Hi Leslie, welcome.

I have been diagnosed with PTSD for 15 years. I believe it will be a life long struggle. At this point I think it is finding a balance in life through management of the symptoms. Being able to figure out what you need at the time and getting it for yourself or asking someone to help you get what you need.

As symptoms overtake us I think we need to acknowledge that and address it either through research, as you are doing, or therapy. There are many alternatives to utilize to help manage the symptoms as you can find in the information section on this forum.

I agree with Roo, some triggers will just always be and if we can't short circuit our response to them then we need to accept it as part of us and manage from there. PTSD can be very disruptive to our lives but with careful planning and sensitivity to ourselves we can reduce the frequency and level of the disruptions. That is what I believe.

This forum is a great source of support and information. People are willing to share their strategies and relate with the feelings we have. Stick with it.

Cindy