Showing posts with label flashbacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flashbacks. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

my story (and why people think i'm lying) TW sexual assault

     a year and a half ago, i was raped. it wasn't like you see on law and order, where a violent repeat offender, serial rapist, or child molester scooped me up in public, had his way, and went on with his day. for one thing, my rapist was a female. for another thing, it occurred in a baker act facility. for those of you who don't know what a baker act is, it's a law in florida where police and healthcare professionals have the authority to admit you to a psych hospital for observation for 72 hours, and even if you're an adult, you can't sign yourself out. anyway, back to the gritty truth. 
        (NEXT PART EXTREME TW, DESCRIPTION OF ASSAULT HIGHLIGHT TO READ)
     i was getting ready for bed, when they brought in another girl. i'll admit, i engaged her in conversation for a while, but then the conversation got awkward. she started saying things like "i want to fuck you" and "you have nice boobies" to the point where i got very uncomfortable. i told her to stop or i would go to sleep, as it was late and i had already taken my night meds. she kept right on talking that way, until i told her i would go to bed, yet again. then, as i got up to use the restroom, she followed me into the bathroom and tried to open the door. well, she actually did open the door. it was there that she made me take off my shirt as she licked and sucked my breasts. even during consensual sex i don't like my breasts touched. but some people do it without knowing, and it makes me anxious, you know? she kissed me and she tasted like corn bread and the death of an innocent girl and the rebirth of a monster. she told me i had a "fat pussy" which still bothers me to this day. i can still hear her voice telling me that, and i can still hear the little giggle afterward. 
     the next morning, we both had to switch rooms. we were still together, just in a different room. nobody found out until a few days after i got home and i typed up a letter to my girlfriend, telling her what had happened, and she sent me a letter back, supporting me and advising me to talk about it. my mom found out a few weeks later when i flew into one of my famous borderline rages and screamed at her that i was raped. she called a rape crisis hotline for me and let me talk to a counselor. 
     later that year, i started drinking. i didn't drink every day, but every once in a while to forget the sadness. the pain. the anger. the vengeance. it was like my whole chest was collapsing in on me and i couldn't breathe, i couldn't think about anything but what had happened, i couldn't sleep. i would stop fantasizing and daydreaming about fun things and i would fantasize about being whisked away on the TARDIS to far away times and places, confiding in the doctor that i was broken and allowing him to pick up the pieces, and sherlock deducing that i was mentally ill and a rape victim just by looking at me and john relating with me, or hunting with the winchesters and breaking down with them because they're just as broken as i am. i also had daydreams of revenge, where i would strangle her to death or stab her. 
     the summer before i turned 17, i was arrested for punching mom in the face and breaking her nose. (i know what you're thinking, who in their right mind would punch their mother in the face? well, my answer to that is nobody. i wasn't in my right mind)
     a counselor was asking me intake questions and asked me if i'd ever been raped. i told her yes. so they forced me to report it to the police and DCF (department of children and families) which was like being raped all over again. they made me talk about it, then had the goddamn motherfucking NERVE to tell me that "if i was lying i would be prosecuted with perjury, and that lying about being raped wouldn't get me out of jail. like i was stupid enough to think that if i told a lie i would get out of jail. it still bothers me that they accused me of lying. 
     when i went into a residential treatment program, i got a little peek at my paperwork. they had consulted the hospital it occurred at and it said that my "accusations of sexual abuse were found to be false". what a motherfucking slap in the face. i mean, everyone at residential was acting like they believed me, but how could i really be sure with that on my papers? it still hurts now, as i write this. it hurts less, day by day, minute by minute, second by second. the most triggering part of writing this blog article was writing about how the police thought i was lying. even describing the assault and how it unfolded wasn't as triggering as that. now i'm doing better, i've got two trauma workbooks from residential and i'm not drinking anymore, or using maladaptive daydreaming. it really does get better, if you move inch by inch and take it one minute at a time. 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

dbt coping (IMPROVE the moment oriented)

with this skill it's more mental than physical. you just have to experiment and find what works for you
meditate on one of these photos
light a candle and meditate on the flame

MEANING
find a reason to be happy
find a reason to live (could be a family member, pet, goal, etc.)

What do you think the meaning or purpose of suffering is?

Do you think there is a meaning?
How can you create a meaning?

PRAYER
pray to a higher power
serenity prayer

RELAXATION
meditate (there can never be too much meditation)
listen to relaxing music

ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME
(this doesn't mean focus only on the problem at hand, it means don't take on any added problems)
use mindfulness techniques

VACATION
take a mental break. this could also tie in with relaxation.
take a physical break. literally push away the stress. go somewhere fun, go to wal mart (that can be pretty frakking fun i tell you what)

ENCOURAGE
tell yourself any of the following
"i can do this"
"this is temporary"
"it's just a feeling, i'm stronger than it"
"i am strong"

dbt coping (distract oriented)


go for a walk
play a sport/bike ride/exercise

CONTRIBUTING

COMPARISONS
compare to a worse time you've survived
compare to others who are doing worse than you, consider how they're coping and try to cope the same way, if it's healthy
compare to a time when you weren't coping so well and think how much better off you are now
i don't exactly find this helpful, but that's why there are more letters in the acronym, in case one doesn't work

