PTSD | Bettina Sparkles

Living in an Unlimited Bubble of Safety and Love

Posted on by BSparkles

We all live in bubbles now. How safe is yours?

Actually we live in an unlimited “Bubble” of safety and only Love.

The word “bubble” is well known in this Global Corona Virus Pandemic as a safe place to live and doing the things you want to do, i.e., professional basketball players – they protect themselves from external sources that would interfere with being able to play basketball.

I use the word ‘bubble” in this article for our Creator, all-loving God, “All there is,” our safe and Divine orderly Cosmos, all beyond our understanding and limitless.

Our “limited” life is living in faith in a smaller “bubble,” while at the same time living within the larger “endless Bubble” (represented by the my choice of an image with the bubble inside a bubble.)

Many of us have learned that we are not our body but spirit. This part of us lives forever, before we were born and after death of our body.

I call our eternal part of us, our soul, our Inner Child. Our Inner Child is our connection with our unlimited “Bubble.”

Wouldn’t you agree that “bubble” is a wonderful metaphor for God and all the other names we have for the heavenly state of mind?

Faith and connection with the unlimited “Bubble” makes me feel good and my life becomes meaningful. This belief truly makes me happier.

My Fearful Life

I am speaking from experience of a fifty-year chaotic and fearful life which I was able to gradually turn into my content life now at 80 years of age. Praise the Lord!

I’ll retell my story as long as I live to pass the information to younger generations so you can have a happier life on Earth. You see I finally found out why I always felt alone, unhappy, was addicted to alcohol and was unable to have long-lasting loving relationships.

I had a “recall” of child abuse, was diagnosed with Complex PTSD.
My recovery process led me on to a spiritual path i.e., discovered my unlimited “Bubble.”

The main process I used was conversations with my physical inner child who I never acknowledged for her suffering. My little girl stuffed all pain and carried hurts into adulthood.

In my talks with my little girl, I discovered my Inner Spirit. It took two years, but it was worth it. Slowly my faith grew. I learned more about the teachings of Christ.

From His Wisdom I began to believe in the visible and invisible, the physical and metaphysical. Also, that our soul lives forever.

In addition, Christ taught that everything that happens, happens for a reason. If it “seems” bad to us it may be an opportunity for our soul to grow.

Growing is loving ourselves and one another.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is another biggie to make that happen! That’s how we love the big “Bubble” and that is our purpose in the little “bubble”.

Yes, dear readers, even though we don’t know our expansive, eternal “Bubble,” Christ said we are One with IT.

Living in our life’s “bubble” and knowing we connect with the “All there Is Bubble” means we are together, safe, never alone and loved.

You too can have more Inner Peace, by believing that Christ said, “I AM with you always, in all ways forever.”

Appreciate yourself and be happy! Don’t you agree, we are happy children, playing in the small and big “Bubble” forever.

If you have difficulties with this, please recite the Serenity Prayer used by Alcoholics Anonymous.

I include it here with its other verses rarely read.

The Full Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.

Mental Health Cases and Covid-19

Posted on by BSparkles

MENTAL HEALTH CASES SKY-ROCKET SINCE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

What can you do to help yourself?

First of all, You must acknowledge that the virus touched everyone on planet Earth.

The Mental Health Community is unable to address the increased volume of mental ailments caused by the Pandemic, at least in the near future.

PTSD symptoms such as depression, anger, high anxiety & others have increased, causing more suicides, as well.

Since not enough help is available by the Mental Health Communities, I recommend we take 3 simple steps ourselves to prevent these mental, emotional, or spiritual health issues from taking root in our bodies.

Here are 3 healing steps which worked in my PTSD Recovery:

STEP 1

The moment negative feelings come up, share and express them. “Revealing is healing” is a mental health motto.

Choose someone you trust. It can be a family member or close friend. Even though one may have Covid-19 or even perceive the Pandemic from a distance, all of us experience some trauma symptoms.

