This poll was originally from Pita's questions in regard to her research. Please take the time to answer this as correctly as possible for PTSD research.

Please respond to the how by typing your response.

PTSD definately affects me both ways. I do get physically sick, tired and worn out from mental exhaustion, and at times symptoms will actually shut me down physically, in that I can barely function to even shower in a day, or achieve basic tasks as feeding myself, from the sheer effort some symptoms play a role upon me.

Pretty much the same thing as Anthony. I manage to keep on going to a point until my body just can't take it any more. I then get physically sick and can hardly do a thing -"crash & burn" is the phrase that springs to mind.

My symptoms usually start as the physical and then I realize that I am suffering mentally also. I believe that it is a combination of both in order to suffer from PTSD. I was surprised to find out that it is a mental disorder when most of my symptoms are physical. For example, the heart pounding, asthma attack feeling during panic attacks, the anemic-like fatigue, and the flu like symptoms like nausea, vomiting, irritable bowel, and headaches. I believe there are studies now being done about nervous system pathways. When a person goes through traumatic events, certain pathways are opened for survival. Unfortunetly, among us, those pathways do not close after the traumatic event passes and our nervous system travels those pathways during normal stress, hence our reaction to normal stress is the same as the reaction to the trauma itself. It really sucks, and it feels like you are not in control of your body or your mind.

Well said Nam. What you can do though to actually reduce, or close off those nervous system events, is through relaxation techniques. The spine is the root of all nervous system entities basically, and relaxation can very much control pain sent through the nervous system recepticles, and how the brain responds to those senses. I have some very detailed information here from a leading pain specialist in the field of PTSD, which I will get online here when time permits me among everything else that goes on in my life...

In the year before I finally crashed and burned, I got pneumonia. I believe if you are mentally worn out it affects the body, both are intertwined.

It is also harder to look after the body and its needs if you are not fully mentally fit. Diet, exercise, self-care fall gradually by the wayside.

To treat the body and the mind as two entirely exclusive entities would be a nonsense.

Getting a terminal illness often affects the mindset of the patient, getting a bad bout of influenza can cause delirium- the reverse applies in my point of view.

Mental and physical health cannot be separated. That's my two bit opinion anyway.

Even though I have basically come to terms with my PTSD, I still suffer the symptoms of it both physically and mentally. Physically, it is easier to look at the situation and know that it is a physical symptom that I am experiencing, i.e. I hear a loud noise and my startle reflex is exaggerated, my heart immediately races, I start instinctively looking for an escape route. Mentally is more difficult to pin for me...i.e. the depression I feel after I realize no one is shooting at me and it's just me over-reacting again - is that PTSD or is it simply depression? The extreme anxiety I will continue to carry with me as a result of being scared like that, I am pretty sure is the PTSD. All I know is that even though I consider myself functioning, I still suffer both mentally and physically and probably will the rest of my life :frown:

Funny, I have been discovering that my chronic knee pain is related to my traumas.
Every morning this last week I have woken up in pain. A couple of those days, I spoke about my "issues" with a close friend, and each time shortly after our discussion, I noticed the pain was gone.
Coincidence, I think not!

There is no doubt in my mind that the mind/body is greatly connected!...Many years ago I took an Anatomy and Physiology course [two quarters--I and II] on my way to attempting to earn a degree in Rad.Tech. ....I have built upon that Basic knowledge in the past year and have learned even more to the connection...I also am learning through my present suffering...I do pick the mind of my psychodoc about the workings of the nervous system...I do know that once a person has been traumatized [in any way-from any experience] the memory of it is engraved [imprinted and etched in] in a separate area of the brain than other memories are stored...when there is a trigger from another trauma-like experience the nervous system response is initiatiated very much more from this area than the regular storage area of memories...the response feeds off of how the body responded in protecting itself from the previous trauma/traumas...those responses are repeated often in great intensity...body shaking...tremors...stay/flight feelings...These often lead to bodily fatigue...physical illnesses...unreal sensing of real pain in different areas of the body...No YOU ARE NOT GOING CRAZY!!! The body is programmed by nature to protect its existance...BALANCE is absolutely necessary for its survival....so physical and nervous system responses are in accord to "balance of the entire SYSTEM"...I would recommend that you beforehand write largely on whatever paper product you have these 2 statements:

1. I AM NOT GOING CRAZY!!!!
2. MY BODY IS WORKING ON PROTECTING ME!!!

Keep this very close to the area that you most often experience your PTSD-related symptoms...If you find that you have more areas than one major area....work on putting this "sign" near those areas also...I have found that as soon as I can be aware of my symptoms I can rapidly grab this sign and shove it before my eyes and thus this INFO is dramatically sent through the nervous system to my SURVIVAL CENTER....then the nervous system can transport responses more calming than alarming to the various body systems...I try then just to focus on my breathing...one cycle of inhale/exhale/////then another cycle of inhale/exhale...I continue this as long as I feel I need to to get back to a calmer state of reality...THIS A TOOL...I have found that I need many TOOLS...This can be one for you...

Well said wildfire, well said. That is some very good solid information for us too all learn. Thanks.