Saturday 26 March 2016

Please help me find a PTSD-safe home

My name is Maya Posch. Over two years ago I fled the Netherlands, where I had suffered severe psychological and physical abuse during more than a decade [0]. I currently live and work in the city of Karlsruhe, in Germany, where I am still searching for a home where I can live and recover from this ordeal. Unfortunately these same traumas I am trying to recover from also prevent me from engaging in a stressful search for a new home.


Background:
I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder [1] and Dissociative Identity Disorder [2] since 2009, due to among other things long-term mistreatment by doctors and psychologists of my intersex [3] condition. Finally, I was also born with a sensory processing disorder [4], which implies that I suffer from hypersensitivity to sound and other sensory impressions, making it impossible for me to shut out or ignore sounds and motion in my environment.

In the current apartment I live in, there are regularly sudden sounds from people walking around on the floor above me, in the hallway, as well as sounds from people using the toilet and opening and closing doors and such. In addition the heating system is very noisy, emitting constant sharp, metal ticking [6]. Everything together means that I cannot shut out these sounds, which thus make me feel agitated and unsafe due to my traumas constantly being triggered.

For the past two years I have managed to live in this situation by sleeping with earplugs in, by using headphones a lot and by simply not being at the apartment as much as possible, but rather at the office and at the local hackerspace.


What I am looking for:
A place where I do not have people living above or below me, or share a hallway and such. A place which is quiet, without noise from the heating system or other sources. Basically a place where I can sleep without earplugs and read a book without having to wear headphones. Having a stress-free landlord unlike the current one would be very nice, too.

The place can be about an hour cycling from the center of Karlsruhe. Rent (including utilities) can be up to a thousand Euro per month (rather less, but it'd be worth it). My current apartment is 85 square meter, but I do not use the living room at all due to the noise issues, so 60 square meter or more should suffice. Finally I'd very much like to have a safe, dry place for my bicycle.


When do I need it:
Preferably as soon as possible, but my goal is to move before the end of 2016, before the noise from the heating system becomes so bad again.


Finally:
Thanks for reading this and thanks for caring :)


Maya


[0] http://mayaposch.com/media.php
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_disorder
[5] http://mayaposch.blogspot.de/2016/03/apartments-or-meaning-of-life.html
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EzwfL5IKXQ

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