I love the thought of hope, I hope someday to have a puppy, this is a real possiblility, I wish there was a cure for ptsd, but there is not, I will not hold all my eggs in one basket telling myself I will be cured, because all I would be doing is setting myself up for an extremely high ledged fall.
I don't mind falling, as long as its a dive in a pool, other then that, I'll keep my nose in books, and realize, as yet, there is no cure for ptsd.

In my opinion Spirit, this forum does offer a great deal of hope, to PTSD sufferers and their family members (of which I am one). Simply look at the PTSD Success Stories forum, there is much hope there. Members discover they are not alone, they share symptoms in common, they work on themselves (if they choose to) and improve their situations, and have the support of others here in the meantime. Stating that PTSD does not yet have a cure is not negative, it is realistic, as Awakening aptly put it.

Why are you so opposed to thinking that PTSD does not yet have a cure? No one here is saying that it won't have a cure in future; far from it. I believe what is being said though is to work with what you have now, in the present, today. Today there is no cure, however there is treatment, recovery and yes hope for those who are willing to do the work. A cure may come in future, but shouldn't we all be concerned with the here and now?

I personally work with what I have now. Would I like my daughter to be cured? Of course! However the fact is, she has been through all the treatments Waif has mentioned, CBT, exposure therapy, and so forth, and she is not cured. However, knowing there is no cure currently has not stopped her from having hope. In spite of having some brain injury and cancer, she has worked very dilligently upon herself for the last year and a half. She is doing incredibly well and is now at a management stage of her illness. She has a job and has even begun dating. However, if she is exposed to a stressor, such as attendance at a military ceremony, she would backslide badly. That is hardly cured - however - in spite of not having a cure, she is now having a very good life, much better than we ever expected for her. That is hopeful, and realistic at the same time.

Maybe you could say that not seeing PTSD as incurable is part of my denial?! All I know is that when facts are being tossed around it should be done so with the knowledge that others like myslef who have just had the kick in the gut that they are suffering from PTSD maybe frightened to see that it is not curable reported as a fact! Perhaps that is something people should be eased into being revealed!

On my course I have been taught to think with a critical mind (not in a negative sense, people see the word critical and see it as a threat) and not make the mistakes that we do when accepting things - I guess you could be given both sides of the story then left to make your own mind up - otherwise it seems like there is an agenda behind supporting a theory and projecting that on to others - that of course is my insight/perception.

In no way do I believe that this forum is not helpful or theraputic - I guess I am just trying to approach this disorder with a balanced mind - but then PTSD does not even facilitate that process so whether something is balanced or not is based on percpetion and what people choose to believe.

I do realsie that right now i am considered an outsider to those who have belonged here for some time, it's the in-group, out-group dynamic - I am seen as the out-group and could pose a threat to your society on here. I am not a threat just passionate about being fair and presenting facts as and when they do become that!

For me believing that is not curable is not comprehendable right now! maybe it is more realistic that the symptoms become more managable? I moved/ran away to Canada the first time PTSD was put forward - so that is an insight into my struggle with acceptance!

What is curable? - to one person it maybe that the symptoms of it are managable? To another it may mean that you will never experience the symptoms of PTSD again?!

Life is about balance - that is all I am offering/suggesting/looking for.

I wish you and your family all the best and much much hope!

I could not of said it better! Thank you Bradinn, thank you!
As Mark twain once said ' its not the size of the dog in the fight its tihe size of the fight in the dog' this applies to people and PTSD or 'Get your facts first then you can distort them as you please'......
Spiritofnow

I believe you may have answered your own question here. Perhaps you are having difficulty accepting your diagnosis? That is completely understandable, especially given you have just been diagnosed! To use my daughter again as an example, she was diagnosed in 2002 however did not begin working upon herself until 2006. Many do not accept the diagnosis immediately or do anything about it immediately either. You should give yourself credit for being here so soon.

To be frank, I do not see the in-group, out-group dynamic happening here at all. There are many new members at present and all are welcomed warmly. I do not consider you an outsider. Perhaps it is more you personally feel like an outsider because you question some of the views being discussed here.

Personally I believe it is best to know completely what you are dealing with, and the sooner the better. That may be painful to some, however it is important to have as much information as possible if you truly wish to heal.

Management is not a cure. As I mentioned previously, if my daughter exposed herself to certain situations, she would backslide. In fact, her former psychiatrist, a PTSD specialist, told her she would have to avoid certain situations (in her case involving weapons) for the rest of her life. So, she needs to avoid military ceremonies, rifles and so on. She will not be going hunting with my husband, for example. However that does not mean she cannot have a good life. A parallel is diabetes. Diabetes can be managed with diet and insulin, and the diabetic can have a very good life. However, the moment they stop their diet and medication regimen, they become ill, as diabetes is not yet curable.

