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Out of My Mind in Costa Rica-Living with CPTSD
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Out of My Mind in Costa Rica-Living with CPTSD

Author: Ray Erickson

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Out of My Mind in Costa Rica or OOMMCR for short is an effort to help those who suffer from PTSD and C-PTSD and support the people who love them. OOMMCR is a personal journal of my Hero's Journey mixed with clinical insights and stories of my trials and tribulations as a human being who was raised in an incest family. I'm a retired clinical social worker from California I hope this podcast will persuade you or someone you love to take positive steps towards healing the devastating wounds that resulted in the development of PTSD or C-PTSD.I am new podcasting, so please bear with me as I do my best to improve the quality of my content and the quality of my production. I am a stickler for detail, but I want this podcast to be like visiting an old friend. I want to credit Audionautix for my intro and outro music. It's a tune called Big Blues You can learn more about Audionautix at: http://audionautix.com.That said, let the pods begin.
37 Episodes
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Episode 37C-PTSD and Brain FogI Can See Clearly NowApril 27, 2022Today I want to talk about Brain Fog which Merriam-Webster defines as: "A usually temporary state of diminished mental capacity marked by an inability to concentrate or to think or reason clearly."This condition is characterized by excessive cognitive fatigue.” Well, that about sums it up for me. The past several months I have been really out of it and Brain Fog is the only explanation I have found that makes sense. I’ve been da...
Episode 36C-PTSD and Starting Over…Again!Been Here Done ThatMarch 29, 2022In this episode I am talking about starting over and I want you to know that it is NOT easy. I am 68 years old and after the crashing and burning of my marriage, I sit here, on the side of a hill in Costa Rica, contemplating the kind of new life I desire. I’m no spring chicken and my body reminds me of this on a daily basis if not an hourly basis. It is now a nightly routine to wake up at 3am needing to go to the bathro...
Episode 35C-PTSD and My Expat LifeNo Matter Where You Go, There You Are.October 4, 2021Shit! Has it been a month? I am so sorry, and I apologize for my lack of production lately. I am still working my way through the blues, but the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and another wonderful day is on the horizon. This week I am compelled to share a few things about how the hell I ended up in Costa Rica in the first place. I hope you are at least entertained by my musings, but what I really hope is...
Episode 34C-PTSD and Working Through the BluesMama Told Me There’d Be Days Like ThisSeptember 17, 2021Yes, I am still working through the blues. What can I say? It is what it is, and this is my river, and this is how it is flowing at the moment. I don’t want to be a Donny Downer, but you decide for yourself. I am sharing a little bit about my process and what makes is work for me. Life seems to be a reminder that we need to keep on our toes and keep moving forward, wherever that may be for yo...
Episode 33C-PTSD and Being Stuck in the MudNot the first time, probably not the last.August 2, 2021This week I am talking about being “stuck in the mud”. I’m spinning my wheels and I got no traction. It’s beginning to trouble me. The good news is that doing this podcast is regenerative for me. I know I have been really inconsistent these past couple of months, but I believe I am on the upswing after increasing my Fluoxetine to 40mg/day. This seems like an appropriate dose for the moment...
Episode 32C-PTSD and Letting GoRelease and Find PeaceAugust 27, 2021Today’s episode I am talking about letting it go. Everyone says this, but what the heck does it actually entail? How does one let go of experiences that have been buried to the bone? Well, I take a stab at this topic today, and I hope you will find it engaging and moves you to let go. Even if a little bit. A little bit is better than not at all. Poco a poco. Una cosa por vez.As usual I have discovered some wonderful websites ...
Episode 31C-PTSD and EmpathyThe Role of Empathy in Healing C-PTSDJuly 29, 2021This week I am talking about Empathy. You know, the power to be with the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. It’s a special trait that everyone should work on developing as much as possible. Empathy is the glue that holds relationships together. No empathy, no relationship. It’s that simple.Here’s a sweet article on listening. Remember, listening is loving.5 Simple Keys to Helping Your Partner Feel Heard...
Episode 30 C-PTSD and Friendships A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed July 11, 2021 I recently have been in email contact with a dear old friend. A friend who also happens to have been my friend since 1984 when I was working at the Sacramento Children’s Home. He was a group home social worker at the time, and I was preparing to get into graduate school. We hit it off right away and were fast friends until, over 30 years later, he too became the victim of one of my emot...
Episode 29C-PTSD and Complicated Grief - Am I Being Redundant?June 20, 2021Today’s episode is about what I call Complicated Grief. Let me say this about complicated grief, it’s complicate and it’s that simple. The past couple of weeks have I have been submerged into a pool of depression with little energy and zero motivation. My mind, of course has been plenty active and I began to think about the depth of the depression I was feeling felt like more than simply depression and I reached the co...
