Trauma & PTSD

NATURE OF TRAUMA AND PTSD,                                   AND TREATMENT FOR THEM

I regularly use EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to treat PTSD and the after effects of trauma, when it is appropriate to the situation and to the individual client. EMDR can be extremely effective, in much less time than other treatments.

Most everyone experiences bad events that produce shock, fear, anger, and a sense of powerlessness. Fortunately, the after effects of these events usually fade over time, sometimes quickly and sometimes after some years. But they do not always fade, and can make lasting negative impressions on people, that continue to influence how they see new events and people.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a type of anxiety disorder that can occur after traumas. PTSD's symptoms result from unwanted returns of bad memories, or emotional overloads when new situations are misinterpreted by the brain's limbic system as the return of current, real danger. Feeling physically threatened or witnessing violence, even if you were not physically injured, can lead to PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be terrifying and even disabling for some people. It can cause flashbacks, sleep problems and nightmares, feelings of isolation, guilt, paranoia, and sometimes panic attacks .

These symptoms may include:
  •   Recurring, intrusive, and distressing memories of the event.
  •   Avoiding situations that remind you of the event.
  •   Jumping into "Fight, Flight, or Freeze."
  •   Having panic attacks.
  •   Becoming emotionally numb and withdrawing.
  •   Difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and fearing for your personal safety.
  •   Difficulty keeping relationships or jobs.
  •   Turning to substance abuse as "self-medication."

PTSD usually develops within 3 months of the trauma, although it may not develop until months or years later. PTSD symptoms may come and go for decades if not treated.

Examples of traumatic events that can result in PTSD range from big, dramatic, awful happenings, the so-called "Big-T" traumas, to small but corrosive repeated events, or "Little-T" traumas.

Examples of "Big-T" traumas could be:
  •   Being involved in or close to the 9-ll destruction or other terrorist  attacks.
  •   A serious automobile accident and its aftermath; or an airplane accident.
  •   War time experiences.
  •   Being raped, held-up, assaulted, robbed, or being a close witness to similar events.
  •   The divorce of parents.
  •   A natural disaster, such as a fire, tornado, flood, or earthquake.
  •   A messy break up or divorce from a partner.
  •   Childhood abandonment
  •   Sexual abuse
Examples of "Little-T" traumas:
  •   Constant put-downs, criticism or rejection by parents when young.
  •   Repeated physical or emotional abuse or severe neglect.
  •   Repeated failures at school, possibly from a learning disability or ADHD.
  •   Being bullied in school or camp situations.

Treatments: EMDR is the effective first choice for treating PTSD and the anxieties relating to trauma, both "Big-T" and Little-T".