This topic explores how individuals can triumph over challenges, manage PTSD, and discover hope and positivity amidst difficulties. It highlights personal resilience, coping strategies, and the importance of support systems in aiding healing and growth.

PTSD Response Explained

PTSD is characterised by a deep vibration within the self, resonating with trauma memories embedded in the body’s memory cells, particularly in the brain’s amygdala, where long-term memories and trauma are stored.

When muscles tighten due to stress, they pull on tendons, which can lead to joint displacement. The heart pounds as the body prepares for fight or flight, a subconscious reaction that is difficult to control. When a threat is gone, and triggers remain, the body still to reacts as if the danger is present.

This cycle defines a PTSD response.

Twister- A Netflix Documentary

I recently watched the Netflix documentary titled “Twister,” about the devastating tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, claiming 158 lives. It tells the story of the devastating tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, in 2011, claiming 158 lives. The film features powerful stories from residents that evoke deep emotions. Two scenes particularly stood out to me.

The Silver Lining Scene

One scene presents a teenager who overcame a troubled past filled with drugs and truancy. After being swept from a car by the tornado, he survived and shared his harrowing journey to recovery. His estranged parents came together to support him, and he later married and had four children. The movie captures his joyful outcome, filled with deep emotion and a renewed connection to life after such an ordeal, revealing a silver lining touching many with his story.

The PTSD Experience Scene

In a second scene, a brother and sister recount their ordeal while chasing the storm, a familiar activity for them. They share heart-wrenching footage from their car’s dashboard and sounds recorded during the tornado, allowing viewers almost to relive the experience with them. Mother Nature’s power is vividly captured through their recordings. As the brother shares his story, the emotion on his face and in his eyes is palpable, leaving a lasting mark on him. He describes a tingling sensation tied to his deep emotions and connects it to his understanding of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). In that moment, I realised he had articulated PTSD in simple yet profound terms.

Finding Voice- Emotion defines our humanity

Hearing their stories, while unique to each individual, reveals a shared human reaction. By sharing these experiences, others can relate to the emotions we all feel. Emotion defines our humanity; it cannot be replicated by a robot or fully captured in words. It is something we experience in the flesh, reaching deep into our souls. When we articulate these emotions, our words become valuable, and our voices gain power.

Balancing PTSD – A personal experience

I have balanced life with the flight fright response triggered by overwhelming stress, for over a decade. Time has proven to be a continual healer, along with external resources and therapies like EMDR, kinesiology and talk therapy. From my experience, severe PTSD manifests as heart palpitations, dry mouth, racing thoughts and chronic body pain. In 2018, my palpitations were so intense that a vein in my lower leg ruptured, resulting in permanent swelling on one foot. I’ve faced numerous joint issues, and tightened muscles especially under pressure, as if the trauma has its own navigation system within my body.

Triumph over challenge

Today, while my joint pain in general is more stable, my ankles and Achilles tendons are healing after years of tight calves. In a PTSD flight fright response, it is typical that calves tighten. Despite these challenges, I’ve made significant progress and deepened my understanding of the human psyche, mind, body, and soul. I’ve remained focused on achieving my goals—a life filled with family, friends, a home, and a rewarding career. I’ve never lost sight of these aspirations. At times, I’ve felt incredibly alone in my experience with PTSD. Trauma is often dismissed or misunderstood. A lack of recognition can lead to questions about one’s mental well-being and sanity, forcing one to justify oneself.

These experiences have inspired me to write my fourth book, I AM, I WAS, which I intend to publish later this year, 2025.

The Essence of Hope

Sharing a story infused with emotion creates a ripple effect, connecting people to one another. When hearts open—whether through grief or other experiences—there emerges a silver lining that restores balance and bring back hope. Joy follows sorrow, contentment rises from upheaval, and peace emerges after pain. Courage propels us forward, while resilience is forged in adversity, allowing us to evolve both inwardly and outwardly. We become wiser, stronger, and bolder, all while retaining the delicate strength of a newborn flower. The flower sways in the wind and returns to its form, not the large, dried tree, which symbolises a hardened ego that ultimately falls.

The Flower or the Tree?

In all its splendour, a flower can stand tall and radiate beauty and grace despite the storms it has weathered. It may lose its petals, but they can regrow with the changing seasons. In contrast, a tree that stands grand but remains unwatered in the face of adversity may tumble down and cannot rise again.

Which analogy resonates with you more—the flower or the tree?

I hope you have enjoyed todays blog!

With love, Anna Jane X

About Anna Jane

To know more about Author Anna Jane, explore her website https://leapoffaithwellness.com.au