Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is anything but a ‘weakness’.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is increasingly being recognised as something real and tangible. The condition can be debilitating in the extreme, and can also manifest in less severe, but no less intrusive ways.
Commonly understood as a condition suffered by frontline personnel in the military and emergency services, there is a groundswell of opinion that suggest quite strongly that variations of PTSD can be found across society.
There are a great many of us who have witnessed, or been part of an event ‘outside the normal range of experiences’ and we may become aware of the classic ‘flashbacks’ which are much more than reminiscing; these flashbacks can take you back to ‘that’ moment – the smells, emotions, sights and sounds – and at any time, and may continue for months or even years.
The good news is that results have been achieved in relatively short time with those who suffered undiagnosed for more than 60 years!
A Brief Explanation of PTSD
The ‘trigger’ for such an event may be a stimulus that is unrecognisable to the conscious mind and this may cause great distress resulting in mood changes, altered behaviours which for the casual observer make little sense. PTSD may manifest itself some time after the event. The event itself may be difficult to differentiate from other experiences and it is here where expert guidance can be particularly useful.
The methods of treatment and the various success rates are growing along with greater understanding of just what PTSD is. Finding or managing the cause of such distress in one individual over another may well require different approaches.
Curiously, two people can witness the same event, or be exposed to same situation, but one may suffer no obvious ‘trauma’. For the sufferer, their mind may have considered the event to be linked to something else in their past, perhaps an un-processed event and memory. Therapists may also select to work with the symptoms in the ‘here and now’, rather than the past.
Understanding Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Here are a few facts:
- It is sometimes incorrectly perceived to be a failure, or weakness, in the sufferer.
- It is sometimes incorrectly described as a chink in a person’s emotional and mental health armoury!
- It is potentially the minds way of ‘holding’ a traumatic thought until it can be processed in a way that can be understood and ‘filed’ away.
If you, or someone you know may be suffering with intrusive and unpleasant thoughts from a past event, please do ask for help. You may just be able to ‘let go’!
Bob Brotchie is a counsellor, mindset consultant and creator of "Conscious Living by Design"™. He writes for Anglia Counselling, is featured on various other websites and introduces us to many guest writers all covering topics related to mental health and wellbeing.
Bob provides bespoke counselling services to individuals and couples in the privacy and comfort of a truly welcoming environment at his Anglia Counselling company office, located near Newmarket in Suffolk, England. Bob also provides professional online counselling, for local, national, and international clients. The therapeutic models offered are bespoke to the client’s needs, especially those in receipt of 'childhood emotional neglect' (CEN), whilst integrating a mindful approach to psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. For clients experiencing trauma and/or phobia, Bob offers EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).