Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is an emotional disorder that results from a very frightening, life-threatening or highly stressful event or experience. Following the trauma, symptoms arise after a delay of anywhere from months to years later.
If you answer yes to one or more of the following questions and you’ve experienced a traumatic event or very stressful life experience, then you may be suffering from PTSD:
PTSD is not caused by weakness or personality flaws! It is the result of extraordinary stress.Here are some of the types of experiences that can trigger PTSD:
During a very stressful or life-threatening experience, our bodies go into survival mode. The fight or flight response kicks in, helping us to respond to the situation at hand. We’ve all heard about parents who perform heroic acts to protect a child, or soldiers who risk their lives and, months or years later, develop anxiety or depression.
The very stress hormones that help us to take action can take a toll on the body over time, causing symptoms to arise later. And, because we had to act to survive and didn’t have time to think, reflect and process the experience, there are often complicated, unresolved thoughts and feelings.
As with every psychological problem, no one treatment works for everyone. However, research indicates that psychotherapy can help the patient to face the trauma and resolve the painful, lingering thoughts, feelings and unanswered questions. In certain cases, medications also play a helpful role.
I find the following psychotherapy techniques especially useful in the treatment of PTSD: Cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness training and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). I have received level I and II certification in EMDR, and would be happy to answer any questions about the process. Information is also available at www.EMDR.com.