I think you are correct that it can be easy for those with PTSS to feel so "triggered" by confrontation with clear evidence of injustice (both personal & on the larger social & economic scales) that they begin to instinctively retreat from the world & therefore from action. The thing that I've found tho, is about managing my environment so that I am aware but not overwhelemed, as well as all the things I do to positively deal with the psychological & biochemical aspects of PTSS (I work out & take a cortisol blocker to deal with the cortisol effect. I make sure I eat & sleep well. I create safe & meditative space for myself. I confront the past as I can, but always remind myself that it is the *past* & that I am in control of my life now.) Encouraging people to create lifestyles for themselves that encourage health & fulfillment is necessary if we are to solve global issues. I know that may sound trite & selfish, but by not doing so we are becoming prozac nation. Not that it's easy. When other children feared the dark because they did not know what was in it, I feared the dark because I knew exactly what was there. I knew that what was in the dark would come to get me & torment me. I knew that the adults around me , on some level, knew too and that asking them for help would not save me, as they chose not to confront the monster. And so the task now is to use that sensitivity to injustice I developed to inspire me to action, but to not let it drive me into knee jerk reaction or into passivity & depression. It's difficult to avoid conflating my own unresolved sense of having been abused with my empathy for others in the world who are suffering because of systems that support greed and violence. but again, knowing what I need to do for myself to heal & making that a priority comes first. It has to or I'll have no energy & insight for anything else. & when I am doing well at doing that, I tend to realize a bit more that A) it's up to all of us, not just me & not just a few, but all of us to make things better around here B) the small things I do to effect change can count very much & C)we are doing pretty well in many regards for civilizations that are just now moving into analyzing ideas of what best serves all rather than the draconian tenants of obey the powers that be or be beaten down.
4 million years from monkey to man ain't half bad.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-06-21 05:14 pm (UTC)The thing that I've found tho, is about managing my environment so that I am aware but not overwhelemed, as well as all the things I do to positively deal with the psychological & biochemical aspects of PTSS (I work out & take a cortisol blocker to deal with the cortisol effect. I make sure I eat & sleep well. I create safe & meditative space for myself. I confront the past as I can, but always remind myself that it is the *past* & that I am in control of my life now.)
Encouraging people to create lifestyles for themselves that encourage health & fulfillment is necessary if we are to solve global issues.
I know that may sound trite & selfish, but by not doing so we are becoming prozac nation.
Not that it's easy.
When other children feared the dark because they did not know what was in it, I feared the dark because I knew exactly what was there.
I knew that what was in the dark would come to get me & torment me.
I knew that the adults around me , on some level, knew too and that asking them for help would not save me, as they chose not to confront the monster.
And so the task now is to use that sensitivity to injustice I developed to inspire me to action, but to not let it drive me into knee jerk reaction or into passivity & depression.
It's difficult to avoid conflating my own unresolved sense of having been abused with my empathy for others in the world who are suffering because of systems that support greed and violence.
but again, knowing what I need to do for myself to heal & making that a priority comes first. It has to or I'll have no energy & insight for anything else.
& when I am doing well at doing that, I tend to realize a bit more that A) it's up to all of us, not just me & not just a few, but all of us to make things better around here B) the small things I do to effect change can count very much & C)we are doing pretty well in many regards for civilizations that are just now moving into analyzing ideas of what best serves all rather than the draconian tenants of obey the powers that be or be beaten down.
4 million years from monkey to man ain't half bad.