How much do I share of my experiences with PTSD...I was initially wary of sharing with my husband -- even though he's had military/combat experience. Maybe I didn't want to trigger anything in him...but through this current downswing, I'm opening the whole book (so to speak) to him. He tends to get very quiet and he listens deeply (even as he's said that sometimes he wants to close himself off because it hurts his heart to hear some things); sometimes he weeps at what I tell him; always he attends and loves me.

I have a very few intimate friends with whom I share as well...and one relative who knows a fair bit.

I'm very discerning about who I choose to reveal this aspect of my life to. Of course, there are the necessary ones, like my doctor, and soon, an insurance adjuster (I am in the process of applying for a long-term medical leave from my work -- have been away from there since late January).