About Gezinta
Traumatic events- and the symptoms of PTSD, quietly but efficiently wreck lives- not just the life of the sufferer, but to some extent those around them too. Damaged people damage unless they can find healing to live a positive life.
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There’s no big bang, visible army approaching, or any tangible immediate threat, unwanted consequences simply surreptitiously seeps into the psyche after a trauma is experienced. Experts on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- or PTSD as it is more commonly known, recognise that trauma triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response that plays out differently in each individual. Victims remaining frozen in the fear and anguish long after the danger has been removed, are often caught up in the grips of debilitating symptoms..
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With no hard and fast timeline, identifying when PTSD has set-in is part of the game that it plays as it interferes with daily life, disrupting to the core. Depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are often part of the deal but to be diagnosed, the symptoms of PTSD must be experienced for at least a month. The prognosis is reliant on an individual’s ability to cope with stress. Healing and recovery take different people down different paths.
Finding ways to heal from an onslaught that resulted in PTSD that ravaged my former life, I turned to writing to make ends meet. It quickly became an obsession that wasn’t lucrative, but offered unimaginable rewards. And as the many moments in my past that I had found myself lost in writing seeped back into my consciousness, the small steps I had taken on my healing journey- finding faith, practicing mindfulness, and entrenching gratitude into my daily life, sharply defined the meaning of my own life. Every hurdle, every attack on me, every time I had been knocked down became an element that shaped me, a lesson to learn, or a nudge- or shove, onto the right path.
The word Gezinta means "Health" in German- based on the word "gezund(heid)". Also made famous by the character Jethro Bodine in the American situation comedy The Beverly Hillbillies, the word gazinta is a phonetic used to describe something that goes into another thing. My late father’s version- ‘gezinta,” was one of the many dad words and phrases he used, and this one covered just about anything you couldn’t remember the name of. The name of a specialised bowl- a gezinta, because it gezinta the oven, the part of the equipment that’s broken is also a gezinta because it definitely gezinta another part to make the machine work. It has endless applications, each one perfectly valid.
Yiddish dictionaries define gezinta as meaning “healthy.” Occasionally a term of endearment it's an affectionate term for a big healthy, sexy lady. The synchronicity of a word that means health or healthy- the ultimate goal of this site, the familiarity it brings of a much loved family member who departed the Earth, and the inherent quality of every aspect of life that gezinta stands for is the genesis of the name. Identifying as a Christian, I have found that life is about connection to God (or the One you recognize as your Higher Power), and to others, not through a shared religion, but a shared humanity, a soul connection with others that defies race, religion, or geographical location. And overarching all, is is Higher Power who loves each one of us despite our flaws and mistakes.
Not a psychologist, I am certified as a life coach, but am in essence a human being that- with the help of God and some beautiful souls, found healing, and am sharing the experiences I hope can help others to not only heal, but to unravel the past and rework it into a meaningful, blessed life.
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Blessed with people in my life who love me, pray for me, and believe in me, this is my way of paying their generosity forward.
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Please note: The content and advice on this website is intended to be thought-provoking and inspirational. It is not intended as professional advice and the author urges readers who are struggling with PTSD, depression, or any other issue to seek professional help.
What goes into Gezinta
Bee on a sunflower