STEP 2

In case you have no one to talk to start a FEELING JOURNAL right away.

For example, start writing, “Today, when I saw a young nurse, mother of three, pass on to the other side from the Virus, I was filled with sadness.” You may have actually had tears rolling down your cheeks or were choking on them.

Write down how that felt.

Did it remind you of the loss of someone in your family?
Or were you feeling fear of your own death.
How terrible for you.
You must acknowledge every detail.

STEP 3

This is my favorite method.

Another approach is to have a dialogue with your Inner Self to acknowledge that your event was traumatic for you.

“Dear ____,(use your name) you had a good reason to be upset.”
Pause a moment. Let the feelings come up.
Feel your feelings.
You may hear an Inner Voice Answer.
WRITE IT DOWN.
The inner voice may be saying something like, “WOW. I am glad I am recognizing this upset. I feel relief and not so upset anymore. Thanks.”
Write as much as you like, then stop.
See how you feel the next day.
Make another short “How I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW” journal entry.
Keep doing this until the event isn’t getting you down anymore.
Try rating the pain each day. I usually rate the pain from 1-10, 10 being the highest.
When the number is lowered to 1, we have been successful with our self-healing.

OTHER PTSD SYMPTOMS

We often project our anger at others when we don’t do our feeling work.
(I was accused of being a “snapping turtle” years ago before counseling.)
We may also be triggered to remember specific childhood maltreatment.

Again, these issues can be released by repeating Step1,2, or 3. Most issues can be healed with this process.

THE STEPS MUST BE DONE IMMEDIATELY as soon as you become aware of them.
This allows you to start healing your painful wounds sooner than later and you will be much happier in the future.

If you wish to have a conversation with me, please contact me. Start with an email. Bettina [@] BettinaSparkles.com

How to Avoid COVID-19 PTSD

Posted on by BSparkles

The Corona Virus Pandemic has had an effect on us all. It has been over a year with many loved ones gone, life situations changed, and the end of the confinement and cautions still months out.

No matter how you experience the Corona Virus Pandemic, you may experience strong, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms for years. To prevent PTSD from taking root in your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual bodies, you must take at least some of the following steps.

Step 1

Immediately share whatever you are feeling with someone you trust like a family member or close friend. The experiences you have may be different but common symptoms include severe anxiety, depression, anger or sadness from loss, fear, and many more similar feelings.

Step 2

In case you have no one to share with, start a FEELING JOURNAL right away.

Did it remind you of the loss of some one in your family? Or were you feeling fear of your own death. How terrible for you.
You must acknowledge every detail and express the feeling.

Step 3

This is my favorite method.

You can also have a dialogue with your Inner Self to acknowledge that your event was traumatic for you.

“Dear ____,(use your name) you had reason to be upset.”

Pause a moment. Let the feelings come up. Feel your feelings.

You may hear an Inner Voice Answer. WRITE IT DOWN.

It may be something like, “WOW. I am glad I am recognizing how this upset me. I feel relief, more self-compassion. I do not feel so upset anymore. Thanks.”

Write as much as you like, then stop. See how you feel the next day. Make another short “How I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW” journal entry. Keep doing this as long your experience comes popping up in your mind. I usually rate the pain from 1-10, 10 being the highest. When the number is lowered to 1, we have been successful with our self-healing.

Take Note:

Your mindset may also show up in relationships. If you don’t do your feeling work, you’ll project your anger at others. I was accused of doing that and was called a “snapping turtle” years ago before counseling.

Repeat using Step1,2, or 3 often.

You may also be triggered to remember some childhood maltreatment. Please address this in the same manner. Use the above steps to move yourself through these memories.

You are not alone in reacting to the Pandemic. The crisis is affecting everyone.

It is most important that you prevent the PTSD to be with you in the future and use the 3 Steps listed.

Heal your painful wounds sooner than later and you will be much happier.

