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NMLady's avatar

Person with PTSD here. I agree with so much of what you've written.

Trauma memes are part of a larger problem in which laypeople start support groups - IRL and online - without any professional training or licensing of any kind. At first, peer support sounds like a great thing. You think, what's the harm? Who doesn't want to meet people with the same kinds of experiences? But you soon find out that putting your mental health into the hands of laypeople is a very risky proposition. I have found this to be the case in such lay-led groups as 12-step groups (in which I've been told to go off my psych meds), abuse survivor groups (in which I've been told that my anger is a Bad Thing), and grief support groups (in which I've been told that I will grieve for the rest of my life). On top of that, you have survivor support groups on Facebook, in which people constantly reinforce their trauma and victimization. None of it is healthy or productive.

Leaving lay-led groups and social media has done wonders for my mental health. I will only put my trauma issues into the hands of a licensed professional, and no one else.

One thing I want to push back on a bit is the meme about enmeshment. That one rings very true to my experience, and I understand what it's saying. Of course, I learned about enmeshment from therapists and psychiatrists, not from online memes. But it resonated with me.

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Mitch Barrie's avatar

That Bryant McGill quotes sounds like a prescription to stay the hell off Twatter, Instagram and all other social media. The real world is hard enough for a lot of people; the online world is worse in almost every way.

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