Recent posts
#1
Recovery Journals / Re: Miscellaneous ramblings of...
Last post by Chart - Today at 10:03:58 AMNK, this makes me wonder where Empathy comes from. There is the possibility to think of others, but knowing when to put yourself first. And, whatever path we take, we communicate and exchange, anticipating (if only a little) what the impact on others might be... Why do so many foo seem absolutely oblivious to something I believe is a fundamental aspect of being human? I'm very sorry for your runaround... seems like just one more thing to anticipate in the future. I think we hesitate less and less to stop playing the games so often organized in a disingenuous guise of innocence. (that was a weird sentence :-)
#2
Recovery Journals / Re: Marcine’s journaling forwa...
Last post by Chart - Today at 07:05:39 AMQuote from: Marcine on February 09, 2026, 03:20:49 PMand a thousand mile gaze out to the vast, possible next steps ahead.Living in the moment but always moving forward.
#3
Neglect/Abandonment / Re: deprivation
Last post by HannahOne - Today at 03:32:18 AMSanMagic7, Just reading this today. I was thinking today as I hugged one of my teenagers about touch deprivation. My teen grabbed me and hugged me, I was a bit surprised, but melted into it, scratched her back while we hugged thinking consciously "she needs some touch." And then thinking, I never got this. And how essential it is.
Mr. Frank the rabbit needs his daily down-regulation of being touched. Without it he gets depressed, lackluster, stares hunched. He grooms himself religiously, but it's not enough. He needs to be groomed, I have to pull at his little forehead hairs as a bun wife would, and he needs to groom me in return, he licks my face frantically while I groom him, it's his instinct to give and receive. After being groomed, he relaxes into a giant flop nd you can feel the relaxed energy vibes flowing off him, his heart rate variability is chill, his breathing even, endorphins flowing. This is all his birthright as a rabbit. It's what he should have.
Our nervous system is like that of any mammal, it needs touch to regulate itself. Being deprived of that is part of the injury to our nervous system in CPTSD. It makes it harder for us to regulate emotionally. And leaves us feeling ill at east in our bodies as you describe so clearly. We had a birthright to appropriate touch. It's what you should have had.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and I'm so sorry it was your experience. It's so helpful to read how others put into words what CPTSD is.
Mr. Frank the rabbit needs his daily down-regulation of being touched. Without it he gets depressed, lackluster, stares hunched. He grooms himself religiously, but it's not enough. He needs to be groomed, I have to pull at his little forehead hairs as a bun wife would, and he needs to groom me in return, he licks my face frantically while I groom him, it's his instinct to give and receive. After being groomed, he relaxes into a giant flop nd you can feel the relaxed energy vibes flowing off him, his heart rate variability is chill, his breathing even, endorphins flowing. This is all his birthright as a rabbit. It's what he should have.
Our nervous system is like that of any mammal, it needs touch to regulate itself. Being deprived of that is part of the injury to our nervous system in CPTSD. It makes it harder for us to regulate emotionally. And leaves us feeling ill at east in our bodies as you describe so clearly. We had a birthright to appropriate touch. It's what you should have had.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and I'm so sorry it was your experience. It's so helpful to read how others put into words what CPTSD is.
#4
Symptoms - Other / Re: Freeze response after nigh...
Last post by Stussy7 - Today at 02:08:42 AMThank you all so much for your replies! I know it was a really random question, but I appreciate your help.
Very helpful suggestions! Next time i will try and talk about it, but if that's too hard i will write about it in my journal.
Thanks again
Very helpful suggestions! Next time i will try and talk about it, but if that's too hard i will write about it in my journal.
Thanks again
#5
Recovery Journals / Re: Miscellaneous ramblings of...
Last post by HannahOne - Today at 12:58:29 AMReading your post felt like riding the merrygoround that was my FOO. Gosh, they just take us in circles, and no direct communication can be had!! YOU are not a fool, NarcKiddo. That's just what it feels like to be around people who play these kinds of games. We feel resentful, we regret. That's the feelings of anyone in the presence of this kind of foolery that they do.
You did what you could do, and you can be proud of that, and, in the end, they are impossible to help. That's their failure, not yours. I hope you are able to get some rest, feel grounded in your own self, and return to your regularly scheduled programming, whatever is good, right and true in your world that you can focus on for your own benefit, for your own happiness.
You did what you could do, and you can be proud of that, and, in the end, they are impossible to help. That's their failure, not yours. I hope you are able to get some rest, feel grounded in your own self, and return to your regularly scheduled programming, whatever is good, right and true in your world that you can focus on for your own benefit, for your own happiness.
#6
Symptoms - Other / Re: Freeze response after nigh...
Last post by Teddy bear - February 10, 2026, 08:34:47 PMHi Stussy,
It seems to me that suppressing something subconscious isn't a good idea, and dreams and nightmares come from there.
As was said, it's good to process them, and through that, to process the underlying trauma. And most probably just to work on the trauma.
This could be a traumatic response (fight or flight, or freeze), which seems quite natural.
Wishing you sweet dreams 😴
It seems to me that suppressing something subconscious isn't a good idea, and dreams and nightmares come from there.
As was said, it's good to process them, and through that, to process the underlying trauma. And most probably just to work on the trauma.
This could be a traumatic response (fight or flight, or freeze), which seems quite natural.
Wishing you sweet dreams 😴
#7
Recovery Journals / Re: The tipping point…
Last post by Chart - February 10, 2026, 07:35:48 PMQuote from: sanmagic7 on February 06, 2026, 06:46:55 PMthinking of you. love and hugs
#8
Recovery Journals / Re: the next step
Last post by Chart - February 10, 2026, 07:16:38 PMHey San, me too I was touched by your "routine" with your D. It's great to have that connection. I'm estranged from my eldest daughter too. Trauma. Trauma's not our fault. If I'd known then what I know now... but too: if my parents had not had their heads up someplace where no sun shines... To everyone their life. We just keep growing and never give up on those who love us back. Those who don't love... well they have to find their own way. Sad, but I focus on what I have, not what I wished had been. Seems you're doing the same with your D2.
#9
Symptoms - Other / Re: Freeze response after nigh...
Last post by Armee - February 10, 2026, 06:00:06 PMI'm so sorry you are going through this phase of CPTSD. It's awful.
Putting them out of mind probably isn't the best long term because the content is coming up to be processed. If they are so bad you can't speak about then you can also try to get them out here in writing.
I understand, not being able to speak of them. Some of my nightmares have been so horrific that the only way I could speak of them with T was doing flash EMDR first before even trying to share. There's no way I could even say anything about them to anyone else.
#10
Symptoms - Other / Re: Freeze response after nigh...
Last post by Kizzie - February 10, 2026, 04:30:19 PMHey Stussy, so sorry to hear about the nightmares. I know how frightening they can be and why you wouldn't want to talk about them. I have to agree with NarcKiddo that you may find it helps to "defuel" them by talking about them with your H. Stuffing them may feel safer and yet ironically it can give them more power.
All that said, you know you best and if you need to push away from them for now, then that may be the most helpful thing to do until you're ready to bring them out into the light of day for some "sunshine therapy" and the power of connection (i.e. with your H).
All that said, you know you best and if you need to push away from them for now, then that may be the most helpful thing to do until you're ready to bring them out into the light of day for some "sunshine therapy" and the power of connection (i.e. with your H).