Hi all. I have civilian PTSD. Therapy has been very helpful for me. I used to have really vivid, violent dreams. I would wake up sweating with my heart beating wildly and confused about where I was. I dream in color and feel every emotion. Through therapy, I learned to interrupt my dreams, to be able to tell myself it is just a dream and switch to a better dream. At first I used to wake up and have to try to get back to sleep. But now I can transfer to a better dream. When I am awake, I used to have triggers. They would make me feel enraged or really sad and scared. Sometimes I would lash out and be angry at someone who had nothing to do with the real reason I was feeling angry. Or I would just start sobbing seemingly for no reason anyone could tell. My therapist taught me how to see the trigger as not real and not harmful. Hard to explain. My therapist said it is like a light switch and a light bulb. The "trigger" would switch the light bulb on. I learned that the switch and light bulb would always be there, but a trigger no longer had the power to "flip the switch to on." I don't know if that makes sense to anyone, but it really made sense to me. I still have nightmares at times and I still have triggers, but my reaction to them are really different now. I am much more comfortable and confident in my ability to stay calm or not fall apart than I used to be. It takes finding the right therapist. I have been through several therapist. I learned something from all of them. I used things that worked for me and ignored the rest. The one therapist did the most for me. I learned the most from him and found the most peace. It is a shame therapy can be so hard at times. At least for me. I have found that if I don't feel comfortable or trusting or respectful of the therapist, it does me no good. A few of them I should have moved on from much sooner than I did! At any rate, I am proof to not give up!