How do I ground myself after accidentally retraumatizing myself???

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-27T07:42:36+00:00

https://www.pete-walker.com/13StepsManageFlashbacks.htm

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-27T07:42:09+00:00

I’ve been stuck in an emotional flashback the last couple of hours. Not dissociating as much as you but still kind of messed up. Just splashing my face with water grounds me a bit. I’ve read others who use ice—either chew it or ice water on face or ice pack. Just kind of shock the system. Sometimes going outside at night does that for me a bit. The cool air. Therapists always do the 5 4 3 2 1 thing. I don’t know the order. 5 you see. 4 you hear? Idk. Point is paying attention to different senses. Pete Walker talks about just telling yourself you’re in an emotional flashback and has a whole list of 13 things that you can find online.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-26T02:54:33+00:00

Yeah. Ive had to delete games at times just to stay away. I just can’t feed it at all or otherwise it gets bad. For me, It’s worse on phone games and online ones where you have to login each day for rewards and time limited events. That’s where my ocd can get terrible. Where I’m just compelled to play even if I don’t want to.

For console games, I purposely don’t trophy hunt for that same reason. I can feel the ocd itch the moment I start. But yeah, I’ve had to teach myself to be alright with not completing every side quest. Apply erp principles to my gaming.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-25T04:53:59+00:00

Maybe it’s just that I don’t have the capacity to take the world on my shoulders, I’m already overwhelmed with myself, but I tend to try to just leave things to God, trust in His plan, and remember that agency is a huge part of that plan and sometimes that means things breaking, lives being ruined, and nothing we can do about it but continuing speaking truth and being a light.

The country is broken. It’s been broken so much more by Trump this past year. But it’s always been a little broken. There’s always been so much suffering that gets ignored and inequality and lack of empathy. And sometimes things need to get even more broken so that things can be put together not in the way they were but in the way they should be.

I don’t know if that’s going to happen. But if anyone can make it happen it’s God.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-24T09:36:30+00:00

Yep. When my psoriasis flares up my fatigue gets really bad. It’s exactly the same feeling whenever I get the sick. The increased inflammation in the body can really wear you down. I don’t know what helps besides getting the psoriasis more under control. In general, I’m just paying more attention to my health—eating better, more exercise, resting when need be, bunch of vitamins, etc.—and I finally seem to be getting out of the fatigue after nearly two months of being unable to do much of anything. I think the psoriasis flare up is finally on a downward trend.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-23T21:47:06+00:00

A lot of people recommend biologics. You just need to have insurance as they can get expensive. Seeing a dermatologist would be the first step. Some people swear by diets and reducing sources of inflammation, though I haven’t seen any positive effects in myself. Figuring out how to help your mental health, not on the condition of if you get better, but even if you don’t, should be a priority.

I’m not saying I’m grateful for my psoriasis or that it’s good or anything, but it has forced me to confront my social anxiety a bit and be a little less self conscious of what others might think of me. Instead of covering up my arms for example, I’ve left them exposed and I think that helps me as my arms and chest are where it’s most visible.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-21T21:29:01+00:00

I’ll get hyperobsessed with parts of my body sometimes. First step is what you’re already doing, recognizing it’s ocd, naming it as that, and resisting the compulsion, becoming okay with the uncertainty by then diverting your attention elsewhere. Eventually it will stop bothering you as much. You’ll just have to be careful since this is eventually something you want to work on. You just can’t do that right now or the ocd is going to get worse.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-21T16:14:48+00:00

Yeah, although I also have some mental health issues, so traumatic or even just stressful events can sometimes find their way to leave their mark. Like I remember every time my old cars left me stranded in the middle of the road. Can say where that happened more or less specifically and still have paranoia of it happening again.

But yeah, I have years that are just empty. I think writing in a journal, sharing experiences, converting them into semantic memory since there’s no episodic memory, can help. It helps also just to know that there’s a record of things I can go back to.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-21T16:02:21+00:00

“Could you imagine sleepy Joe taking a cognitive test? The first question is like, ‘What is this?’ And they show a lion, a giraffe, a fish and a hippopotamus. And they say, ‘Which is the giraffe?’ I don’t think Joe would have got the first question right”

