Meditation Tips When Suffering From PTSD
It is very important to talk to doctors whenever suffering from PTSD since dealing with the condition is necessary in order to have a normal life. Meditation is a way to handle the problem that is highly accessible for everyone. However, the main idea is that you do need help. Physicians can help and here are some recommendations about this from dzhingarov.com.
Look For Therapists That Understand Meditation And Trauma
Not all PTSD cases are the same. For instance, people affected because of sexual assault will have a different trauma than those that went to war. You want to find someone that is experienced in counseling people that were affected by something that is similar to what you went through and knows as much as possible about meditation.
When you work with someone that truly understands both trauma and meditation you can reduce intensity and flashbacks of the associated panic attacks. Meditation is a calming, useful practice that can be central to the entire healing process but making the first step is usually the difficult part.
Find Places Where You Truly Feel Safe For Meditation
If you do not feel safe when you meditate you cannot possibly get in the right state of mind to gain the benefits that are possible. You may feel that you are not in an immediate danger when you are in a location but this does not mean that you are going to meditate without flashbacks. In most cases it is your home where you feel the safest so this is where you should start. Alternatively, if you are having problems even at home, do all that you can in order to secure the location like installing new locks or an alarm.
Practice Mindfulness
Meditation is just one of the ways in which you can be mindful. It is always possible to gain the benefits associated with mindfulness without avoiding difficulties usually associated with trauma and meditation. Distraction is normally really effective during the healing process. If there is something that is triggering your anxiety or PTSD, an activity may help you to become distracted. Some people knit while others work out. Mindfulness can so easily be applied when you do various actions around the home like vacuuming or washing dishes. The idea is that when a flashback happens as you are doing something (preferably something you like), it becomes much easier to move towards what you are doing.
Witness Flashbacks
Last but not least, it can take years of mindfulness practice and therapy to get to the level at which you can just witness the flashbacks and not experience them over and over again. You are taught to acknowledge and witness thoughts as you meditate so you eventually move towards observing the flashback without having to interact with it.
In reality, one of the biggest advantages of using meditation to deal with PTSD is that you can move towards the level at which you are not going to be directly affected by flashbacks. This makes it easier to heal.