An Interview with a Survivor of PTSD

I had an opportunity to ask the author of My Journey to Peace with PTSD, Lady Cerelli, some questions about her personal experience and her fascinating answers are below.

Why did you write this book?
Why is any book written? This book wrote itself: first as a sequence of traumas; second as a look at the changes after the traumas and how I was set up for the rape in the military; third as a counselor so others may see what PTSD looks like from the inside as well as on the outside. Most importantly, it helped me to heal. It was a matter of doing the homework I gave to my clients.

What did you learn from your experience that can help other PTSD sufferers?.
One does not experience PTSD. It isn’t something that happens overnight, but over time, subtly. The diagnosis comes when things go awry and cannot be explained. I cannot put into just a few words what I learned from my side as the victim. As a Spiritual Counselor, I questioned Viet Nam vets years ago to discern why some came back from war diagnosed PTSD and others not. I discovered those diagnosed PTSD were traumatized in their childhood; and those not diagnosed PTSD were not pre-traumatized. In the book, as a victim and a counselor, I was able to put the PTSD symptoms to the DSM-IV Criteria used for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and more.

I can share that had it not been for the flashback and writing my book, I would not have understood what had happened and the why of it all. I would not have been steered towards going back to the beginning and connecting everything to the present. This gave me the information and the courage I needed to change what I could, accept what I could not. One has to heal once there is understanding. But one needs to realized that the five stages after death will come into play: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. One does not heal without any or all of these steps.

What makes this book unique?
Every counselor or therapist who has read the book has learned information that was not available to them. Over 30 years ago, my methods of treating traumas through journaling and connecting with the senses during the trauma has been discovered by very few. I was told this method was cutting-edge. For a couple of weeks CNN had a severe PTSD victim share his ability to heal by journaling. Several have learned to do this from inner direction. I have other readers journaling their life right now and have amazed their therapists with their rapid healing. There is a technique in connecting the journaling to the senses and is shared through one-on-one. Once shared, the client can use it with their friends, family, etc. It’s a tool that can be used throughout their lifetime for addressing traumas immediately after they happen to help prevent the trauma from cementing into the psyche. The book also helps family members of a PTSD victim to understand what is going on. Relationships often break up more often because of the inability to understand what is going on or if it is felt there is no hope. The book offers hope and understanding.

What are the 4 most important points you can share about PTSD?
Point 1: Anyone can be a victim of PTSD; not just war veterans. Point 2: No matter how severe, there is a way of putting the flashbacks where they belong. Point 3: Anyone who has PTSD, has been either pre-traumatized prior to the incident that gave them PTSD, or has experienced the same trauma over and over again, as in numerous beatings, abuse, blown up bodies, etc. Point 4: No matter the abuse or the scenario that created a PTSD victim, the behavior disorders are pretty much the same in nearly everyone. This has come back to me from readers over and over again.

Aside from this book, what other products and services do you offer?
My path has taken me back to natural healing and I have enrolled in a school of natural medicine, specializing in trauma - past and present. We have a DVD, Dance of Release (DOR), for sale on Amazon and once I get my button fixed on our website, it will be for sale on our site. The DOR, through Qi Gong movements, opens doors of the Chakras to allow one to express themselves, not only through stress-releasing movements, but through heart, throat, and emotions, etc. We are looking to offering weekend retreats next year that will include using the third-view perspective of dealing with traumas and finish the retreat by making masks of empowerment. It, tentatively, will be a weekend of sharing, looking at and empowering oneself. This will depend on my two other colleagues and their schedules. I also hope to be offering alternative methods to dealing with stress and trauma, through other websites, blogs, our site, etc. A lot of options are opening up right now and I’m looking at each one.

You can purchase your own copy of My Journey to Peace with PTSD at http://www.peacewithptsd.org/e-commerce-solutions-catalog.html* Disclaimer: The information provided herein this book should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition, or during any medical emergency. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only — they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.

Yesterday the blog tour stopped at Polka Dot Banner with Jamie Saloff
The blog tour continues with Heidi Richards Mooney at WE Magazine for Women on the 17th.