FEAR, PTSD, and the Abused Woman (Part 1 of Fear) (2 Tim. 1:7)

FEAR!!
Have you ever lived with fear? Real fear! The fear that makes your heart race, your hands shake, and makes you want to run and hide. The fear where you are constantly looking over your shoulder. The fear where your eyes search across parking lots looking for certain vehicles before you stop. The fear that even a phone ringing with a certain number on caller ID will send you into a panic. Panic! That’s the name. A fear so intense that a panic response is triggered by something that most people would not even think about…Followed by uncontolled periods of crying…
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Most people have not experienced this feeling.. its a feeling of being out of control of your own bodys responses. Many would not even give something a second thought, but an abuse victim knows. They may see something moved outside where they knew they didnt put it or something at their door for no explained reason. But they know…they know that their abuser has been watching, waiting, and lurking outside their homes.

Crazy? Some people may think so and sometimes the victims thinks so too. But this is the response resulting after abuses, after death threats, and all the traumas that the victim has endured. Some therapist call it “post-traumatic stress disorder”. Some may call them depressed. However, the victim knows! She has seen him lose control and attack her and she avoids it at all cost. Her responses are totally involuntary..its a fear that triggers a panic response. In fact, statistics show that more women suffer from PTSD from abuse, than the soldiers fighting in a war. I know how consuming this fear is. I lived with it. I can also tell you that God heals and He delivers from evil. I can also tell you that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Tim.1:7) I thank God for healing me!