re: For anyone who has suffered serious trauma.. do you ever get to “normal” again?

Better? Yes. Normal? Define that. Normal means different things to different people, so I wouldn’t suggest using that as a barometer.

Wow
Good for you and do you think your father had insight to know you really would make it? You think he would have picked you up if you fell? Amazing story good for you

quote:

---

Does it ever get better?

---

In a 6 month span, my son was born, my wife left, I lost a very good paying job, and buried my brother.

That list of life changing events?



Yeah, I was going through trauma I never thought I’d get through.




Here, 10 years later, let me tell you. The storms will pass, things will get better and you will recover if you allow yourself to and surround yourself with those that love you. Trust me. I’ve been there and walked through the fires. And it’s all been here as a testament.


Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it’s not going to be easy, and you will never be the “same”. But you were never going to be anyway. You just ARE. And you’ll have to learn to adapt and survive. It’s akin to losing a limb, or an eye.

Not gonna grow back. You might find a substitute, but it’s never going to be the same. And it will take you down different roads. But you learn to live, and love, and laugh again. Even when you thought you’d never find them.

The losses never go away, but grass grows over graves. It gets easier to handle.

Some losses will haunt you. Others will end up seeming like you came out better because of them.

Have you ever looked at the beauty of trees? All the whorls, the bends, the rings. All that is, is pain, and trauma, and hard times, feast and famine. And they just keep growing. And new bark covers old wounds. And the scars create something beautiful.

Own your scars. Bear them proudly. They mean you survived.
If you need to talk, I’m here

Eventually. There are some things that stay with you for the rest of your life. You can get to a point where it no longer causes severe distress though.

quote:

---

One of my clients was next to her husband when someone blew his head off with a shotgun and his brains landed in her lap. That was in 1991 and she’s only about 50% better today. That’s all I have to contribute to this thread.

---

When I was three, I suffered a traumatic head injury.

I was in a department store with my mother, when a display rack fell on me. A hook on the side of the rack shattered my skull near my temple. The firemen had to cut the hook off of the rack and then I was able to be rushed to the hospital. I had three major operations in one month and then another a year later.

As a result, I have been an epileptic all my life. My greatest fear is that I would be the first to go in a Zombie Apocalypse because I would be without medication. However, thing about it, I could serve my group by smearing guts on myself and convulsing in a zombie horde. How cool would that be?

I also had the chicken pox a a baby and lost part of my hearing. That can be devastating that a kid growing up. However, I always try to keep a positive outlook on my life. One, I know as much as I might 'struggle' at times, There are so many people who have it harder than me. Two, I have tried to poke fun at myself and my differences. When I was a kid, I would buzz my hearing aid and told my friends that I could listen to faraway radio stations. They believed me. Three, I never considered myself as handicapped. When I see todays kid whining about about their lives, well, I don't have much respect for them at all. But that's a whole different subject.

fr33 you’re definitely one of the good guys.

quote:

---

fr33manator

---

Always liked you as a poster. Thanks for taking the time to type all that out. Much appreciated! I’m sorry to hear about those events.

Everyone has a traumatic experience (relitively speaking), define "normal"

It takes a minimum of 5 years if you make it.