Survivor Celebrates Trauma Anniversary with Online PTSD Community

Online, August 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Michele Rosenthal, a West Palm Beach resident, is celebrating an unusual anniversary: the day she survived a life-threatening trauma. While what she is celebrating may not be a typical milestone for most, her way of affirming life serves to benefit many people around the country who have a similar milestone to reconcile.

On August 31, 1981, Rosenthal was admitted to a hospital with the rare diagnosis of Stephens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS). A a severe allergic reaction to a medication that affects .5 people/million, SJS can leave a patient with as little as a 30% chance of survival. Rosenthal did survive, but after going through acute stress, she spent the next 25 years suffering with intense and disruptive psychological and emotional symptoms that were finally diagnosed as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

For trauma survivors, the anniversary of the day their world changed can be extremely painful. PTSD symptoms often increase, and on both conscious and subconscious levels survivors struggle to cope with memories and feelings they often can't control or explain. For example, on her trauma anniversary date each year during her 25 years of undiagnosed suffering, Rosenthal's insomnia increased and her hair shed massively and, according to all the doctors with whom she sought help, inexplicably.

Once she was properly diagnosed, Rosenthal went on a healing rampage. She took control of her recovery and is now PTSD-free. Today, Rosenthal is the founder of Heal My PTSD, LLC, (www.healmyptsd.com), and works as a Self-Empowered Healing Coach, helping survivors shift from powerless to powerful so they can progress their healing journey. Because dramatic responses to trauma anniversary dates are common among survivors, Rosenthal is using her own trauma anniversary to raise awareness and educate survivors on how to cope. "Since I healed from PTSD, my hair no longer falls out on my trauma anniversary and I sleep peacefully through the night, which means it is entirely possible to have a date on the calendar exist as nothing more than that, just a date like any other," says Rosenthal.

Rosenthal has chosen to bring awareness to this topic by way of special virtual celebratory venues and programs. The month-long virtual celebration, Celebrating the Joy of Survival: Coping with Trauma Anniversaries, offers trauma survivors many ways to participate, learn, and develop their own coping strategies with a calendar full of resources and discussion opportunities. According to Rosenthal, "The program is designed to give survivors ideas for how to deal with anniversary stress and also, how to redefine the date. For example, one survivor goes sky-diving on her anniversary as a way to imbue the day with a positive significance." The program will culminate on Rosenthal's actual trauma anniversary date when she hosts a live teleconference roundtable discussion with a panel of both civilian and veteran survivors and professionals.

The Joy of Survival
Slate of Events and Celebrations

Twitter Chat-Aug. 4 - Aug. 31
Let's "tweet" and talk about trauma survival and our anniversary date. Use the hashtag #TraumaAnniv so that we can converse on the topic. Follow us @healmypstd (http://twitter.com/healmyptsd) and @MichelePTSD (http://twitter.com/micheleptsd)

Facebook Chat-Aug. 1 - Aug. 31
Event updates and survivor inspiration and posts can be accessed daily and spread like wildfire by Facebook users at the Joy of Survival page: http://www.facebook.com/HealMyPTSDJoyOfSurvival

Anniversary Blog-Aug. 16 - Aug. 31
Weekly tips posted to the Heal My PTSD blog. Visit regularly for ideas to cope with and redefine trauma anniversaries. http://healmyptsd.com/2010/08/ptsd-survivors-speak-celebrating-the-joy-of-survival.html

Daily Tips in Your Inbox-Aug. 16 - Aug. 31
The Healing Thought of the Day will offer a "Tip a Day" by email. Register here: http://healmyptsd.com/healing

YouTube Videos - Aug. 4 - Aug. 31
Weekly videos give tips for how to cope with trauma anniversaries. See the event announcement here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXpR00--7bk

Roundtable Teleseminar-Aug.31, 8pm EST/5pm PST
Celebrating the Joy of Survival: Coping with Trauma Anniversaries is a free 45-minute live call designed to give survivors ideas for how to deal with anniversary stress and how to redefine the date. The call will feature a roundtable discussion of both civilian and veteran trauma survivors, healing professionals and advocates. Click here for panelist details, plus to register and receive information to accessing and participating on this live group phone call: http://www.healmyptsd.com/awareness/celebrating-the-joy-of-survival-coping-with-trauma-anniversaries

Michele Rosenthal is a trauma survivor who struggled with undiagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for 25 years. Today, Michele is 100% PTSD-free and the founder of Heal My PTSD, LLC, (http://www.healmyptsd.com) an advocacy organization for PTSD. She is also a Self-Empowered Healing Coach, helping survivors release fear, pain and stress so they can live with courage, confidence, and imagination. As a mental health advocate, public speaker, blogger, writer, workshop/seminar leader, certified professional coach, hypnotist, and practitioner of neuro-linguistic programming, Michele uses her personal experience, education, professional training and research to help others further their trauma and PTSD recovery. Michele also practices on the staff of a wellness center in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

For more information on the Joy of Survival programs or Heal My PTSD, LLC, please visit http://www.healmyptsd.com.