful to have their backup a they know & understand the employment laws.

I do hope you can find a solution to your work situation. It sounds like they are not giving you enough time for your therapy sessions to begin to reprocessing your trauma. Hang on in there things will get better. Keep posting here too, It always helps to talk & get support from those who fully understand.