Many people with Lyme Disease or the loved ones of those dealing with Lyme have PTSD, Post-traumatic stress disorder. So what is PTSD--Post-traumatic stress disorder, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war, or natural disaster.
It makes sense, there is so much trauma around the disease that some people can't avoid it. Can you blame the loved ones? They deal with a lot, it's hard to watch. Some Lymies deal with being bed bound, seizures, passing out, bad allergy reactions, loosing the ability to walk, stop breathing, loosing the ability to drive, rage, fighting with friends and family members and not be able to control their rage, lash out physically and verbally, being in extreme pain, run away, suicide attempts, etc, etc, etc. The loved ones watching this feel helpless and don't know how to help. They can see how miserable it is for the lymie but they can't feel it for themselves and aren't sure how to help. It's traumatic for them to deal with and watch which can cause them to have PTSD.
How can someone with PTSD get help to deal with it all? Well there are many ways but one that may work is EMDR. What is EMDR--EMDR--Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing involves recalling a stressful past event and “reprogramming” the memory in the light of a positive, self-chosen belief, while using rapid eye movements to facilitate the process. Theories as to why EMDR works are still evolving, but many people have found EMDR to be extremely beneficial. EMDR incorporates elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy with bilateral eye movements or other forms of rhythmic, leftright stimulation. One of the key elements of EMDR is “dual stimulation.” During treatment, you are asked to think or talk about memories, triggers, and painful emotions while simultaneously focusing on your therapist’s moving finger or another form of bilateral stimuli.
I have a couple childhood trauma's that have caused PTSD my entire life. I am just now dealing with them and am using EMDR. I didn't realize how much they effected my life until adulthood. I was shocked at how well it's working for me and wanted to make a point to share information with people that might benefit from it. My childhood trauma has nothing to do with Lyme Disease but I do know many people that have PTSD from lyme disease and other chronic problems. Maybe EMDR might help you? In my sessions my therapist uses tapping on my knees, in the past I have also used the tapper machine but for me the tapping works better. I have worked through one trauma and feel so much better about it, it really is amazing how well it works! It helps to release it from your brain and body and you learn how to get past it so it doesn't control your life anymore. It's an amazing feeling to be free from it. I am currently working through the other trauma and getting much better with it. It is not easy work, you have to work hard to get through it but it is worth your freedom in the end. Some people need many sessions and some people only need a couple. It's different for everyone and different depending on how traumatic the event was. If you are suffering maybe you can give it a try or pass the information along to someone you know that may benefit from it!
