PTSD, Trauma, Past Related Issues

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PTSD, TRAUMA, PAST RELATED ISSUES

Do you struggle to let things from your past go?

Are you presently struggling with a specific event that happened in your past?

Do you find yourself persistently thinking about a specific person or event from the past?

Are you struggling with the sudden or unexpected death of a loved one?

Have you experienced the sudden or unexpected breakup of an intimate or other important relationship?

Did you suffer through a humiliating, devastating, or disappointing experience?

Were you bullied, ignored, dismissed, neglected, or abused by others as a child and find yourself holding onto feelings related as an adult?

Were you a child of divorce and struggle with related issues even as an adult? Or did your parents divorce in your adult years and you struggle with issues related?

Are you a survivor of domestic abuse or violence and struggling to move on with your life?

Have you undergone a serious medical operation that has altered your life?

Have you witnessed a violent act or natural disaster and relive it over and over in your mind?

If you said yes to or can relate to any of these, you may have issues with your past

that cause you difficulty moving forward in life, issues with trauma without even realizing it,

or you may even suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

In any of these cases, you’re not alone!

Several Studies have shown:

70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.

61% of men and 51% of women report at least one traumatic event at some point in their lifetimes

6% of the population will develop PTSD at some point in their lives

We all experience and react to things in different ways. Some find it easy to move on after difficult events or experiences, while others continue to suffer from them for longer periods of time.

Letting go of certain events from the past can be very difficult sometimes. It can be even more difficult when those events caused us some kind of trauma. If you find yourself struggling to let go of something from your past, you may have experienced some type of trauma.

Past events that can be difficult to let go of may include intimate relationships, perceived successes or failures, mistakes or regrets in life, or events and experiences that were devastating, upsetting or disturbing.

Trauma is an emotional reaction that can result from any stressful experience or event. While these types of events or experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, the truth is; any situation that causes you high levels of stress or discomfort can result in trauma. The trauma derives from your emotional experience or perception of the event, not from the experience or event itself.

Emotional and psychological trauma can occur when stressful events leave you feeling helpless in a situation due to your sense of safety or security being threatened. Such situations can cause you to experience symptoms and emotions that may become long-term and may include: shock, denial, or disbelief, confusion, persistent fatigue, sleep disorders, fear of recurrence of the event, nightmares and flashbacks, sadness, hopelessness, depression, anxiety, anger, fear, irritability, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, avoidance of emotions, people or activities that are associated with the trauma, feeling disconnected, numb, guilt or even self-blame.

Childhood trauma is a type of traumatic experience that occurs in childhood and if not resolved can affect you in your later years. Childhood trauma is any event during childhood years that disrupts the child’s sense of safety or security. Examples include: parent's getting divorced, significant losses, living in an unstable or unsafe environment, neglect, abuse (physical, verbal or sexual), witnessing or victimized by domestic violence, serious illness, injury, operation or medical procedures, etc., just to name a few. Experiencing childhood trauma, especially if left unresolved, can result in serious symptoms including fear and helplessness, as well as other emotional issues that last into your adult years, leaving you more susceptible to additional trauma.

With any type of trauma, the more severe your symptoms feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma can affect anyone who has experienced anything that is distressing to them in some way and that distress can result in changes in the way you think, perceive or behave, even later in life.

Traumatic events can sometimes cause physical shock or even result in long-term neurotic symptoms, which are mental, emotional, or physical reactions that are drastic and irrational. A common reaction is ruminating, or thinking about something over and over, which adversely affects any progress you may be working towards, because it hinders the ability to think clearly and resolve the issues you are dealing with. Ruminating is commonly experienced in mental disorders including depression, PTSD, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and GAD (generalized anxiety disorder).

Physical symptoms you may experience after a traumatic event include: difficulty sleeping, fatigue, fast heartbeat, shakiness, being easily startled, muscle tension, aches or pains, irritability or agitation, headaches, nausea, just to name a few.

Some events that could lead to trauma include: loss, dangerous situations, severe embarrassment, an accident or injury, rape, violence, or natural disasters to name only a few. Symptoms of trauma could include immediate shock or denial, as well as longer lasting symptoms including unstable or unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, nightmares, unstable relationships, or anxiety and depression.

Traumatic events can happen to anyone at any time; however, if you’re experiencing high levels of stress prior to the traumatic event, you are more likely to be traumatized by the event.

If you are struggling with feelings and emotions related to a traumatic event in your life, know that whatever you are feeling is a normal reaction to an extraordinary situation, even if your symptoms or feelings are different than those of others; there is no correct way to feel, behave, or respond. Everyone reacts differently to different situations including traumatic ones. However, when you remain in an emotional state and are unable to make sense of what happened and struggle to move forward from the event you could be stuck in an emotional shock state, which is when trauma turns in PTSD.

If you are struggling with trauma and are in need of help working through your feelings, consider psychotherapy to help you gain insight into your feelings and emotions, as well as learn how to understand them, gain control over them, and ultimately move forward with your life.

Psychotherapy and CBT are evidenced based treatments that have been proven to be successful and the most effective forms of treatment for depression, anxiety and related

stresses. They are very helpful in addressing and treating all of the symptoms related to unresolved issues and their impact on life.

As I have mentioned on my other pages on this site, I use CBT as the basis for my psychotherapy, along with other methods, approaches, and strategies tailored to you as a unique individual to help you gain all you need from your journey through the therapy process.

Together we can help you understand, resolve, and move forward with the life you deserve in the present, free of burdens that should stay in the past!

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