It’s easy for a person with PTSD to become re-traumatized. I didn’t believe this when my therapist told me. Probably because when catecholamine levels are high, you just feel numb. After a long time of numbness, nothing is surprising, nothing is exciting, and nothing is scary. I thought being re-traumatized was impossible. When catecholamine levels … Continue readingBye-bye Sunshine, Hello Fog
This week was TIPI training again. The practice is new in the United States, so it still goes by its French acronym. But the name, TIPI, doesn’t quite appeal to Americans. Who wants to say a name that brings memories of toilet paper bombing? I’ve come up with a different acronym: EDIT, or Emotional Difficulty … Continue readingOvercoming September 11
Every year since the 9-11 tragedy, as September had approached, I would feel more depressed. This year is different. I have not felt sadness until now. It’s September 8. The west coast doesn’t treat the day like New York. In New York there are memorials. People go out, but parties are not publicized events. In … Continue readingSeptember 11 on the West Coast
Every now and then it hits me that I am in California. The thought goes something like, “Oh my goodness. I’m in San Francisco!” After 40 years in New York, being in the Golden State is quite a change. But the change doesn’t affect me like most people. I didn’t sense any stress about it. … Continue readingMomentary Gains of Relativity
I don’t remember if heightened senses are a symptom of PTSD in the DSM, but it’s back. Walking down the street, I smelled a fire. I looked around for smoke but didn’t see any and continued on. On the way back, the smell of smoke was stronger. It smelled of burning vinyl like in an … Continue readingSuper-human Smell
From the first week of July until yesterday, I thought I was healed from PTSD. It’s now the the first week of August. It seemed like all my symptoms were gone. I will preface the rest of this post with this note: this post won’t be very eloquent. It might seem disjointed. PTSD Symptom Returns … Continue readingRollercoaster Healing
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (edition IV), there are 17 criteria for diagnosing PTSD. I don’t remember how many my case met, though it was nearly all of them. Going through the list today, there is maybe one that still holds true: difficulty sleeping. That may easily be attributed to … Continue readingRecovery Process
July 22, 2013 New experiences are fun. It’s like making discoveries except that they are only new to the one discovering. This morning on the way to a new job, I was a relative explorer on the Caltrain commuter from San Francisco to San Jose. I rode Jessie to the block where the downtown station … Continue readingCaltrain Experience
The rejection from the drug trial at the Veterans Hospital was disappointing to say the least. I was tired of being foggy-headed all the time, being irrationally irritable, and having trouble prioritizing and following instructions. And I wanted to be able to go back to work full-time without anxiety. Little did I know how TIPI would … Continue readingTechnique d’identification des Peurs Inconscientes, aka TIPI
In January, I learned a technique known in Europe as TIPI. It’s a form of somatic therapy that is claimed to permanently remove the ill effects of emotional difficulties. Because of my immediate positive response to the technique and understanding of how it works (thanks to experiencing PTSD), the Director of the TIPI not-for-profit here … Continue readingReturning to the Old Normal