EMOTIONS
make sure you're creating an emotion opposite or different to the one you're feeling. if you're sad, you wouldn't read the fault in our stars, would you? (maybe you would, to have something different to be sad about, but all i'm saying is use common sense with this one)
read emotional books (make sure they're not triggering)
listen to comedy cds or watch stand up routines on youtube (some comedy routines may be triggering if foul language or sexual humor triggers you, please use discretion)
listen to religious music, if you're into that
listen to emotional music (again, some emotional music can be triggering)

PUSHING AWAY
Build an imaginary wall between yourself and the situation.  Imagine yourself pushing it away with all your strength.
Block the situation in your mind. Each time it comes up, tell it to go away, or put some other thoughts in its place, perhaps some more pleasant thoughts. Refuse to think about it. Try putting the pain on a shelf, or in a box, to contain it and get it out of the way. I use the technique of putting my distress in a locked box on a shelf in a closet. I can get it later, but right now I can let it go.

THOUGHTS
think about something funny, inspiring, or calming
count to fifty, then count backwards from fifty
do a puzzle
read
write poetry
watch movies (links above)

SENSATIONS
put a cool wet wash cloth on the back of your neck or on your forehead
hold ice in your hand
snap a rubber band
take a hot/cold shower
taste something with a very strong taste, such as strong tea or coffee

Anxiety Coping (self soothe oriented)

my number one tip for anxiety/panic attacks: when you panic, you breathe in but forget to breathe out. this is why you may sometimes hyperventilate. breathe in through your nose slowly, for four counts, hold for five counts, and breathe out through your mouth for six counts
****also, when i mention coffee in this post, it's always decaf. caffeine can increase anxiety and even cause anxiety attacks**** 
mild-moderate anxiety
(scroll down for severe anxiety or panic attack coping)
youtube playlist (my personal anxiety playlist)

TASTE COPING
try chewing strong tasting gum or drinking strongly flavored tea or drinking ice water or chewing/sucking on ice if you have an eating disorder such as bulimia or binge eating disorder
i have ednos (binge purge type), that's why there aren't many resources here.
all recipes (on allrecipes you can search by ingredient so you don't have to buy anything)
low carb recipes on pinterest (perfect for the diabetic hint hint me)
if you're a coffee drinker
if you're a tea drinker
treat yourself to a dessert
peppermint candies
orange juice/lemon juice (to kind of shock you out of anxious feelings)
mindful eating (can also be used with tea or coffee)
ice cream

SMELL COPING
candles
incense
lotion
body spray/perfume
scented tissues (the medicated kind w/ vicks vaporub infused in them)
dryer sheets
nice smelling lip balm (i like bonne belle's coffee flavored lip gloss or EOS)
make a cup of tea or coffee
bake cookies/cake/anything
clean with lemon scented cleaner
smell flowers
grow herbs to smell for this purpose
walk in nature
potpurri


VISION COPING
cat
calming images google search
if you're a coffee or tea drinker, either buy a nice pretty mug for your coffee or tea, or buy a plain white (or whatever color) and buy some sharpies and decorate your own!

make a book of positive affirmations, here are some ideas (my favorite is "this is temporary. it's just an emotion, and it can't hurt me")
something to read about dbt


TOUCH COPING
fidget with a toy
hug a stuffed animal/pet
cuddle up in a blanket
make something creative
take a cool/warm shower, whichever is preferred (i prefer cool showers when i'm anxious, they lower my body temp so i'm not so warm and i'm a comfortable temp)

PANIC ATTACK COPING
sometimes these skills don't work for full blown panic attacks (or what i call the "red zone"), so here is a list of things that might work
what i suggest doing with these links is studying them beforehand so you will remember them when you're in the moment.
overcoming panic attacks
more panic coping techniques
7 cups of tea post about self soothe
home remedies for panic attacks
generalized anxiety help
relaxation techniques
calmclinic.com

Friday, May 30, 2014

more about the flashbacks

they're not like, disturbing images of what happened, they're just snippets of things like a person's face, or a certain kind of shoe. but it scares the hell out of me because it happened and nobody could save me. nobody was able to stop the horror from happening. i was in the hospital in 2010 for self harm, and i was emotionally neglected (the staff would ignore me when i had panic attacks, and laugh at me all the time, especially when i asked for help) and physically abused (i was assaulted by a girl there and nobody did anything to stop it, they even blamed me) i keep remembering the staff's faces, or their names pop into my head, and my heart races and i go numb, both in body and mind. it feels like nothing is real and for a second i feel like "no, it can't have happened to me, maybe it happened to somebody else and i'm remembering their memories" and i usually self harm. i cut my wrist really bad last night, kinda out of control, even though it wasn't deep, i cut a lot. 

Grounding Techniques

well boys and girls, it's about time i've made another coping skills post. this time, it's for something i've been dealing w/ lately, dissociation and flashbacks. yay. some flashbacks are worse than others, but that doesn't mean your traumatic experience "doesn't count" or "isn't as bad" as somebody else's. that's another thing i've been dealing with. feelings of self-invalidation towards my past, telling myself it's not as important because others have been through worse. don't do that to yourself, believe me, it's more damaging than helpful. personally, i think anybody with any form of anxiety, trauma-related or not, could use this.

more information

coping

Thursday, May 29, 2014

flashbacks *TW Self Harm*

I had hella flashbacks last night and I cut my wrist because of them. The pain brought me back to the present. I'm completely crazy.