Physical pain from CPTSD

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mmatcha_latte
mmatcha_latte Posts: 132 Member
edited January 24 in Social Groups
Hello everyone, I'm 38 years old and I've had severe depression and anxiety for nearly my entire life, as far back as I can remember. I was also diagnosed with CPTSD years ago and only recently started therapy specifically for that, EMDR therapy. I have a lot of trauma in my past that I'm trying to heal from, including SA and DV. It took a long time to feel ready to face all of this.

Within the past couple of years the physical pain has become worse and worse to where it is often excruciating and debilitating at times. My entire body often feels tense and every muscle aches with pain. I've developed a lot of stomach pain as well and I often have problems with my throat feeling tight. I have a lot of trouble sleeping because of flashbacks and nightmares of my trauma, which I'm sure contributes to the other physical problems because I am not getting enough rest. I also struggle with agoraphobia so I have not been to a doctor in years, but my therapist is trying to encourage me to go because she thinks I might have fibromyalgia.

Lately the anxiety induced nausea has been so bad that I can barely eat anything, my stomach is just in constant knots, my throat feels constricted, and my body is always tense and braced for panic.

I don't often hear people talking about the physical problems associated with mental health issues. Does anyone else here struggle with these things too? There is no one in my life, aside from my therapist, who understands these problems, so it is nice to be able to discuss them here.