Episode 28C-PTSD and Recovering from COVIDYou seriously do not want to get this virus.June 2, 2021Well, it now appears I am not just under the influence of COVID-19. I am clinically depressed. Isn’t that just peachy? So, I thought it would be helpful to add some information about depression just in case the pandemic has also given you the blues. You may want to go back and listen to Episode 15: C-PTSD and Depression. There is some good stuff about depression in that podcast.Gary Gilmour...
Episode 27CPTSD and COVID -19 Part IIBuckle Your SeatbeltMay 24, 2021I’ve been sick for the better part of the last 10 days and today I am telling you all the nitty-gritty details. What was I sick with? It turned out to be COVID-19. It has been a hell of a week and I am grateful to be feeling 10,000% better today.Besides being sick, I was given permission to read a letter from a new listener and I am introducing a new Sponsor; Out of My Mind Art at www.outofmymindart.com Out of My Mind Art is...
Episode 26C-PTSD and COVID-19I’m Fully Vaccinated-Now What?May 13, 2021In this week’s episode I talk about how the pandemic has impacted me and what role did Complex-Post Traumatic Stress play in how I am managing my experience with COVID-19. For me, I take it one day at a time and on occasion, I take it one hour at a time or one minute at a time. For me the key is to be mindful and if you forget, that’s alright you can always return to being mindful any time you realize you were not being mi...
Episode 25C-PTSD and Baby StepsAm I Feeling Better or Is It Prozac?April 29, 2021 In this episode, I am talking about feeling better on a more consistent way. This enhancement in my mood also corresponds to the window of effectiveness for Fluoxetine which is better known as Prozac. It doesn’t matter to me because the experience of feeling better is motivating regardless of it’s source. My role is to build on that emotional and cognitive shift taking place into a better world for myself a...
Episode 24C-PTSD and AngerThe Ugly Underbelly of Complex PTSDApril 22, 2021Today I am talking about anger and if you have C-PTSD, then you know anger. It’s not that you feel angry, but more that you look beneath your anger to the vulnerable parts of yourself. Today I try to give you an idea of the roots of my anger and the impact of growing up within an incest family. There is surprisingly little written on the relationship between C-PTSD or PTSD and anger, even though angry outbursts are par...
Episode 23 C-PTSD and PerseveranceKeep on Truckin’April 15, 2021Today’s focus is perseverance, something I believe many of you will relate to. I bring this up this week because the road has been a bit difficult to traverse over the past few weeks. I believe I am coming out the other side of darkness, thanks to my persistent perseverance. I am sure you have done your fair share of persevering which will make today’s episode of Out of My Mind in Costa Rica particularly interesting. Come o...
Episode 22What’s Going On?Emotional OverwhelmApril 8, 2021Today’s episode is no more than a brief explanation about why I have been MIA the past couple of weeks. I know there may be a few of you who may be concerned, and I want to set you mind at ease. Unfortunately, I don’t have the energy to give you any resource links this week, but if my plan goes well, I will be back next week with a full-length episode for your listening pleasure.Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.Ray
Episode 22C-PTSD and More GriefAnd the Grief Goes OnMarch 25, 2021Yeah, the grief continued all through this week. Remember last week when I talked about grief has no time restrictions? Well, last week really proved this to be true. Last week’s episode I focused on the 5 Stages of Grief and how you too will go through these stages, even if it is for the loss of your favorite fountain pen. This week was more like surviving the grief and I tell you all about it in this week’s episode. I to...
Episode 20C-PTSD and GriefGrief-The Unrelenting Shadow of Complex TraumaMarch 18, 2021Elisabeth Kübler-Ross brought clarity to the grief process when she identified the 5-Stages of Grief. Regardless of the culture, all grieving people experience these 5 stages. Grief applies not only to human losses, but inanimate objects as well. Let me illustrate how I grieved the loss of my favorite ink pen. It’s not just any pen, it was a perfect pen. I paid a lot of money for that pen and I had that pen ...
Episode 19C-PTSD and CommunicationGood Communication CommunicatesMarch 11, 2021Would you like to improve your communication? Here are Four simple steps that will make an immediate impact. Implement these strategies into your repertoire and life will get better.Stay in your own lane. You can’t speak for the other person. You can only speak to your own needs, your own wants, and your own desires. Keep in mind that it the responsibility of the speaker to be clear, and it is the responsibility of...
Episode 18C-PTSD and CannabisDon’t Bogart that Joint My FriendMarch 4, 2021Today I am going to share with you my 50+ year love affair with cannabis. I first began smoking cannabis in January 1970 and I never looked back. Beginning as freshman at Western Michigan and continuing through today. I have never tired of the experience of being under its influence. So, you might ask, “Why are you not smoking for the month of March?” I don’t have a big answer to that. It just seemed like a good thing ...
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