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Northern Light's suggestions are good ones. But, even sparing that, go to the next farmacia. Ask for earplugs - in Spanish "Tampones de los oidos" (tam-pohn-ehs de los oye-dos) more or less phonetically.
Sorry to correct, but "tampones para los oidos" sounds funny.
The name is "tapones para los oidos."
You are Truckin" my friend. I think you are doing great!! I fortunately do not have to deal with PTSD but just with life and my own self imposed destructive thoughts and behaviors. I too like mellower caminos. I will be walking the CF starting a week from today but I hope it will be alot mellower.Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
I do not have PTSD (I think) but I met two people with the diagnosis on two different caminos - one US and one European. Can I suggest you consider doing one longer stage to get ahead of the crowd or do a short stage to let the larger crowd move ahead. One of the guys I met arrived in Santiago 2 days ahead of me and when I met him there he was so happy that he decided to move on. Also, it might be helpful if you meet someone whom you can confide in or who might recognise and appreciate your situation. We all need support along the way, I know I did. And somehow the support was there for me. Endure and I wish you Buen Camino. Looking forward to reading about your triumphant arrival in Santiago!Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
I walked with a US army veteran who suffered with PTSD. It was a great benefit to him, particularly when he met me and had to slow down to my pace. I am snail like. He and his wife both thanked me for slowing him down. His strong religion (he was an anglican minister/army chaplain) was also a great help to him. Since returning to the US, he has organised a number of walking trails for other vets and they find it very beneficial. In fact, there is a project at the minute to take vets virtually walking on treadmills along with big screens and music. Because of my association with the chaplain, I have spoken to vets from Australia and Canada and they both agree that the camino is very beneficial. So maybe, the camino is not such a bad idea for you. Keep well and buen caminoHeya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
It was the damn auto-correct again. Oh my VERY bad! Tampons would clearly NOT fit there, would they...? LOL
Thank you for the assist... I repaired my oopsie...
Well, if you had VERY big ear holes?
I thought it ... but didn’t have the nerve to say it!
Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD
I was a bit preoccupied yesterday, so am just catching up now. The piece you did yesterday is one I love. I think it is because the first time I did it, there were 'friends' (yes, they are still friends!) who said I would never be able for it. I just love that slope up, and the way down is slow, but nothing to be upset about. I am sorry first of all that you carry your burden, glad you are able to name it, and hopeful that you will learn to stand on it, and stamp it out of your system. I do not know if it can be done, but I imagine that if there is a will, there is a way. All of this is just to say: I see you, I hear you, I hope that your camino will be one that brings you to the place where you know you have arrived. Till the next time!ThanksI'm under the weather still (fever) so that doesn't add anything good to my sentiment.
I think I will just see the rest of my camino as a leisurely stroll through Spain and not so much as this established thing.
But first, some more sleep, food and water!
Greetings my friend. After twenty odd years as a police officer, I was diagnosed with PTSD. fifty years after I retired. Looking at the causes, I find the constant exposure to danger and "man's inhumanity to others" caused me to retreat into myself and ignore the affects of the trauma. I packed it all away for over fifty years until I was forced to face it. Over that time, it was difficult to deal with people. The loudness of some environments, together with viewing others for a possible threat first before accepting them as people was tiring and stressful. I walked my first Camino prior to my diagnosis and the start of my counselling.
I must confess that I came back from my first 400 K walk and thought: "I don't understand what all the hype around the Camino is". However, after a few weeks home, I started to notice that people, mostly, weren't that bad after all. I attribute this to the environment that I experienced on the Camino, both the people and the moments of serenity that had been missing from my life. I have been back to finish the walk to Santiago and then three shorter trips. Each time was easier and gave me a opportunity to "practice" seeing people as assistance to my healing.
I sat with my 96 year old father as he committed a slow suicide by refusing to eat because it was time for him to go. I found a friend of over thirty years in a chair after he had shot himself. Both of these within the past two years. I am not a catholic but on the Camino, I regularly go into churches, light a candle for each of them, and sit for a period of time, think about them and move on with a sense of peace.
I had dinner one evening with a man from Miami who was walking with his wife and daughter. He had gout and was moving with some difficulty. The day after our dinner chat, I encountered them again at a small stone church. He had dipped his hand in the holy water and, silently, came up to me and anointed my forehead as he had done with his family. I never saw him again and I likely never will. I will never forget how moving that moment was. If he reads this blog, I hope he would get in touch, but if not I would want him to know that he was part of my healing.
Gwaihir. please forgive the length of this post. PTSD. is pervasive and can take over our world but can be defeated in small stages. Please don't give up. Please don't stop walking and experiencing the Camino.
