Page 627 - Total War on PTSD

all separated. It was the safest way but then we were unable to find one of our friends again, and we have not heard from him since."
When Lobsang arrived in Dharamsala, he was welcomed into one of the local monasteries with a letter from a previous teacher that he had carried with him. While this was comforting, he still struggled to re-establish himself in a new city, as a refugee monk. Lobsang had to work very hard to prove himself and to keep up with his studies. He also had to learn English, do many new chores unfamiliar to him, and overcome the great loneliness that he felt. Lobsang succeeded, yet it seemed to take a great toll on his health. Constant overwork, worry, and denying himself simple pleasures for months on end ultimately led to the worsening of his symptoms.
Lobsang’s physical symptoms are common for rLung Imbalance. He complains of physical pain traveling throughout his body, like small lightning shocks with an odd sensation of numbness in his skin. When he awakens during the night from pain, he is unable to go back to sleep. He also tells us of severe constriction at the nape of his neck and a feeling of fullness in his chest, as though he cannot breathe. It helps him to take in large gulps of air, and to arch his back, stretch, and release the feeling of tightness around his chest. When he experiences the heart palpitations, the constriction in his voice and in his chest, as well as the pain in his neck, all intensify. Sometimes the worsening mental anxiety and the painful bodily sensations hurl him into a full-blown panic attack. The “time” when rLung symptoms are usually at their worst is at dawn and dusk, when Lobsang feels the most anxiety. He also complains of epigastric pain, gurgling in his stomach, and acid indigestion. This happens when he forgets to eat.
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