A Journey From PTSD to Healing - Simone

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to the Angita podcast about how I survive the series. In these mental health episodes, I'm creating a space for real conversations about the things we often keep to ourselves, our struggles, our healing, and the stories that shape who we are. Hello, welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today on another mental health discussion. Um, before we begin, can you give yourself a little introduction?

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Hi, thank you so much for having me. Yes, um, my name is Simone Schwartz. I am a mental health advocate, a coach, an author, a nonprofit, founder, a mother, and a PTSD expert.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Wow, awesome. Thanks for the introduction. Um, so the goal of this podcast is to talk about personal stories on mental health. Um, what what is your journey like with mental health?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

My journey has led me to 20 years of finding solutions for for mental health. Um, I didn't just become a PTSD expert from you know from reading a book. I lived it firsthand. I was sexually assaulted in the army, and that led to me suffering from PTSD and being undiagnosed with PTSD for a number of years until my symptoms really caught up with me. Um, and I was living really unhealthy and and not knowing why. Um, my PTSD ended up coming to a head when you know I was drinking and I was avoiding social um interactions, you know, the public, going out in public, um, and really just finding um solace and in drinking and um adrenaline-seeking behavior, right? And and I realized, you know, this is no way to live. And that's when I ended up going to a vet center that gives free counseling to veterans and their family members. And we ended up talking about my military career, and I realized that the sexual assault was not my fault and that it caused PTSD. And that's why I was living the way I was. It wasn't a problem with me. It was that my body and my mind were dealing with trauma and I was trying to avoid it. So when I ended up getting in counseling and doing some self-healing and actually addressing the trauma, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, right? I was able to move on, move past that. Um, and here 20 years later, I've founded a nonprofit, Service Dog Strong, which gives sexual assault survivors PTSD service dogs. And ever since exiting that nonprofit, um, now I have come up with a book that has encompassed all the healing modalities that I used and other modalities that are out there and available. There are a lot of solutions to PTSD, and my book and workbook uh highlight all of that. So I I wanted other people's mental health journey to be quicker and more effective and not have to take them 20 years like it did me to find solutions.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

Oh wow, I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Um, I always love seeing people who turn their negative experiences into something positive, especially when helping other people. So that's awesome. I'm just curious, even as a PTSD expert, do you still have days where you struggle? Like, are you still affected by the aftermath of your trauma?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Yes, so the last step in healing um is giving back. And you know, that's where I'm I'm at now is that I have overcome so much. And to maintain my healthy lifestyle, if I don't give back and be involved in community, um then my health is is not as good, right? And I tell people, um, you know, you don't have to start a nonprofit, but your last step in healing is getting back in the community and and giving back some way, and especially sharing your story can be really helpful, but you don't have to do that. Um, you know, just getting to the point where you know you feel like your your life has value, that's that's a true healing. Um, where you realize, okay, where I've been is not where I'm going, and that I I have more positive things to give the world. Um but yeah, the the struggle of PTSD is real. Um I I thank God every day that I don't have the daily struggles that I used to. Um I would say that there are hard days, but they're nothing like it was in the beginning when I was first discharged from the army. I would say my struggles are on a different level now. Um you know, back in the beginning uh of my my trauma history, I you know, I I couldn't cease. I what what would trigger me was somebody in a military uniform, right? That would bring up all kinds of thoughts and uncomfortable flashbacks. Um, you know, now I'm speaking to veterans, you know, or uh military members. So seeing military uniforms um has flipped to to be something positive now, and and it's not triggering. You know, now uh my hard days are um are dealing with, okay, you know, well, I don't want to, you know, I don't want to get up, I don't want to do this, uh, but not because of my trauma, right? Just because of, oh, maybe I'm tired, you know, from from doing this thing or working out so hard. You know, my my trauma uh now is is much more manageable, you know, my my reactions are much more manageable. Um it's it's on a whole different level now that I was able to you know find the solutions to to the military sexual trauma. Um I I would say that you know trauma transforms. And of course, there's some days that I regret that the trauma happened to me, but it's you know, I I've made peace with it, I've made peace with my life, and um it really is not uh a bother to me um that that incident. So I would say that you know, hope for anybody out there is that you know, whatever trauma you've been through, there there's a better life for you if you keep focusing on your healing.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Well, I'm glad you were able to heal a little bit from your trauma. Now I know everyone has their own coping systems when it comes to mental health. Um, would you say that in helping other people that's your coping system? Or do you have other strategies as well?