TOP SECRET ABOUT CHILDHOOD PTSD

Posted on by BSparkles

Are you experiencing too many PTSD Triggers? Do you still get “startled” or “react with rage or suffer other symptoms?

I have shocking news for you. You haven’t fully released all your childhood demons or core PTSD issues.

The least known fact about PTSD is that it may have started in the womb. I experienced my first trauma in the womb because I survived an abortion attempt. Babies learn mistreatment quickly by taking snapshots of facial expressions. These are wordless clues interpreted by the newborn as loving or not. For example, the frowns at diaper changing meant, “I must be bad, it’s my fault, I am in the way and I must please.”

Too many negatives or abuse in childhood form a gloomy outlook on life. Since as children we have no options, we bury unfelt emotions of shame and unloved feelings in the bottom of our hearts where they stay. The early deep wounds block us from experiencing love and cause our self-destructive behavior as we become adults. New traumas are piled upon us. The inner wounds fester, keeping us from living a healthy, normal life. For us to find our “real” joyful self, we must revisit our childhood just one more time and go deep to thoroughly clean out past hurts for good.

Here’s part of my story. I lived in fear with high anxiety, hyper-vigilance and chronic depression. Then I had sudden Child Abuse Recall and was lucky to find a wise psychologist. He diagnosed my Child Abuse PTSD and immediately asked me what I remembered about my first 7 years of my life. “I don’t remember anything.” The counselor said “I’ll help you dig.”

The therapist suggested I have pretend conversations between my abandoned little girl and my adult, a new loving caretaker. The following is an example of how easy it is to have inner conversations. The counselor would have me take deep breaths to relax.

I, as the new compassionate caretaker, began. “Hi, little Bettina are you there. I am here to help you. I am so very sorry I’ve neglected you for such a long time.”

I, as the Inner Child, spoke up with surprise and in manner of a child. “Hello. I never thought anyone would come. I’ve been so alone, lonely and scared.”

I, as the caretaker, spoke softly, “I am here for you now to pay attention to you. It’s difficult for me to believe that terrible things happened to you so long ago and you thought you were all alone.”

I responded as I felt my child quiver, “No one came to help. When you were anxious you had no time for me.”

I, the new caretaker felt her pain. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I will take care of you and listen to you.”

Again, I felt my little girl, who seemed so relieved. “When you calm down, I can calm down. You have come to understand and love me?”

For both of us I was encouraged and felt hope, “Yes, You are very important to me.

We can help each other. I love you.”

Tears of joy were rolling down my cheeks. This process of having verbal or written conversations for my child and me healed my ancient deep wounds.

Are you ready to clear up your childhood PTSD and live in harmony?

OVERCOME THE STIGMA of -PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posted on by BSparkles

Hi friends.

Let’s get over “what other people think about us” as we cope with life and search for happiness. Victims of trauma must put “Stigma” on the backburner to heal. It’s important for us to acknowledge our struggles, process them, so we can move on and live in peace.

Not so long ago actions and reactions were cause for us to be labeled “crazies” and material for mental institutions. Even during my career I worried that if the company found out much about my mental turbulence, I would get fired. But, there’s been a big shift!

Thankfully, The Mental Health Community has acknowledged PTSD, as a mental disorder which requires urgent care. Professionals agree that if feelings of traumas are not expressed and let go within a year, PTSD may develop.

People who experience any kind of TRAUMA- such as bullying, accidents, shootings, natural disasters, death, severe physical illnesses, divorces, rape, abortions, and loss of houses, child abuse, terrorism or war-MUST DEAL WITH THE EVENT IMMEDIATELY- NO MATTER WHAT THE CAUSE.

Right afterwards, we must acknowledge that something horrific happened to us and that our reactions are normal. We may be in shock, scream, and cry IT’S ALL OK. It’s important to talk to friends or professional and express our feelings.

Please know that if we don’t release hurtful feelings within 1 year, PTSD develops. We start to have a very negative outlook about ourselves, our life and the world, in general. This is no way to live.

