Mental Health, Trauma & PTSD Treatment

Trauma is a response to a deeply distressing or disturbing frightening event which overwhelms the body’s natural coping mechanism, causing feelings of helplessness, diminished sense of self and the inability to feel a full range of emotions. Trauma is a normal reaction to a horrible event; however, the effects can be so severe they interfere with a person’s natural ability to live a normal life.

Trauma therapy involves using various process and techniques working directly with the subconscious mind, the amygdala – a small part of the brain responsible for our feelings, emotions and reactions, the pre-frontal cortex and the hypocampus. It is directly linked to how we act and react.

A traumatic event overloads the brains normal stress management ability and our memory of the trauma becomes fragmented and filed in the wrong area of the brain.

Therefore, the memory does not follow a chronological order and disconnects from our speech centre. Memories of the event fragments and can easily be “triggered“ by other experiences, however the mind convinces itself it is a real event even though it isn’t. These “triggers” could be smells, emotions, places, roads, images or noises. Sometimes, a traumatised person can experience flashbacks of the memories, as if they were occurring here and now like having a nightmare.

Trauma is person specific as we all think and feel differently. Depending on several factors, people will react to therapy in different ways. With this in mind, I use an extensive toolkit of techniques and processes specific to my client and we evaluate as we go along. What we do need to do is balance the brain, its processing and how it sees the trauma, event or situation.

• Catastrophic illness or injury
• Childhood abuse (emotional, physical or sexual)
• War
• Childhood neglect or abandonment
• Rape
• Domestic abuse
• Natural disasters
• Birth stress for both mother and infant
• Invasive medical and dental procedures
• Accidents such as car crashes and falls
• Witnessing an act of violence

When you experience a traumatic event, your body’s defence system – fight, flight or freeze creates a stress response, which can make you feel a variety of physical symptoms, behave differently and experience more intense emotions. When suffering trauma, the body produces a chemical reaction can lead to symptoms such as:

• Raised blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Increased sweating
• Reduced or loss of appetite
• Depression
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Flashbacks
• Unwanted feelings & thoughts
• Sleeplessness
• Hopelessness
• Eating disorders
• Nightmares
• Anxiety, fear and feeling stressed
• Memory loss
• Headaches/migraines or muscle pain
• Anger
• Emotionally unstable
• Uncharacteristic behaviour

• War
• Car accidents
• Rape
• Physical assault
• Verbal and emotional abuse
• Domestic, emotional and sexual assault

Any kind of disturbing event which overwhelms your ability to cope falls into the PTSD category.

These symptoms are a normal reaction to an emergency. Directly after the traumatic event people may experience shock and denial. This can last several hours, days or weeks and include feelings like sadness, anger and guilt. Many people go on to recover, however, some may take longer and may go on to develop anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The most concerning change to your brain is its reduction in size as the brain and grey matter struggles to cope. Parts of the brain, in particular the pre-frontal cortex, shuts down or goes “off line”. When this happens, it disrupts the ability to think, process and complete basic tasks, making general life and work difficult. The second significant change is the increase in cortisol levels which spikes anxiety, stress and mental illness and could lead to PTSD.

If symptoms are left untreated it can have drastic mental health implications such as loneliness, depression and insomnia. Physical health issues including chronic pain, anger management, headaches, stomach problems, sexual dysfunction, alcohol or drug abuse. People often experience a combination of the above.

Yes, it absolutely can. When trauma is left untreated it often becomes PTSD or CPTSD – Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder which can develop after being involved in, or witnessing, traumatic events. The condition was first recognised in war veterans and has been known as ‘shell shock’, but it’s not only diagnosed in soldiers.

When you mention PTSD most people think of war veterans or emergency services personal, however, according to the American Psychological Association, women are twice as likely to develop PTSD, experience a longer duration of post-traumatic symptoms and display more sensitivity to stimuli that remind them of the trauma.

When you go through something you find traumatic it’s understandable to experience some symptoms associated with PTSD afterwards, such as feeling numb or having trouble sleeping. This is sometimes described as an ‘acute stress reaction’.

Many people find that these symptoms disappear within a few weeks, but if your symptoms last for longer than a month, you might be given a diagnosis of PTSD. Your GP might refer you to a therapist if your symptoms are particularly severe.

How do I know if I have PTSD? What are the symptoms?

• Sleeplessness
• Panic attacks
• Intense fear
• Nightmares and tremors
• Self-destructive thoughts or actions
• Depression
• Avoiding situations that remind you of the trauma
• Feeling hyper aroused or hyper alert
• Having constant negative feelings and beliefs

It takes commitment to a therapy and integration process to move on from PTSD. At times, this may be difficult because you may need to face uncomfortable memories, but recovery can be made, and many people move on to lead normal lives. Occasionally, there can be setbacks, however most people return to therapy for a short period of time to sort it out.

Medication can be an affective addition for PTSD treatment, but it can never cure it on its own. These drugs help improve mood, decrease anxiety and make it easier to concentrate and sleep.

In addition, normal life can be entirely restored, reconnecting with family and friends and perhaps rebuilding relationships. If you are struggling with PTSD, find a therapist and take control of your life.

• Takes away and reduces the after effects of trauma
• Return to a normal and acceptable state of living
• Return to having a focus and purpose in life
• Forgive, forget and move on with your life
• Feel achievement at work and at home once again
• Acceptance of what happened
• Stops individuals living in the past
• Helps create a clear understanding of what happened
• Helps your brain process and file away past negative events
• Becoming a whole person again