I also strive for balance. That is why I have hope for a cure, however I do so realistically, as I can only live for today and not 5 years nor 20 years in the future! For who knows when we will have a cure. It could be tomorrow, but it mightn't be for several years either.

Thank you for your wishes for my family.

Although I have had an offical diagnoses yesterday I did as I may have mentoined have the diagnoses of PTSD from another doctor in another part of the U.K about 4years ago. As I never attended therapy etc etc I did not all together belive that PTSD was the case. However, over the last 2years I have made BIG changes to my life personally and one of those was the realisation that I did have to heal! I began CBT in August 2007!

I guess this debate could go around and around - and ultimately I will choose what I believe or what I am drawn too depending on how that fits in with my expectations, reality, mindset.

I do believe that I can undo whatever irrational fears etc that I have with the right therapy and hard, hard work - that is my choice and if that is considered denial than for this time only I am happy to live there

Thank you for your honesty and openness I really do appreciate it and receive it graciously.

Thank you

Spiritofnow

If you read some of the more advanced books mentioned in the recommended books thread, those contain many scientific studies outlining PTSD is currently incurable. If you subscribe to mental health journals, through someone like the National Institute of Mental Health and there are so many others. I have subscriptions to two different one's myself. These are what provide scientific fact, evidence as it currently stands. Yes, studies do show a certain amount of bias to what they aim to find, however; none have yet found a "cure" for PTSD.

The only people who really throw the term "cure" around are typically those within the therapy industry who want people to look at them, they want recognition for something, they want attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Again, facts are that PTSD is currently an incurable mental illness. Until the science of the brain damage changes, it will remain incurable.

Other forums realm in bullshit, not this one. If you want to sit in denial, you don't want to do it here, plain and simple. I do not want people here who aren't ready to help themselves, as it merely only distracts other members who are here wanting to really help themselves. Remember, you joined the forum, the forum didn't join you. This applies to every single member here, and no member will change that fact. You joined under what this forum stands for, not what you want it to stand for.

There is no argument in this aspect of the forum.

Here is another example of where things are going, but not yet achieved with PTSD, though this is only medication. Take note though about how exercise is more beneficial than most medications:

Ronald Duman, Ph.D., is Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathogenesis and Treatment Mechanisms within the Clinical Neurosciences Division of the National Center for PTSD

There is a great deal of interest in BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) as a target in a variety of neurological disorders, like multiple sclerosis, and many more studies like ours are now taking place.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much success yet in making drugs that act like BDNF in the brain. Typically, a drug is developed by identifying a substance in the body that has a particular effect, and then making a drug that acts like that substance. But we haven't figured out a way to do that yet with BDNF, mainly because the molecule is very large and therefore very difficult to reproduce, though a lot of people have been trying for a long time.

There's also a lot of interest from pharmaceutical companies in Cyclic AMP and various enzymes that could regulate the body's own production of BDNF, and in the results of our genetic studies.

We've also had some interesting evidence that drugs aren't necessarily the only answer. It's been demonstrated that exercise has a very positive effect on neurotrophic factors-actually more significant effects than drugs in many cases. We've found that if we give a mouse a running wheel, he'll get on it and run for miles and within a few weeks we see a dramatic upturn in the production of neurotrophic factors!

The more we understand normal brain chemistry, as well as the imbalances that occur, the more we can work toward designing and developing new medications and other effective treatments for PTSD.

There are studies, studies and studies.... fact everywhere, nothing hidden, but still no cure documented. Even Dr. Shapiro has never claimed EMDR cures PTSD, because she knows it doesn't. EMDR helps a person process their trauma, which as a result reduces symptoms, which combined with exposure therapy can get a person back into a fairly normal life.... maybe slightly medicated, maybe not, though able to work for some, not for others. Why? Because it doesn't cure the chemical imbalance that has taken effect within the brain. They are trying to fix this with medications, being they find the missing chemicals or the chemicals that are too high, and replace them or attempt to reduce them.... still though, no cure yet.

At the end of the day YES I did join the forum but not to be told that unless I believe that PTSD is not curable that I am in denial and not helping myself or others - what about democracy? Being told to think something or you won't be accepted is rather like a dictatorship. You say you don't realm in bullshit but that bullshit is subjective and people have the right to challenge and find a balanced view.
I don't need the forum as it is a resource that I can replace - I came here to speak freely and from the heart with No agenda! I don't