Karen LaRue
Bio
I am Karen LaRue (She/Her) a North Carolina writer of poetry and witchy things of most sorts. I belive life is full of wonder and we don't always stop to see it. Taking the time to look and listen makes life worth living!
Stories (93)
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Panic Attack Aftercare
Let’s talk about trauma aftercare. I have CPTSD. Today I woke up from a bad nightmare in an active panic attack. Nightmares are traumatic. They feel just like the real trauma that happened. This means that after I come out of the panic attack (treated with medication, self-talk, affirmations, grounding techniques, and active comfort), I need to take care of myself in ways I wouldn’t otherwise. I will need to actively reassure myself that I no longer have that trauma in my life. I will need extra reassurance from partners, and I might have to cancel activities to rest. I had to learn how to do these things. Our society teaches us that we should “suck it up” and move on, but that’s not actually how brains work. We have to reteach our brains that we are no longer in physical, emotional, sexual, mental, or psychological danger. That’s hard. That’s complicated. That’s not being a good capitalist. So we stockpile trauma, which isn’t good for anyone. So today I heal, at least the trauma from my nightmare. It’s probably going to involve a whopper (with cheese, no pickles, onion or ketchup), and a lot of reassuring myself that I have every right to nurture myself through food. It will require rest, and puppy snuggles, but in the end I will be more whole, I won’t have that trauma to pass on to others, and healing myself also heals the collective. Healing myself helps heal you, and vice versa. So we will heal together, we will commune together, and we will find joy together. Together we are stronger than trauma. Together, nothing can stop us.
By Karen LaRue3 years ago in Psyche
