Loneliness, Self-Consciousness, and PTSD: A Therapist’s Diary
Author(s): Ben Mijuskovic
Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may represent the most extreme manifestation of loneliness, distinguished by its enduring intensity, emotional paralysis, and deep sense of abandonment and betrayal. In incest-related trauma, these dynamics are intensified as the collapse of intimacy and trust creates an existential isolation inseparable from the disorder itself. This essay examines a clinical case in which the victim’s inability to meet the unrealistic and coercive demands of her father destroyed her capacity for agency and hope. The analysis highlights how conceptual understanding alone fails to overcome the immobilization that follows profound betrayal. Healing, therefore, requires not only cognitive insight but the gradual reestablishment of trust in others, which fosters renewed self-trust and emotional coherence. PTSD, in this view, emerges as both a disorder of trauma and of profound disconnection from the interpersonal foundations of meaning and safety.
Keywords: PTSD; Loneliness; Betrayal trauma; Incest; Trust; Trauma recovery; Emotional paralysis; Interpersonal isolation
Article: e19002
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