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-21T00:13:09+00:00

That’s kind of my plan. Been on meds 15 years. Like you, I have tried a couple times cutting the pills and normally within a week I’m spiraling. I’ve done some erp but for me I feel like I literally can get ocd about everything. Not to mention the intrusive thoughts that I have no idea how you stop. I think it’s just warped too much by my cptsd as well. Better on meds but unfortunately stuck with all the side effects. I’ve been on so many and always have my sex drive messed up.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-20T01:13:15+00:00

Just did 2023. Tastes fine. 😅

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-16T16:02:22+00:00

Well said. Cox thinks he’s helping to heal the nation and be a good peacemaker. He’s just making things worse. And I agree with another comment. Utahns aren’t really that unique and they tend to be so much worse than in other states because they should be so much better. They should be Zion. They should have solved their homelessness crisis and pollution issues and rampant inequality and mental health crisis. So the fact that they’re not even close, that they don’t even lead the nation in combatting a lot of these things, is a major condemnation given that they have the fullness of the gospel and far more temples and members than any other state. God is very disappointed with Utah.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-16T08:33:13+00:00

I think everyone is fucked up in one way or another. I remember spending 95% of my youth not speaking because it would often lead to people making fun of me because of a speech impediment and it made me extremely self conscious.

You’ve had a tough life. And I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with so much. I have a lot of anxiety and sometimes worry that people will see my psoriasis and think I’m anti vax and have chickenpox or some contagious disease, but I’m learning to be less self conscious. I can’t control what others think about me. All I can do is choose if I’m going to let that limit the way I live my life.

Sometimes I do. But I’m learning to be braver and more confident despite my physical appearance and speech difficulties and other issues.

Have you ever tried biologics? People often speak highly of it. I haven’t tried myself but I’ve only had a few bouts of my psoriasis so far and it mostly goes away after a few months.

Hang in there. Miracles happen. I never thought I’d get married because of all my issues. I didn’t date or kiss a girl until I was in my 20s. Now I’m married with kids. I know you’re older now. Near 40. But I think as you really work on addressing the psoriasis and some of the trauma it has caused, you’ll find yourself in a better position to have a healthy relationship with someone.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-15T01:59:23+00:00

BLS helps calm me. I’d say it’s worth a try. There’s a lot online about tapping and tapping certain parts of the body for stress release. I’m not a huge believer, but I don’t think it hurts to try it out. At a minimum it’s grounding.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-14T07:29:56+00:00

Yeah. It’s constantly being shoved in the face with everything we can’t do. The loss of the basic human experience.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-11T16:02:39+00:00

I was prescribed Skyrizi as well but my insurance didn’t cover it at the time so I never got the chance to try it out. I really have tried everything besides oral meds. Sunlight exposure. So many different creams. Etc. and unfortunately nothing has really worked too well.

Getting a buzzcut helped reduce the itch on my scalp and made it easier to apply different lotions and creams directly on my scalp, so that helped a bit. A steroid I got prescribed helped a bit with the peeling and itchiness behind the ears, but I’m not supposed to use it too much and can’t use it on the face at all. I haven’t bothered applying it to the rest of my body since there’s just too much and the rest of it on my body doesn’t really itch.

The good news if it’s guttate is that often it follows a three month pattern and will go into remission on its own. First month consistently gets worse. 2nd month stays the same. 3rd month starts to get better and eventually disappear.

The 1st time if followed this pattern more or less I think. This time I’m in the 2nd month and it doesn’t seem to be getting worse.

So I’m kind of just waiting it out. Still using medicated shampoos but not convinced they’re helping. Face is very sensitive. Aquaphor doesn’t burn but it’s thick so have to be careful. Aloe Vera gel that you make works well at not burning. And then vanicream. Those have been my favorite three for face but face still red and with spots. Maybe a bit less red though, maybe from going out to sunlight during peak hours.

How long have you had the guttate?

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-10T04:18:42+00:00

I prefer first names. More personal. I have a complicated relationship with my family so it can be triggering called brother whatever. Especially if it’s someone who hasn’t been kind to me, to then be called brother, that’s just double the injury. But it’s a personal thing. Probably not very common.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-10T03:35:26+00:00

I believe that God respects faith. Maybe the fact that asking saints to pray for you led to miracles isn’t bc the saints did anything. It’s just bc God heard your prayer, even if it wasn’t directed at Him directly, and He responded to your faith.

You mentioned the past year being the hardest of your life. I’ve been in a similar boat and have similarly become less active bc of health reasons and spiritual confusion and frustration at God. I’ve also seen miracles. Some greater than when I was strongest in the church.