Please take the advice others have provided here. There is always the opportunity to wander off the path and seek some alone time whether it is in a church or under a tree. Reach for and accept what others have to offer in terms of companionship and compassion. The people that I have met on my Camino trips are gradually affecting how I see others. See everyday as an opportunity to be better. Be well my friend.
If you feel panic, annoyance or aggression rising, try picking a big category and naming all the things you can think of (colors, flowers, countries, dog breeds, whatever). It helps calm me down - my favorite is trying to name all the cheeses I can think of. Good luck!Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
I recently returned from walking with Father Steve's organization Warriorsontheway.org. The seven veterans in the 2019 group reported a 71% reduction in symptions.I walked with a US army veteran who suffered with PTSD. It was a great benefit to him, particularly when he met me and had to slow down to my pace. I am snail like. He and his wife both thanked me for slowing him down. His strong religion (he was an anglican minister/army chaplain) was also a great help to him. Since returning to the US, he has organised a number of walking trails for other vets and they find it very beneficial. In fact, there is a project at the minute to take vets virtually walking on treadmills along with big screens and music. Because of my association with the chaplain, I have spoken to vets from Australia and Canada and they both agree that the camino is very beneficial. So maybe, the camino is not such a bad idea for you. Keep well and buen camino
sorry, that might work for you but I doubt it will work for most people.change how you view snoring. mostly it is rythmic. i hate snoring but have been acused of same. horrorive always had ear plugs used twice in 100 roughly nights albergue. you sync your breathing to the snoring becomes almost relsxing zen
sorry, that might work for you but I doubt it will work for most people.
Or asking each pilgrim to stand up and talk about why they're on the Camino. terribly intrusive for some of us. Which is why I avoid the albergues where these practices are well known. Only got caught once, so far.My big mistake was allowing myself two or three times to be pressured by very well meaning fellow pilgrims and hospitaleros to join in on communal dinners and participate in (I didn’t/couldn’t) singing and drinking.
HiHeya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
Gwaihir, I am a pilgrim for similar reasons. It may not be for you, but I want to share my experience, in case, you are thinking of trying it more. Please give me an update and I hope you find some peace in some way- on a “way” or off a “way”. There are many caminos to choose from and some may be for you. If you feel a will to try the Camino Frances more. I find that walking in winter is the best if you can handle cold and walking in snow and sleet like conditions. I stayed in many albergues alone. The few albergues that had people did not bother me because I usually took my sleeping and slept in the kitchen or any space away. U just wait until “lights out” and find that space. I have used a blow up thin mattress which makes any floor comfortable. I recommend that you tell the hospitalero of your intent to sleep on a floor alone. They are usually extremely helpful and understanding. (I am one of them too) If you prefer extreme heat over cold and wet, you might choose to do la via de la plata from Sevilla in summer. It is a major Camino with infrastructure that will take addition worry away. It is a different atmosphere altogether with what I found to be a different mentality- one that may fit a ptsd pilgrim better. I walked some and was a hospitalero in the summer. The albergue count averaged about 4 pilgrims. The first night I had 0 pilgrims. The ones I had were much more solitary types with a gentle spirit- and less vocal. All in all, I have found the Camino a great experience for me. I started it in July of 2017 not knowing anything, I bought my backpack in a train station in Madrid (chamartin). I went to Spain to travel not to walk and an old man recommended I walk a Camino. I knew about zero regarding backpack long-distance hiking and caminos. I am glad that I listened. In 3 years, I have seen my pulse rate go from a steay high 90s-110 to below 60. I’ve come to accept my condition more and accept that I may never sleep normally again, but I sleep much better now than before I started this. I have much less need for medications. I even somehow was able to enjoy the presence of a beautiful person for awhile, after some two years of a solitary existence (that idea I had come to believe was not possible). I have been able to function again and contribute in my small to society. Life is better now. I am grateful to the locals of the Camino, the other pilgrims, and the Camino itself.Heya guys and girls, peregrin@s.
I've been on the road for a while (threw months, 20 days), and a few of you have been following me, which I think is awesome and thank you very much for the support.
I had many reasons to do the Camino, one of them related to my medical background. I showed signs of PTSD age 16ish and it got progressively worse over the years. Got a complex trauma diagnosis a few years ago.
Things have been going much better and one of my goals has been to grow a thicker skin - learn to be among people, not feel so agressive (for the record, I am never agressive to fellow pelgrims or any people).
But it's been hard, specially since SJPDP because there is just so many pelgrims and I can't get some time to get my head togheter. Right now I'm trying to sleep in an albergue but I just can't due to snoring etc.
