Intrusives dont let me in peace, I think it is the final step for healing

[[He...]]

Hi

 

I think I am not 95% healed because of intrusives. Physically I am almost healed.

 

Some times I can focus in the world, do my life and feel some inner peace for some hours and I feel me healed. however, after some time, intrusives such as

 

'Was the world like this before WD?'

'Are you OK now?'

'Are you understanding the world?'

'Is this being healed?'

'Do you exist?' (comes from the dr dp)

memories of these months

or check my body/brain

 

suddently appear and I am back to a bad state again. Neck pain, head pain, insomnia due neck pain and some anxiety assotiated with the intrusives. Then I dont sleep and some confusion appear. Then I can get back to the normal state again.

 

I know and I suppose it is normal.

 

Anyone in the same conditions?

 

How are you dealing with the intrusives? This is a mental hell.

 

Do you find assotiation between intrusives and neck/head pain?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest [ba...]]

The short answer is to stop having those intrusive thoughts.  They cause anxiety/fear/anger which tenses your body and causes your neck/head pain (back pain is also common).

 

How to stop those thoughts?  It's a slow process - like breaking any bad habit.  You begin by recognizing the undesirable behavior (thinking those thoughts) and deliberately replacing it with more desirable behavior (thinking positive, nurturing thoughts).  The 'good' thoughts you choose are up to you.  Maybe take in the beauty of the sunset or the stars in the sky.  Smelling fresh baked goods.  Maybe watching puppies frolic.  Or the hearing the wind rustling through leaves.  Be in awe.  No comparisons.  No questioning.  No figuring it out.  Tell that little voice in your head to shut up and enjoy the view.

 

It will feel forced and fake at first (like trying to eat with your opposite hand).  But it you keep it up, it will begin to feel more real.  In time, it will become the new reality and dilute out those negative thoughts.  You'll still have those negative thoughts, but now they'll occupy much less of your thought stream.

 

My therapist told me to shoot for a 1% improvement in the 'quality' of my thinking per week.  That probably sounds slow, but over the course of 6 months, it made a big difference.

[[me...]]

Hi healthfirst,

 

I had extreme health anxiety and frightening intrusive thoughts during my early withdrawal, and there was one thing that helped me more than anything else - relentless self distraction.  I used any distraction that would take my mind off my symptoms, and often it was very basic - an old movie on TV, an online game, arts, crafts, household chores, pets, an errand - and when that distraction stopped working, moved on to something else. Distracting myself was serious business, and it was my main job when I felt anxious and panicky. The effect was miraculous. Self distraction was the most valuable skill I developed during withdrawal, and I would have been in bad shape without it.  Soon, I even started looking forward to my favorite distractions.

 

Again, the key was redirecting my obsessiveness almost entirely to the task of self-distraction, at least for part of the day, and distracting with things I could get "lost" in, even if only for just a few minutes.

 

[[Co...]]

I'm struggling with this as well.  My worst symptom by far is anxiety/depression, and the combination with DP/DR and intrusive thoughts is pretty wicked.  I agree that distraction is the best solution - I'm very fortunate in that I've been able to continue working.  I do okay while at work, with the in-built distraction and structure, but suffer in the evenings and weekends.  For those of you who have recovered from this, is the nature of the intrusive thoughts a symptom in itself?  Can we expect some relief from this as we get better?  I'm having trouble remembering what I used to be like before benzos and SSRIs, but I'm pretty sure I didn't wander around wondering if I'm real or if there's a future.  I think this is DP...?  And will pass..?    I could use some reassurance about this. 

[[Tr...]]

I struggle with this extremely and dp and dr . I think these are my main symtoms now. Other symtoms have been mild . Intrusive thoughts are horrible ! I have been distracted myself and don't care attitude when intrusive come. These intrusive give me headaches , body pain making me tired , ...but in time I hope they go away !

 

Tracy

[[Ac...]]

I am very interested in how to replace these intrusive thoughts so I can sleep better at night.

I learned how to sleep again and had some success for about a month (I jumped in November and had a good window from mid-Jan-mid-Feb). My husband and I were watching a lot of 'Outlander' and I was able to focus on the beautiful Scottish landscape as I drifted off to sleep.

I learned to stop chasing sleep and to let my mind drift.

Now I am in full fledged panic mode again at night & not sleeping again. My mind seems to get stuck in paranoid thoughts and focusing on all the things I have lost. I guess I have to get back into the saddle again so to speak.

I am meeting a trauma therapist tomorrow (I had a horrible trauma which is why I went on benzos in the first place). I am hoping working with her will help. I feel like I have double trauma --the original trauma and then the hideous 16-month benzo taper if that makes sense.

 

The hyper vigilance at night really gets old. Any suggestions are welcome.

[[Co...]]

Hi A-H,

I hope you find answers to help you sleep.  Getting a therapist with experience in trauma is going to help you a lot.  My therapist uses somatic experiencing, and while progress is slow, I do believe that it's going to help.  I think this process can definitely cause complex PTSD, especially for those of us who are pre-disposed due to earlier, unresolved trauma.  How very terrible that to treat the initial trauma, so many of us were given a medication that would send us into the worst imaginable personal hell.  I really do believe there's hope for healing, and hope others who have gone through this will have good suggestions for your sleep. 

[[Ac...]]

Thank you so much, Cominghome. So glad you have a good therapist. Sounds like you have been through the wringer as well. The Veterans Administration does not recommend benzo or any psych drug for ptsd ....& yet here we are . It is so horribly unfair that vets and civilians are given this shit. I want my freedom so badly, as do we all. I also believe there is hope for healing. My longtime therapist has been a godsend but I think this new trauma  therapist can help me heal more deeply. The hyper vigilance gets old. I meet her tomorrow. I hope I have the bandwidth to speak in whole sentences. Wishing you healing and thanks again. Love your owl avatar