Why let “Stigma” go? It is to save our lives. When we find our struggles are so unbearable we must find help. Here’s a glimpse of my life, of how I suffered and what finally worked for me.

On the outside, I wore a “Smiley Mask” and seemed to function OK in life and my beloved flight attendant career. On the inside I suffered from “unaware” Child Abuse PTSD until age 50. All my life I felt inner chaos, fear of people, unworthy, unwanted and unloved, all alone, helpless and hopeless. I began “Looking for Love in all the wrong places,” outside of me and medicated the pain with alcohol.

During that dark time I got divorced and felt like a total failure. I placed blame on everyone but me. I even blamed God and put “the punishing God” on the backburner for 20 years. The action made life even more miserable.

I’ll never forget how my dear friend, Linda, came to the rescue and caused me to have a “wake-up call” when I was 45. She knew I didn’t have a relationship with God. Hesitantly, she told me that she was once in the same place as I was. She said, “A friend gave me a Daily Prayer booklet which changed my life, and now I’d like to do the same for you.”

Linda stuck a daily devotional pamphlet into my purse. She suggested I read one page a day. I did. Every day I was infused with hope and love. I did this for 5 years and made many life-style changes.

Most importantly my mind was opened to an all-loving God. When I had Child Abuse Recall God helped me seek a therapist and face the pain of my childhood. PTSD Recovery deepened my spiritual journey for the last 30 years.

Set Your PTSD Free and live in Harmony!

DEDICATED TO MY PTSD HERO

Posted on by BSparkles

This Blog is to honor my PTSD HERO: Michele Rosenthal Award-Nominated Author, Speaker, Post-Trauma CoachFounder, www.HealMyPTSD.com; Radio Host, CHANGING DIRECTION; Author, BEFORE THE WORLD INTRUDED: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future

Hi dear Readers. I am Bettina “Sparkles” and I desire that my writings can play a small part in the prevention of Child Abuse as well as help others to turn their lives around SOONER than I did. Fifty years I was NOT “aware” of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD. Many false ideas and beliefs (FIBS) caused me to carry burdens of anger, depression, resentment, insecurity, failed relationships and many other fears. I was unhappy and thought “that’s the way life is.”

Not true! We’re all empowered to heal mental, emotional, and spiritual struggles, right here and right now. I turned my life around and you can, too!

I open my heart to you in my first book, FLYING WITH GOD, Putting on a Happy Face. The memoir reveals two trauma whammies, first, growing up in Germany during WWII, and second, being abused by a family member. All unexpressed hurtful feelings were forgotten and buried deep inside the bunker of my mind.

Yet, wearing a happy facade, I was able to function in life, explore America, my new home, and serve with pride in my “stewardess” profession of 38 years. No one knew that all the time I was smiling on the outside, I was actually miserable and crying on the inside.

FLYING WITH GOD is an easy read, revealing airline scoop about “the early days of flying.” It’s a personal as well as historical perspective which can be enjoyed by old and new flyers, people of all ages, and even potential flight attendants. Vintage photos are included.

I was also guided to write another book, SET YOUR PTSD FREE, 7 Effective Ways to Heal Trauma. The mini self-help book starts with a short narrative of my Child Abuse Recall which led to diagnosis of PTSD and moves on with the sequence of recovery processes and tools which worked for me.

As I learned to heal conflicting, self-defeating thoughts in my mind, I grew in spiritual understanding. The healing gave me a sense of “who” I am and “why” I am here, and has given me inner peace and appreciation for life. I am more content now than I have ever been before and wouldn’t change any of the ups and downs of my entire life.

In SET YOUR PTSD FREE, you’ll note my drastic transformation, which I’d like to pass on with my articles, blogs, books and mentoring. I’m most grateful that I recovered from my old wounds, and that I can write about my pain of the past “without hurting anymore.”

SET YOUR PTSD FREE AND LIVE IN HARMONY.

http:setyourptsdfree.com