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Yes, I have many strategies that I use, and this is why I wrote my book because it's much more than one therapy or one way for healing from PTSD, and it actually involves way more than just one, right? Traditional talk therapy is wonderful, but it can plateau, and it's really not the full uh solution. PTSD is not only mental, but it's physical, it's spiritual, it's social, and it's a financial uh trauma as well. So PTSD has to be attacked on all of those levels to really achieve true um you know overcoming of symptoms. But yeah, my like I said, the last part of your healing journey is you know to give back or to be re you know, reintroduced to society, be in a some kind of social, um a comfortable, safe social uh environment for you. So that's that's a you know the last, I would say the last part um of PTSD healing. But a big big therapy for me has been exercise. If I did not maintain a consistent exercise program, then I would not be feeling um as healthy and as well, and I would have not had my healing as quick as I did if I did not take care of my body as well. Um, exercise naturally releases oxytocin, um and serotonin, and lots of you know, feel-good chemicals that you can get pharmaceutically or you can get naturally by going for a run, doing you know, martial arts, doing some exercise. So I a hundred percent recommend incorporating some kind of physical activity on top of you know your talk therapy or uh other therapies that you're doing for PTSD. Physical exercise is a huge coping mechanism. When I'm having a rough day, if I do 20 push-ups, right? If I if I'm having an anxiety attack or something, and I I get down and do 20 push-ups, wow, I mean you you can't tell me you're still as anxious, right? You're getting all that um energy out in a positive way, and it's really, really healing for the body and the mind.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Yeah, it's not the first time I hear of this. Um, many people have told me that physical activity does help mental health. On a personal note, I've been through my own um share of uh trauma and anxieties, and I do agree that if I do physical activity, I do feel better. Now you mentioned that you published a book. Is it an autobiography?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Yes, not only is the exercise connection um you can feel it, it's you know scientifically proven that PTSD sufferers recover quicker when there is an physical exercise um added into their regimen. So yeah, it's it's scientifically proven that that it helps mental health. Um, and my book is actually not a memoir. Um, I did that on purpose because um I don't want people with trauma to reread my trauma, right? My book is a simple step-by-step guide on PTSD recovery. So I might be coming out with a memoir later, but right now my book and workbook is a simple solution where people can get started to find a complete list of therapies available today for PTSD. I list FDA approved, non-fDA approved, um Eastern medicine, Western medicine, all modalities in one place so people can easily find solutions and see what they want to try without reading somebody else's uh trauma and things like that. So yeah, it's it's was more of a solution-based um book and workbook where there's there's really the literature out there on PTSD is mainly written from medical professionals who don't have the lived life experience. And so that's what makes my book different as well, is that it's coming from somebody who has been there and I've done the research and I've you know had the nonprofit and seen these solutions work. So that that's what my book is. It's a step-by-step guide with no fluff, um, just straight solutions on what people can try for PTSD.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Oh wow, I'd love to check it out at some point. Now, what would you tell the version of yourself that was traumatized? Like, what would you tell your younger self in knowing what you know now?

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Thank you so much. Yeah, uh the book and the workbook are on Amazon and also a link on my website. Um, but I love that question. What would I tell myself now, knowing what I know? Um, what would I tell my younger self? So I would tell my younger self that sexual assault is not your fault, that recovery is possible, and that you're here for a reason, and that your trauma doesn't define you, and that you your life can be much greater and happier than than the trauma that you've endured and that PTSD is treatable.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Yeah, I agree that trauma is not defined by who you are. Um I know it's hard, especially in the beginning, to overcome that part and to realize that it's not your fault. Part of me also believes that things happen for a reason. Many people agree to that. Um, is that something that you agree to as well?

