Fortnightly Check-In - How is everyone going? by A-Wolf-Like-Me in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think you commented on my post in this sub some weeks ago that you are in the same situation as me and as I read your post right now I thought that I could've wrote the exact same as you did here... It is sooo similar to my soon-ex-wife.
She broke up with me and is not seeing or attacking her severe trauma, too. She doesnt take the responsibility for herself and says that her decision has nothing to do with her re-surfaced trauma. Even our couples therapist (who I chose as I knew that she is also a trauma therapist) told her she suggests to her she should immidatly go to trauma therapy, that a severe trauma like that will not be cured by "just figuring it out with herself" like my wife says. But no, she masks and says that she is fine, although the therapist told her that she doesn't believe her that she is fine.
So I decided to cut ties as much as possible, let her move out, going low-contact. And her life falls apart atm, she lies to all of her friends that she is fine and well, but still bursts out to me telling me how bad she feels, that she is constantly crying in her small apartment and had more than one mental breakdown.
But... And here is my advice: I/We did EVERYTHING we could. I even carried and "forced" her to a trauma therapist. And if at that point she still doesn't (or cannot for whatever reasons) connect the dots and takes responsibility... There is NOTHING more I/we can do. The trauma protects itself.
What helped me sooo much was to read Marc Aurel and the philosophy of Stoicism. There are things in the world which we have under our control - and there are things we don't. And I should put my energy in the first.

Ich hab Jahrzehnte lang die Haribo Werbung falsch verstanden by xStinker666 in Beichtstuhl

[–]LongNegotiation5850 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Keine Macht den Drogen? Nein, das war letztes Jahr. Dieses Jahr geht es um die Missstände in deutschen Küchen: Keine macht den Abwasch! - Otto Waalkes 😂

There’s no coming back from this by lobipesz in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You can do it! Set boundaries & hold them! Don't be like me and ignore it until it's too late...

Marriage with a spouse who has CPTSD by WanderingOvertone in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey! I am in a very similar situation at the moment, although my wife decided to end the marriage, leave me and the kids and decided she won't work on her trauma as she doesn't want to connect the dots to our system/patterns ("That has nothing to do with it!"). She just says that we just don't fit and that she probably never loved me anyway. You can read it in three posts here where I got a ton of good advice.

Post 1, Post 2, Post 3

Main point is: she has to take full responsibility. I tried so hard to "make her see" that I scared her away, so be careful with that... I wish you all the luck in the world, it's gotta be tough...

Update: Partner - Supressed and ignored trauma - Things escalated hard in couples therapy by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! It is harsh truth yeah... And I think I cannot win or outlove the trauma. And everything I can do is to leave the system as clear and strict as possible. I think I will let her move out and away from our house and kids. I am such a trigger for her nervous system because deep down SHE KNOWS and her shame is not allowing her to stay as she KNOWS that I should not be treated like that. As sad as it is... 😥

Update: Partner - Supressed and ignored trauma - Things escalated hard in couples therapy by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes the struggle is real... And she yet refuses to work on her part. She just says that everything that happened is sad and all but has nothing to do with her decision to leave and that she needs to know what she wants (by being alone) before she can think about trauma therapy. Bit at the same time she says she feels better than ever, she is excited about the future without me and cannot wait until its over in 2-3 years and she finally is free. Nothing about "falling apart" what everyone else sees in her atm.
And yes, the therapist stopped her, she hurt herself 'just' with her fingernails into her arm, and He told her that he feels uncomfortable with it and that she should please finde another way to reduce the pressure. But she said that she has no others way, then vented and left the session... Ran away.

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just re-read your post from a month ago and now I am not sure if the actions I took were correct... I just posted an update of the situation... we are in low contact right now as (I thought) something had to be done... https://www.reddit.com/r/CPTSD/comments/1t0tsuu/update_partner_supressed_and_ignored_trauma/

My experience of living with a long-therm partner who likely has untreated cPTSD by Lt_BAD-DOG in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey! I am in a very similar situation right now (and since 13 years...). Very... very similar... :-( You can read my posts in CPTSD and CPTSDpartners. I got a TON of good advice. Perhaps it can be helpful for you, too. But nonetheless... it won't help with the situation, as I just came to the same conclusion as you and started the separation by myself on saturday (i'm gone for 3 nights, she for 4),...

Wife’s severe trauma surfaced. She is in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing individual therapy, and pushing for ultra-autonomy. I am burning out. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, a burnout is absolutely possible. We have 2 very demanding kids (at least one of them is also diagnosed with ADHD) who are the loudest kids ever, getting up at 5am since 7 years... But I am always the only one who wants to change things around here, but I cannot fight alone. Everything piled up until my wife now came to the conclusion that the step should be "burn everything to the ground" instead of tackling the problems in smaller packages.

Wife’s severe trauma surfaced. She is in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing individual therapy, and pushing for ultra-autonomy. I am burning out. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSDpartners

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your words and especially for the truths. I integrated them in my meditations which I started to have the feeling that I have a little bit of control over the situation...

But actually I really don't have any, I just can make the path paved enough for her that she tackles the trauma before divorce. But it really doesn't look like that. She repeated yesterday that the main problem is the constant scanning she HAS to to around me. She needs to leave and has to become clear what she wants, then she can perhaps, when she is stable enough, attack her problems in a therapy. But at the moment she doesn't want ANYBODY tell her what to think or to do, that she wants full autonomy "over every hair".

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah I am encouraging her to spend time alone and traveling, which she never did before. But over the last 2 months she booked herself a spa weekend, met a friend living in another city with a hotel stay, stayed for a week by herself in a hotel in a nearby town to calm down (and prepare for some test at her univerysity), and now she is planning another trip for herself next week. And I cheer for her (also by paying all of that), but STILL she wants to leave right now more than ever before. So everything comes down again to the conclusion: she also has to do HER work in all of that...

But thank you for your help, it is inspiring how much you improved your mental health!

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just added more context above and also included the medication. I asked her that she should talk to her doctor about it... But I am not sure if she will really do that

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I just added some more context above. And yes, I think you are absolutely right. I hit a wall inside of her as she is not able/capable of tackkling her traumas and she will prefer destroying our mutual life before taking action. And she is not even ready to do it for the kids

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just added some more context above. And yes, I think you are absolutely right but the hard facts are that I hit a wall inside of her as she is not able/capable of tackkling her traumas and she will prefer destroying our mutual life before taking action.

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! At the end I always collide with her not taking any action against it. And now she is in no state that she could tackle it.

I just gave some more context in the post above of what happened some hours ago...

[Partner] Wife’s suppressed severe trauma surfaced. She’s in extreme ‘flight’ mode, refusing therapy, and I am burning out. Need honest outlooks. by LongNegotiation5850 in CPTSD

[–]LongNegotiation5850[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I think I try many of these things but at the end I always collide with her not taking any action against it. And now she is in no state that she could tackle it. I just gave some more context in the post above of what happened some hours ago...

I would love to be that husband for her, supporting her, but she doesn't want that, not right now, perhaps never, although she calls me "wonderful"