Reddit reviews The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery, and Growth
We found 6 Reddit comments about The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery, and Growth. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Be proactive in your therapy. There are lots of good books out there to help people with PTSD.
I know how you feel. That's how I felt when I decided to go to therapy and it changed my life and healed me of my constant panic attacks.
I strongly recommend seeing a therapist, and then adding on group therapy when you are ready as it does things even individual therapy cannot.
You can take control of your life back. Wishing you the absolute best.
Also, this book is amazing... BUY IT: http://www.amazon.com/The-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-Sourcebook/dp/007161494X
Maybe check out some of these books which could help her work through the process that is provided in therapy in a self-guided way. What I would recommend is that she set aside an hour or two a week to devote to this to keep herself consistent, but not overwhelmed by over-reading:
the sexual healing journey
overcome trauma and ptsd
the PTSD workbook
the PTSD sourcebook
Then these are not workbooks - but might help provide her insight and healing:
quest for respect
resurrection after rape
Your girl has trauma points on several levels that should be addressed. I'm going to hit you with a library of reference material. Self-help books are not a replacement for therapy! That said, knowledge is power, and these are excellent resources.
You need to be able to talk with her about this. Your relationship depends on it. In order for that to happen, she needs to feel safe talking to you about it. You should be able to express to her that you are upset by what happened to her, but no upset with her. You need to be very, very clear in your mind that that is true before you can be expected to convince her that that is true. Help her to understand that terrible things have happened to her - not just the rape, but all that shit going back to her abusive family of origin - that those things are not OK (that may sound ridiculously obvious, but someone that has grown up in that kind of toxic environment needs to hear that loud, clear and often), that they are not her fault, and that you love her and are prepared to support her when she needs you.
She needs to talk to a professional. Do you have access to a women's counseling center or women's shelter where you are? If you PM me your location, I will be more than happy to help you look for resources. Given what you've explained about her background, chances are very, very good she's suppressing post-trauma reactions. Children of abusive situations learn that it's futile - maybe even counter-productive - to express physical or emotional pain. She needs to get with someone who is trained to hear below the surface and help her.
Wow - I'm verbose.
tl/dr: Giant, waiving red flags all over her background. Get her to a trained rape counselor, educate yourself on the probable issues, be there for her.
Organized support groups are incredibly helpful.
This is excellent: http://www.amazon.com/The-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-Sourcebook/dp/007161494X
Therapy from someone with a doctorate in Psychology who specializes in PTSD is best.
Start on one or all three of these things immediately.
You're not alone. Others have the same problems. Others have recovered. You can recover. It won't feel like it sometimes, but you can. You just have to keep fighting for it. Find someone who's been through it whom you can talk to in person over a burger or a beer. /r/ptsd isn't going anywhere, either.
If you'd like to say what town you're in, you might find someone here who'd be willing to meet sometime. ;)
Choose your weapons:
>I often get sexually harassed, as most twenty-year-old girls do, and it kills me inside
Read everything in order by violent acres
Read what you can find by Thich Nhat Hahn
If you care to, read "The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook" by Glenn R. Schiraldi.
You can probably find it through your college library for free. . .
PAX
MCW