Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Trauma

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop following a traumatic event that threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless. It affects those who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including emergency workers and law enforcement officers. It even occurs in friends or family members of those who went through the actual trauma.

PTSD is a response by normal people to an abnormal situation. The traumatic events that lead to PTSD are usually overwhelming and frightening that they would upset anyone. When your sense of safety and trust is shattered, it’s normal to feel crazy, disconnected or numb. The difference between people who go to go on to develop PTSD and those who don’t is how they cope with their trauma.

Symptoms of PTSD are numerous and include:

• Increased arousal (difficulty falling/staying asleep, irritability/angry outbursts, hypervigilance, feeling jumpy or easily startled)

• Avoidance and emotional numbing (inability to remember important aspects of the trauma, loss of interest in activities and life in general, feelings of detachment/numbness, sense of limited future).

• Anger and irritability

• Guilt, shame or self-blame

• Depression and hopelessness

• Suicidal thoughts and feelings

• Feeling alienated and alone

• Feelings of mistrust and betrayal

• Headaches, stomach problems or chest pain

 The sooner PTSD is confronted, the easier it is to overcome. PTSD is not a sign of weakness. I will help you confront what happened to you, overcome it and learn to accept it as part of your past. Doing so will improve your ability to function, the quality of your life and relationships.