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Yeah, so I do agree that trauma doesn't define who you are, but uh I will say that things the statement that things happen for a reason is is not accurate in in my sense. Okay. Um, you know, I don't think I was put here on this earth to be hurt, you know, to so what happens in that statement though is that I found a reason to turn my assault into something that can help others. So in that, turning the pain into purpose, that was my reason. But I don't think the actual violation of another human being, I don't think that has any purpose at all. Um, but you know, for in order for me to keep going and to not let that trauma be my end all and be all, I had to make and find a purpose, a new purpose for my life. And so that's uh where the healing, the self-healing comes in, where you purposely put some positivity into your life because I say trauma creates more trauma. Trauma doesn't make you stronger, okay. Trauma is pain, trauma causes more trauma, financial insecurity, trouble with relationships, all this. But if you can get to a healing point, then you can turn your trauma and make it into a purposeful um mission for you. Or, you know, like I say, you don't have to always start a nonprofit and do speaking work about your trauma. But if you can just heal and be comfortable with what you know what has happened and give your life a new purpose of being the healthiest person you're gonna be, then you're impacting the people around you with purpose because you're not caring around that trauma. You know, you're being the best parent you can be, you're being the best friend you can be, the best coworker you can be. And that can right there just be your purpose. That you're not re-traumatizing people because you're not healed, and you're not spreading hate and discontent because you're feeling hate and discontent inside because of what happened to you. So just that healing yourself can be your purpose. If you want to take it to the next level, or or if you feel compelled to tell your story, then that's wonderful too. That can help a lot of people. And I really encourage survivors to tell their story because the more survivors that speak out, the less comfortable predators will have to act on their behaviors. They'll know that they're going to be called out immediately. And I hope that deters predators the more that survivors speak out, but you know, only do so when you're at a comfortable and healthy level and with support. But you know, speaking out is is important.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Oh wow. Um, I like that interpretation. So it's not the pain that happened for a reason. Um, it's more what happens after, which is finding new purpose and helping others. I like that. Is there any advice you can give someone who's going through trauma right now?

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Yes, I always say that you have to put positivity into your life. It's not just gonna happen, and I think that's why a lot of the therapies and the mental health outlooks can seem so so grim, and why a lot of people do fall victim um to mental health is because they're not putting action behind it. Um you know, like I said, trauma makes more trauma. So negativity is you know, a snowball is gonna be more negative, but you have to purposely rise up and put some purposeful positivity in your life, whether that's doing an activity that you like, starting a new activity that you might like, you know, making new relationships, getting to that point where you do feel comfortable making new relationships, going and doing different things. So, you know, you have to purposely put positivity in your life. But I would say to anyone struggling with mental health, please know you're not alone. And also know that if you're a sexual assault survivor, you know, you're not alone. I am such a big advocate on speaking out because trauma and sexual assault and PTSD can feel so isolating because it's so personally draining. But there are many recovery stories out there, and it happens to so many of us, unfortunately. Sexual assault is the stats just reported are one in three women and one in four men have been assaulted. Um, and PTSD can be acquired by combat in the military or combat in our American streets, witnessing violence, gun violence, domestic violence. So there's so many of us that have been through traumatic things and could be carrying PTSD and not want to talk about it and get help, but it's much more common than you think. And the solutions and the recovery is much more common than you think. So that's where you know you have to step into your power and take your power back and decide am I gonna let the future, you know, my future years all be revolved around this trauma I've been through? Am I gonna create something positive and different with my life? So that's what I would tell them.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

I think realizing that you're not alone is definitely great advice. Um, listen, I'll end it here. Thank you so much for joining me today. Um, I think many of my listeners are gonna get a lot from today's episode. Um, keep doing what you're doing and helping people and take care.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Thank you so much. Yes, this was a nice episode. Um, definitely send me the link. I appreciate you so much for having me on your show. Thank you so much.