Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Trauma is any event that overwhelms the central nervous system and results in emotional, cognitive, and physiological effects. This changes the way you remember and react to the event itself, since a traumatized nervous system is very sensitive to any future events that are similar including sights, sounds, feelings, or smells that may remind you of the original trauma. This is often referred to as a “trigger” or “triggering” stimulus, and may be either conscious, or unconscious.
Traumatic events may include physical abuse, sexual abuse (including military sexual trauma), emotional abuse, severe neglect, early childhood events, traumatic grief, or military combat. Trauma may also result from an accident, medical procedure, refugee status, or natural disaster. Exposure to such an event, often times results in an initial shock and denial. Although this reaction is typical, it may ultimately result in an emotional or physical disconnection from yourself, leaving you feeling that you are unable to manage life in general. This is due to longer term reactions from trauma including; unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, irritability, depression, lack of interest in doing things you used to enjoy, difficulty with memory, difficulty concentrating, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, fatigue or chronic pain. While these symptoms are normal reactions to an abnormal experience, some people have difficulty moving on with their lives.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop in some people after exposure to extremely traumatic events. People with PTSD may relive the event via intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares; avoid anything that reminds them of the original trauma; and have anxious feelings they didn’t have before. These may be so intense their lives are disrupted.
A wide variety of symptoms may be signs that you are experiencing PTSD. The following are some of the most common symptoms of PTSD that you or those around you may have noticed:
- Feeling upset by things that remind you of what happened
- Having nightmares, vivid memories, or flashbacks of the event that make you feel like it’s happening all over again.
- Feeling emotionally cut off from others
- Feeling numb or losing interest in things you used to care about
- Feeling constantly on guard
- Feeling irritated or having angry outbursts
- Having difficulty sleeping
- Having trouble concentrating
- Being jumpy or being easily startled
It is not only the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, but how you may react to them that can disrupt your life. You may:
- Frequently avoid places or things that remind you of what happened
- Consistently drink alcohol or use drugs, develop eating disorders, or other addictions to numb your feelings
- Consider harming yourself or others
- Start working all the time to occupy your mind
- Pull away from other people and become isolated
If you are experiencing signs of PTSD, you don’t just have to live with it. Current research has dramatically increased our understanding of what causes PTSD and how to treat it. We have helped veterans and civilians find significant relief from their symptoms, and we can help you too!
The most effective treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy, which may be combined with the use of medications. Professional therapy can help you understand your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. You can not only heal from your past wounds but learn new skills and transform, instead of simply “coping” with them.
We can also help you modify your lifestyle to improve your quality of life. These include healthy eating to get the proper nutrition; sleep hygiene to help improve sleep and reduce nightmares, exercising to help reduce physical tension; understanding your triggers so that your friends and family can be told when certain places or activities make you uncomfortable, and helping you reconnect with your community.
There is hope and support in helping you get your life back on track.