Lived Experience Forum

[kenny66]

Thanks Rick I read the article on the link you sent me.

The article was very very interesting. I often wondered if the combination of childhood physical abuse and sexual abuse occuring at the same time and over a long period of time as in my case might have a poor outcome.

Anyway you sound optimistic about the way the research is heading. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

Thanks again for explaining it to me.

kenny

[peace]

@Rick so it IS "all in my mind". It is damaged. I wonder if it can be rewired in time with the right helpful stuff. Like meditation and the like. Or do you think that it is permanent?
I have heard lots about cellular memory and also about creating new neuron pathways.
I guesss when it boils down to it the brain is an amazing organ and there is still so much left to learn. What I appreciate the most is that the medical field can now physically prove the damage and adnomalties in the brains of people with MI. Proving that the brain/mind is just like any other organ, it can be damaged. And for me proving that I am not just a 'pathetic looser' who just doesn't try hard enough to be 'normal'! That being said I also wish not to be brushed off as a hopeless case. Thus being ignored and not taken seriously or even trusted.
Anyway I am glad I can turn to this place. And thanks for your info Rick.☆

[kristin]

@Rick @kenny66 

To be honest I think that the the research tends to be somewhat black and white (or at least not optimistic) about the unhelpful changes made to the brain as a result of early childhood abuse. The multiplying effect on the damage for more than one type of abuse which you quoted Rick did not surprise me. I do however get quite frustrated with the "set in stone" tone of some of the research about damage to the more primitive parts of the brain.

It is not so long ago that the entire brain was thought to be unable to change after childhood (eg now a huge difference in how stroke patients are treated, much more rehab possible than previoulsy believed, but it's bloody hard work). The frontal lobes and the "more evolved" parts of the brain are far more flexible than previously thought. I suspect the truth is they don't actually know for sure whether the more primitive parts can also overcome damage in a similar way, albeit (my guess is) much more slowly with appropriate treatment.

They are just starting to suss out what more "appropriate" treatment for C-PTSD (also called DTD and DESNOS) in children might be, let alone adult survivors. Add to this the fact that we completely replace all the cells in our body in a 7 year cycle (hence why being cancer-free 7 years after treatment is considered cured, any cancer found after that is new). I think you may see why (combined with my own experience of changing entrenched things slowly) I believe...

hope endures.

Kindest regards, 

Kristin

[Rick]

@kristin  @peace @shanc 

Hi Kristin hi Peace Hi Shanc

I agree with you on the black and white nature of the findings. 

As an information source it is useful for us simply because it challenges the notion that we are weak, or not trying or are lazy in our thinking.

As we know in our hearts we are very strong, capable, courageous and we endure in the face of enormous difficulty.

We are also  incredibly adaptable. This is a character attribute but also it is a biological one.

Though neural elasticity is no longer there we've known for many years that the brain can develop new neural pathways to compensate for damaged ones. This was first adopted therapeutically for people suffering severe strokes. With the right individual techniques we know that people who have had a stroke can recover much of the function they had before the stroke.

Cognitive behaviour therapy, rapid eye movement desensitisation therapy and a few others have shown that mental health and stability can be improved by the right approach. 

I also believe that in the near future we will have more options for therapeutic intervention based on the current findings. This will be because scientists and therapists will actually understand what they are dealing with. It will take a little time for the current conclusions to be absorbed into teaching practice but I'm confident that well before the decade is over we'll be seeing more effective approaches to complex MI.

So for me personally my hope has increased knowing now what is happening in my brain. Knowing it's not simply a case of being a loser with a chip on my shoulder. 

I see my therapist this friday. I plan to discuss these findings with him, ( I'm sure he's already aware of them) and to discuss fresh treatment options. 

These facts and figures are not evidence that things are hopeless! In fact the potential impact of such findings could well change the way everybody views CMI. And I plan to advocate most intensely for such change. 

I am very sorry if I gave the impression that things were hopeless. I actually meant the very opposite. There are certainly enough people in the world to tell us the things we can't achieve and I would be ashamed if I was counted among them. 

For me with knowledge comes hope and 

Hope endures

Rick

[NikNik]

Hi all,

This is all very interesting!

Has anyone heard of/read 'The Brain That Changed Itself' by Normal Doidge? It doesn't specifically address trauma and MI, but it's a really interesting read. You can read the synopsis here

Nik

[kristin]

Hey @Rick 

I'm glad you see it as cause for hope too. I thought you probably did, but wasn't sure. Being the pig-headed stubborn bugger I am I don't like anyone (espec. drs!) telling me I'm not capable of change - just watch me! It might be incredibly difficult and painful, but I am sure it can be done. I really hope you are right that they start gettting better at finding and offering effective (and compassionate) treatments sooner tather than later. It is fascinating stuff, so it is good to be able to compare notes and share info.

Hey @NikNik I have heard of that book. Haven't read it though. Might have a look at the link. I am a fan of Danlel Golemans's Emotional Intelligence and Malcolm Gladwell's Blink which is about intuition. EQ (As opposed to IQ) is something I think many people with MI develop as a result of their condition, and in Blink the author talks about trauma suvivors having a very acute sense of intuition (sometimes it takes us a while to learn to listen to it because it gets socialised out of us).

Kindest regards, 

Kristin

[kristin]

Hi @peace 

These horrible things others say (or treat us like we are, eg sometimes health "professionals") actually say something about them, not us. It speaks volumes about their ignorance and lack of compassion or understanding. One does not have to be highly educated in aspects of trauma to be compassionate to people suffering from it, although it does help I think.

You are defiinitely not a "hopeless case", I don't believe this says anything about any person themself - what it says to me is that the right approach has not been found, and maybe the doctor needs to take some responisibility for that rather than blaming the patient.

I honestly believe that although those of us who suffered childhood traumas have a kind of brain damage as a result I honestly believe that it is not irredeemable. Scientific knowledge of brain elasticity keeps growing, and I know from my own experience it is possible to work on these things and see significant improvement. It is slow painful progress often, but it is by no means a life-sentence cast in stone.

Hope for an ongoing healing journey endures...

Kindest regards,

Kristin

[kristin]

Dear all,

I just found another article/personal journey on this topic here. Some of what he says reminded me a bit of your early journey @Rick .

Kindest regards,

Kristin

[kristin]

Hi @Rick , @kenny66 , @shanc , @peace , @Ellie , @SCORPION , @BatGuano 

I just found this amazing blog and had to share it. From a survivor's perspective addressed to those who would help. Wonderfully articulated, something I think any one of us could have written from our own experiences.

Kindest regards,

Kristin.

[Ellie]

You're right Kirstin. His article hits the nail right on the head. I really haven't found the perfect doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist yet. It's hit and miss, especially in the public system. If I wasn't stuck in the bush it might be alright as people suffering MI in capitol cities have a wider pool of professional people to work with, but I'm really starting to feel I'll never find that "right" person, the one who truly does understand!