"PTSD: The invisible weight of trauma".
Immerse yourself in Gaëlle's poignant testimony, as she shares her struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder that occurred in 2019. Having just been hired by Zoé4life and her daughter going into remission after two harrowing years of cancer treatment, Gaëlle was faced with an unexpected upheaval.
"PTSD... shall we talk about it? Post-traumatic stress disorder, that's what I'm ready to talk about today."
After that, the attacks recurred. In the car, at work, at home, I lived each day with palpitations, pain, and this dull fear that my body would give out on me.
I couldn't sleep. The doctors spoke of depression or burn-out, but none of this resonated with me. I felt alone, misunderstood, trapped in an evil I couldn't name.
Then one day, in a psychiatrist's waiting room, I read an article on post-traumatic stress. In a few lines, everything became clear. I had a flash: the tunnels, the neon lights, the thud of car wheels on asphalt... Everything took me back to that night in 2017, when I'd learned that my daughter was seriously ill. My brain was confusing this traumatic past with the present.
Thanks to EMDR, I began to unravel these memories. I learned that my daughter was no longer in danger, that I could stop living in survival mode. But it was a long, hard road. It took me a long time to accept that I was suffering from post-traumatic shock, a condition that is often invisible and little understood.
"Today, it's not all behind me. My body still sends me alerts when I exceed my limits. But I've learned to listen to these signs, recognize them, accept them and live with them."
PTSD can affect anyone, at any time, even years after a traumatic event. That's why I've decided to share my story: so that others will feel less alone and dare to ask for help. Take care of yourself. Don't minimize your suffering. You're stronger than you think.