I know that it is just not a good idea to do a Camino with PTSD but I am very stubborn and I'm wondering what you have to say or whether you have any advice.
Cheers.
This condition that we seem to have in common is more of a marathon and reading your response I believe you are doing a damn good job at dealing with it- probably much better than you know. Sometimes I must accept that existing is good enough and other times I see that it gets lighter with time and existing is turning into much more. The Camino puts me in touch with the cycle of life and the present moment. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to walk, to be able to walk, to be able to eat, and to breathe. But it’s not a road that I would wish on anyone. PTSD is misunderstood and silently judged harshly by many of those who don’t understand it. I struggle still to accept the things I cannot change and to have the courage to do something while existing in this but you and I made a move to do something and that is something to celebrate. I congratulate you on your camino(s). It is easy for me to get hard on myself like I should be doing better. But slowly I have learned to ignore other’s expectations even my own, and to accept my condition. I believe by deciding to do a Camino and doing it, was a big deal when you feel like the photo I have attached from a Spanish city. It’s also good to hear that you have a compañera that at least understands enough that makes it comfortable enough for you. I also found something in your comment that may have helped me on how I will walk my last two weeks before I leave. I happen to be near Ponferrada. Ándale Keep on- a fellow pilgrim who knows joy now more than ever. Service and exercise is my best way.@APilgrim3393 thank you for your thoughtful response!
My Camino has officially drawn to a close, so I can't use your suggestions right at this moment. But who knows if I ever do another trail (not sure about Camino) they might come in handy.
I ended up switching from the Francés and continuing North to Oviedo. It was a bit more quiet but it depended on the day. Like you I tended to seek out other spaces outside the dorms, although I got sick one night because the floor was way too cold - even with inflatable matress.
Me and a compañera ended up on the Invierno, which was really really quiet so I can recommend it to people who want or need solitude. However we weren't on it for long (both me and her felt our Caminos were over).
Good to hear the Camino helped you relax more. I think I learned to manage the PTSD a bit better, although I still have bad days.
I walked Camino Frances in September 2018 and I have anxiety issues in loud crowded places and PTSD. One thing that really helped me was walking each morning at about 5:30. The moments under the stars were so peaceful and spiritual and helped me prepare for the more crowded times. I felt the presence of God under the stars in the dark. It made my Camino. If I had a bad afternoon because of the people issues the next morning under the stars brought me back into balance and in align with the spirit of the camino.
Finding your friend of over thirty years and living with that alone would be enough for a possible ptsd in most people. Much respect.Greetings my friend. After twenty odd years as a police officer, I was diagnosed with PTSD. fifty years after I retired. Looking at the causes, I find the constant exposure to danger and "man's inhumanity to others" caused me to retreat into myself and ignore the affects of the trauma. I packed it all away for over fifty years until I was forced to face it. Over that time, it was difficult to deal with people. The loudness of some environments, together with viewing others for a possible threat first before accepting them as people was tiring and stressful. I walked my first Camino prior to my diagnosis and the start of my counselling.
I must confess that I came back from my first 400 K walk and thought: "I don't understand what all the hype around the Camino is". However, after a few weeks home, I started to notice that people, mostly, weren't that bad after all. I attribute this to the environment that I experienced on the Camino, both the people and the moments of serenity that had been missing from my life. I have been back to finish the walk to Santiago and then three shorter trips. Each time was easier and gave me a opportunity to "practice" seeing people as assistance to my healing.
I sat with my 96 year old father as he committed a slow suicide by refusing to eat because it was time for him to go. I found a friend of over thirty years in a chair after he had shot himself. Both of these within the past two years. I am not a catholic but on the Camino, I regularly go into churches, light a candle for each of them, and sit for a period of time, think about them and move on with a sense of peace.
I had dinner one evening with a man from Miami who was walking with his wife and daughter. He had gout and was moving with some difficulty. The day after our dinner chat, I encountered them again at a small stone church. He had dipped his hand in the holy water and, silently, came up to me and anointed my forehead as he had done with his family. I never saw him again and I likely never will. I will never forget how moving that moment was. If he reads this blog, I hope he would get in touch, but if not I would want him to know that he was part of my healing.
Gwaihir. please forgive the length of this post. PTSD. is pervasive and can take over our world but can be defeated in small stages. Please don't give up. Please don't stop walking and experiencing the Camino.
Please take the advice others have provided here. There is always the opportunity to wander off the path and seek some alone time whether it is in a church or under a tree. Reach for and accept what others have to offer in terms of companionship and compassion. The people that I have met on my Camino trips are gradually affecting how I see others. See everyday as an opportunity to be better. Be well my friend.
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