For those whose PTSD flashback is so severe that inpatient treatment is required, could there be any hope of employment? Many PTSD sufferers despair when they cannot seem to find suitable employment.

This article is a Breaking News Report of an individual in such a situation and have been managing to stay in work for more than 4 years now.

For the purpose of this article, we shall use the name Maria Grundy, as the individual does not want to be publicly identified as a PTSD sufferer, nor does her manager want the reasonable adjustments made for her be somehow abused.

How PTSD Flashbacks and Traumatic Memories Start

At age 22, Maria was as happy as can be. She was about to graduate from her Masters in Creative Writing a year ahead of her peers, had a prestigious job lined up, and with her dream of being with Tommy forever soon to come true, Maria couldn’t be busier planning her dream wedding!

After about 5 years of marriage, Tommy and Maria had their first child. Then, came the second and the third. “A family of five. Perfect”! That’s exactly what Maria and Tommy had always wanted.

Sadly though, about 13 years ago, Tommy developed a brain tumor. Unable to work, the family fell into financial difficulty. If that was not bad enough, one day, as she was on her way to see Tommy at the hospital, her car was hit by a lorry, leaving two of her children dead and the other in critical condition. Just a matter of months, Maria’s family of five turned into a lone widow, all on her own.

“It just feels like everyday is a new reminder of how my life has been turned upside down”, says Maria

How PTSD Flashbacks and Traumatic Memories Affected Daily Life and Normal Functioning

“The first few weeks were fine”, recalls Maria. “I was busy with friends and people trying to support me and comfort me”.

“But, in time, they disappear and then my flashbacks were horrid”, says Maria.

“Can you give me some examples of how it has affected you”, I asked.

• I tried to make sure I look after myself. But when I shop, I shop for one not five. I cook for one not five. I do the dishes for one not five. That hurts and eating became a chore.
• I tried to get some sleep too. But when I shut my eyes, I kept seeing the very moment when I saw the lorry coming towards me. My whole body would freeze and I brace myself for what has to come next. When I realise nothing is going to hit me, because actually I’m in bed at home, the quietness and emptiness fill me with dread. I’d put my hand across to the other side of the bed looking for comfort, just to be reminded that Tommy is no more. I shut my eyes trying hard not to think, but images of his last breath and how the children were crying out in pain and finally died right before my eyes…. It’s….
• My body felt so tired and heavy. I began self harm and it went from bad to worse. After one incident, I was hospitalized. First, for the physical injuries I had inflicted on myself, and then, in a mental health recovery unit.
• Waking up to find yourself in a mental hospital is very different to anything I’ve ever experienced. I felt I would never be employable again. How do I explain the time away from work? How do I manage my physical health and be at work? Who would want me anyway?

How To Recover from PTSD Flashbacks and Traumatic Memories

“The key is in trusting that something is going to work for YOU personally. Everyone’s different means it’s not one size fits all. It doesn’t mean nothing will ever got, right”? says Maria.

Throughout the interview with Maria, she highlights the need to try. Maria’s tried many different things, but the one thing that she found really helpful is a technique called dual awareness.

Recalling her time at the hospital, she found most things very difficult and really resented being kept there. But then, one day, a new mental health nurse came on the scene.

Maria was asked to recall not the bad things in her life but the good things. She was encouraged to refrain from judging whether those good memories still apply right now or if she identifies with the feelings she had back then. All she needed to do was to acknowledge facts about her life, for good or for bad.

Then, the nurse kept asking her to go between the good times and the present time. “Like a time machine, we’d go on a ride every now and then hopping between past, present and future”.

“I love hopping into the future”, says Maria – with a lovely smile I have not seen on Maria until this moment.

With Maria practising going back and forth in time, she was being trained to hone her dual awareness skill. That is a skill where we recall past memories while at the same time being fully aware of our present surrounding.

How Dual Awareness Helped To Control PTSD Flashbacks and Traumatic Memories

“Dual awareness helps me to make a clear distinction between the past, present and future”.

As simple as it sounds, knowing the difference can bring a huge relief. While in hospital, Maria had a lot of time to develop storylines. Instead of focusing on the reality of where she was, a mental hospital, she was to focus on writing something interesting.

They nurses would start her off with one of her flashback scene, and then ask her to time travel back to the present environment. Once Maria’s stabilized, they would then ask Maria to develop a storyline from then on but it has to have a happy ending.

The story need not be realistic, nor does it have to describe her. The flashback details can be changed too. In effect, the flashback was just an idea as a starting point to wrote about how things can get better in unexpected ways.

Remember Maria has a master’s in creative writing? This was just the right thing for her.

“So, Maria, in what way would you say dual awareness helps you to cope with PTSD Flashbacks and Traumatic Memories”, I asked.

• Whenever I am troubled, I jump on my time machine. When I do my grocery shop, cook or washing up, I think about my time machine. If memories of happy times came back and I feel the loss, I take time to travel to the future, when I can have those happy times again with my family.
• If I am troubled while I’m at work, maybe because I heard cars hooting and it brought memories of the accident that killed my children, I would time travel to the hospital and see how the nurses have cared for me. Then I time travel to the present environment, who would have thought I can still hold down a job? My fairy stories did carry some amount of truth.
• Sometimes my work involve interviewing others so that my novels would accurately portray the groups of people I’m writing about. But then, some of their experiences could be triggering. I find it especially difficult when I meet families with a strong husband and many children. Still, I would go on my time travel machine, practice dual awareness and self-talk to stay in my game.

How Dual Awareness Helps To Find and Keep A Job

“Thanks to Dual Awareness, I now have a time machine that takes me from the horrific past to the present and the future”.

“If I hadn’t been taught the dual awareness technique, I don’t know where I would be today”, says Maria. “Because it is a simple technique and one that really works for me, it was easy to explain to my potential employers exactly what it is that I need”.

Although apprehensive, Maria learned to trust that if she keeps trying, something good could eventually happen. So, she put a positive spin in everything.

“I made it a point to tell the interviewers how bad things were for me, and how dual awareness helps. The fact that I could relate my traumas without falling ill is a proof of how well the time machine works for me”.

Maria’s courage to tell certainly brought her much joy. After a few tried, she eventually found employment with a company hiring writers and offering her flexible working hours to accommodate for her need.

“With PTSD flashbacks, you never know what is going to trigger you or when it is going to strike. But armed with dual awareness, my manager, my colleagues and myself, all know I can time travel myself out of that misery”.

Maria currently works 3 days a week, plus occasional over time when she feels well enough to do so. The rest of the week, she walks two dogs for elderly neighbors in the morning. Maria also attends weekly mental health groups both for herself and for helping others to manage their PTSD, find employment and stay in work.

How To Develop Dual Awareness And Succeed

If you enjoy reading Maria’s story and would like more information regarding dual awareness training for free, be sure to check out this helpful step-by-step guide to dual awareness training for PTSD flashbacks.

Are you struggling to feel safe after PTSD? You certainly wouldn’t want to miss this 10 easy steps to feeling safe after PTSD guide.

Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Maria for coming forward and arranging a Skype interview that makes this report possible.