Recovering from Trauma and PTSD
“Sometimes, out of nowhere, it feels like I’m re-living it all over again. I can’t get those images out of my head.”
“I feel broken…maybe I’ll always be broken and I just have to accept it.”
“I’ve changed since the accident... I don’t like who I’ve become.”
“I try to avoid anything that reminds me of the attack, to the point that I can’t get on with my normal life anymore.”
“I have nightmares about the earthquake. I wake up drenched in sweat, my heart pounding like crazy.”
What is trauma?
Trauma can be difficult to define, and what feels traumatic can be very subjective. A useful way to define trauma is not by the event itself, but by what happens inside of us to cope with the emotional overwhelm.
types of trauma
There are different types of events that trigger psychological, physiological and emotional coping mechanisms.
Some situations lead us to fear for our lives or for our safety and cause extreme stress to our nervous system. For example:
Road or transportation accidents
Physical attacks
Climate and Natural Disasters
Armed conflict
Serious illness
Other events make us feel emotionally unsafe and cause us to put up “emotional” protective defenses . Among these events we might find:
Chronic childhood neglect
School or workplace bullying
Domestic Abuse
Discrimination
Social and Financial Insecurity
Whether the traumatic experience is sudden or chronic, it can leave us feeling rattled, unable to cope and wondering if we can ever “feel normal” again.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
In extreme forms of Trauma, people may develop symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) such as:
Re-living the traumatic event through nightmares, flashbacks or instrusive thoughts
Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
Constantly feeling nervous, jittery or “on edge”
Experiencing low mood and negative thoughts
Frequent drinking, smoking, or drug consumption
Loss of meaning or pleasure in life
Increased anxiety, irritability and angry outbursts
A sense that you don’t know you you are.
Experiencing “blackouts” or not remembering parts of your day
Inability to remember details of the traumatic event
These symptoms can develop immediately or over time.
Although some of these symptoms can be “normal” following a traumatic event, if they persist for longer than a few weeks, you should seek the advice of a trauma-informed mental-health professional.
When left untreated, PTSD can be extremely damaging to your well-being, your quality of life and your relationships.
Recovering after a traumatic event
The speed and ease of recovery after having experienced a traumatic event depends on several factors: the severity of symptoms will depend on the degree of the physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological stress suffered from the trauma; resilience in recovery will rely on the amount of support you have from your loved ones and your community.
If you are troubled by your symptoms, or you are feeling that you are not currently able to receive the support you need from the people around you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a trauma informed mental-health professional.
healing and post-traumatic growth
Trauma can disrupt our mind, body and soul in very profound ways, but healing after a traumatic event is possible.
In fact, when people are able to heal after trauma, they feel that they’ve grown stronger, wiser, and more appreciative of life.
This is what psychotherapy can help you do – it can help you make sense of the traumatic experience so that you can put it “behind you” and gain a new understanding about yourself and the world around you.
How I can help you recover from trauma
In the initial stages of therapy we will work on creating a safe space and a strong alliance so we can deal with the symptoms of trauma together.
In the first phase of therapy we will talk about how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally, and I’ll ask you to note any changes in how you feel now compared to how you were before the event.
We’ll take some time to get to know each other: my job will be to help you feel secure and comfortable during our therapy sessions. You can tell me the details of the traumatic event only when you feel ready to do so.
We will also talk about strategies to regulate your emotions and your physical reactions so that when you feel yourself getting distressed, you’ll be better able to calm yourself down again.
We can use specific interventions such as EMDR therapy and Brainspotting that have been designed to access, process and overcome trauma.
POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH
The final phases of trauma recovery involve making sense of what happened to you. After a traumatic event you may feel that your world has been turned upside down, and it is important to have a strong narrative around how trauma has impacted you and how you have grown from it.
I’ll help make peace with the tragedies that life throws at us and accompany you in the process of developing a new and empowered outlook on life.
don’t wait to reach out for help
If you’re troubled by how you’re feeling after a traumatic or stressful event, please don’t wait before reaching out for support.
You may also wish to check out my Mental Wellbeing Workshops to explore different ways to enhance your emotional and mental wellbeing. All my workshops are Trauma-Informed and take into account the various ways people may be affected by trauma.
You can also use the links below to follow me on Social Media and stay up-to-date on information around Trauma Recovery and Wellbeing Initiatives.