How to help someone who has PTSD.
Those of us who have PTSD, especially from sexual assault, are at times difficult to love and be intimate with because our symptoms are sometimes very overwhelming.   Because we change when the symptoms take over our behavior, It's not going to be the same as before and that's what we are trying to return to some sense of normalcy.  I know dealing with me isn't easy whether its at home, the gym, vacation, or at work, but just know that I am trying hard to push through.  I hate what is happening to me and my relationships just as much as my loved ones hate the moodiness, distance, isolation, and depression and anxiety they see in me.  That is why it is so important to have some loved ones be a partner in my recovery.  It's just nice to be loved and know that someone actually cares about getting you better no matter how long it takes.

PTSD can take a heavy toll on even the best relationships and it can be hard for you spouse to understand why you are less affectionate, to include a general lack of interest in sex or not being able to perform when you're in the throes of passion. This is why many male sexual trauma victims have trouble in this area of their life, because of what happened to them has been emblazoned indelibly in their psyche.  Trust me, I want to have sex, but sometimes it just doesn't work and that can make your spouse pissed. Besides the handful of pills, we take every day to manage the depression, anxiety, sleep and PTSD wreak havoc on your body.  Is this reward worth the risk?  I ask myself that question every day. But what I personally need is to be just held and cuddled and that can be very intimate with your spouse.  If we were to take a baby and withhold affection from it we'd be arrested for child neglect, but when couples neglect each other affections, that's just another day that someone is too busy to care.  Just love each other, it works.