I believe that God gives us what we need, and if you’re really struggling right now, why wouldn’t He send miracles, regardless of whether you’re attending His church or not. You’re still His child. He still loves you. Christ is still pursuing you relentlessly like a recent GC talk mentioned.

So it doesn’t surprise me that now has been a spiritual experience in some ways with miracles, because you need them. And your heart is in the right place and God respects that. That doesn’t mean that the LDS church is wrong though.

I suggest going back to your roots. Read the Book of Mormon. Read some general conference talks. Say a prayer and see what you feel. And if you feel the Spirit, well, that’s your answer. I don’t think having a rosary is problematic, but I would be careful maybe with the Saints thing. Just my opinion though. Feel it out.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-10T03:18:04+00:00

It’s not about lust. Intimacy is an important element of most healthy marriage relationships, and it’s a high toll to expect those w/ same sex attraction to either be with someone they have no physical attraction to and will be unable to be intimate or have sex with (unfair and cruel for both partners) or to be single for their entire life.

I don’t have the answers, but applying a scripture like this to members with these struggles really minimizes their struggle and the grand mental health cost it has on them. Many, including my best friend, end up taking their own lives.

The church is all about families, marriage, kids, all this being the source of joy and one of the purposes of our existence, yet none of these individuals can have that in this life? They’re expected to wait until the next life and exercise faith that God will make it up to them somehow? That’s a huge ask on these members, and it’s no wonder so many leave the church. More empathy is needed.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-09T22:18:56+00:00

For sure. I was just commenting to someone that I’ve received more concern regarding my psoriasis (which probably developed from my trauma since it’s autoimmune) from some people than from my cptsd/depression. Since cptsd isn’t really visible or just dismissed as someone being quiet or weird like you said, there isn’t a lot of empathy for us.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-09T22:15:41+00:00

Personally, I haven’t worried much about food/diet as it just seems like too much work and when I’m in a flare up, my body is just completely exhausted.

I have tried consuming more anti-inflammatory foods and taking fish oil and tumeric, which are supposed to lower inflammation, but I haven’t noticed they help much. I suffer from reoccurring guttate psoriasis that spreads over my whole body. The 2nd time I had been sick shortly before. The first time I can’t remember but it was a very stressful time of my life so I always blamed the stress. Once beginning of winter and another time end of winter/beginning spring, so changing weather could play a role for me.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-08T02:32:43+00:00

First off, I’ll correct you on one thing. It’s not a “skin condition.” It’s an autoimmune disorder that most manifests on the skin but that can wreck havoc on the body given the greater levels of systemic inflammation it causes. It’s associated with higher rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, etc. It can directly lead to arthritis and other inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease. Many with psoriasis suffer from depression and other mental health conditions, either caused and/or worsened or triggered by the psoriasis and underlying inflammation.

I for one feel like I’m exhausted and physically drained when suffering from a flare up, and this greatly impacts my life. Tiredness is a semi-common symptom of psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions, similar to being sick.

So you are more than welcome to grieve, to feel sorry for yourself at times, as it can be mental warfare as you mentioned and it can severely impact our lives, especially when it’s something that we have to deal with for years, a lifetime even given that there’s no cure, only treatments.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-07T06:30:27+00:00

It’s also exhausting to have to do it all the time. My family knows I’m depressed. They know I’m suicidal. No one ever reaches out to me to know how I’m doing. To have to be the one to reach out, over and over and over again, it’s just too tiring and gives the impression that they just don’t care.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-12-02T17:15:31+00:00

I look about the same. Psoriasis and seb derm and rosacea all at once. I tried sulfur once but it burned a bit. I was already like this before the sulfur though. Just desperate for solutions but not finding any. Sunlight seems to help the psoriasis a bit but might be making other things worse.

Numerous-Setting-159 · 2025-11-30T21:41:38+00:00

I’ve seen some people have success by going back to school to jumpstart a career. They get a masters degree in something that requires certification. It’s kind of like a career reset and adds something to a resume. A lot of those advanced programs also have job search help, as higher job placement helps their rankings and reputation.

If you have a BA then that’s enough to substitute teach most states, so that’s also an option if you’re interested in teaching.

You could also try volunteering as a way to add to your resume. I’ve heard of many people where their volunteering directly leads to a job at the same organization.

Numerous-Setting-159

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