I can understand why you feel very isolated right now. I imagine the main concern when this incident happened was not about your mental state, but rather your physical state - making sure you hadn't broken anything were unconscious etc. I'm so glad you are ok and nothing serious came of it. You're part of a church group, right? Don't you see this as a blessing from God that you survived? That's how I would think if I were you.

Your parents would only blow it over because they no longer see it as a problem - terrible accident = you survived. They wouldn't really know what to say to make things better, but the point is all they would have to do is reassure you and listen. Parents sometimes believe something more is expected of them like advice, but in this case you just want a hug and to be told everything is going to be ok. Might help with some of your nightmares, if you could talk to someone about this. How about a counsellor or close friend?

It really depends on the length of these nightmares last and how long they last in your day to day life, but could possibly be a sign of PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder. I would say this is pretty extreme though. The main thing you need right now is to talk to someone about this. You'll feel a lot better. Try and distract yourself and get back out there seeing friends and spending time with family. Don't let this be a reason to cut yourself off. You just need to raise awareness and with that comes understanding. As it stands, only the church group are aware of the true extent of this frightening accident. You just need to reach out. And see this as God's work the fact you survived!

Good luck, and feel free to PM me anytime

Posted at 3:27 am on July 7, 2010

There is no doubt that this experienced affected you. However, after a traumatizing experience where you are faced with the idea of death, it is common to dwell on it. It forces you to deal with a fact that you have not yet had a chance to seriously and realistically think about it.

Feeling scared or depressed is normal after something like this, and if I were you I wouldn't be too worried. It hasn't been to long, and this may be on your mind for a while longer. But the more you think about it, the more comfortable you will become with the idea and it will simply become an experience. What you learn from this experience is based on your own perceptions and thoughts; thinking about the experience isn't the worst thing in the world.

If you truly feel that these feelings are becoming overwhelming to the point where they are unbearable, I would suggest talking to some sort of counselor. This shouldn't be something to become a major taproot into something bigger. That should be avoided.

As for your parents and family, you really don't know how they will react unless you tell them. Even if you slip it into a casual conversation, read their response, and judge whether or not you can delve further into the topic. This isn't something we want to repress and possibly cause further damage.

But in all honesty, I don't think it's much of a worry. It's natural to feel insecure or unsure about things after being faced with such an experience. Time will probably heal this one.
Good luck. :)

-MissLithium

Posted at 8:45 pm on July 6, 2010