PTSD in Spoken Word, by rethink advocate

Today is National PTSD Awareness Day. Every year on June 27th we recognize, support and advocate for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and bring light to various ways PTSD impacts people. As such, one of the Rethink Mental Health Advocate has created a relatable and impactful spoken word representation of PTSD which will be a part of her upcoming spoken word video series.

---

React. React and react now. React before pausing. React before feeling our feelings. React before observing our thinking. React. React to move before we see. Our minds are reacting. We crave distractions. The pain in our bodies is difficult to sit in. It’s uncomfortable being. It’s more comfortable doing, fleeing, fighting, and resisting. Powerlessness is crippling. So we seek our power in action. Inactive feels passive.

We fear victimhood. We feel adulthood promised safety and we’re sadly disappointed. The pains of our childhood intensify with each moment… and we’re fleeing. No time to hesitate. No time to deliberate. No time we’ve felt safe. Trust is absent. Fear is present and we’re fleeing. We use anger as protection. We avoid self-reflection. Our suffering is too intense to stare at directly. So don’t look at us. Don’t judge us. Don’t shame us. Don’t make us feel what’s already within us. We’re avoiding it.

Obstacle after obstacle, challenge after challenge, we’ve built so much endurance but have yet to find happiness. Our focus was surviving. Our intention was overcoming. Our fear was succumbing. The then and now are merging. The human spirit submerges. 
 
When will we emerge? It’s an emergency of the spirit with silent distress signals. De-stress to rest the pressure. Depression presses the fissure. Separation is a trigger. Connection’s our desire. We just don’t know how. Our minds are disconnecting... from our bodies, from our families, from reality, from serenity, from everything. We’re disconnected within. Who we are is unknown. We want to be known. We long to be found…but we keep avoiding. Who we are is inside. We are not our suffering. Who we are is underneath it. Connection within is healing. So what are we avoiding? Why are we reacting?
 
Pause.

This blog post was written by Rethink Mental Health Advocate, Tamisha Francois