Trauma and PTSD

from EssentialsMAG August 2023 - North Wrexham/Cheshire Magazine

Legal Advice

By EMMA GOUGH, Mindkey Therapy

Fifty percent of people will at some point in their life experience trauma, 20% of those will go on to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A traumatic event is anything that is distressing or upsetting. Events can include (but is not limited to) actual or threatened death, serious injury, accidents, disasters or being hurt by others.

PTSD can develop after exposure to a single traumatic event, or because of exposure to prolonged and repeated traumatic events. It’s normal to have strong emotions in response to trauma and to feel overwhelmed with anxiety and depression. Everyone responds in different ways, and we all have different capacities to cope.

Some of the most common reactions to trauma can include:

Re-experiencing – such as dreams, nightmares, ﬂashbacks or physical reactions that mimic what we felt at the time. Our senses can re-experience trauma too (smell, sight, sound, taste, touch).

Hyper arousal – feelings of being on edge, on guard, jumpy, easily startled, poor sleep, poor concentration, restlessness.

Avoidance – an understandable reaction to coping with pain and distress. You may be avoiding people, places, situations, objects, or certain activities.

Changes in beliefs – about yourself, other people or how you view the world. This is common when traumas have been sustained – you may now think the world is unsafe, or blame yourself. Often, people are left with persistent beliefs of low selfworth, hopelessness and are unable to regulate their emotions. You may be unable to feel close to others and ﬁnd it difﬁcult to form and maintain relationships.

Strong emotions - if the trauma experienced has been prolonged and repeated, you may be left with strong emotions, such as shame, guilt, anger, or complex grief.

In time, many people recover from their experiences. For others, the impact of trauma can last and develop into PTSD.

CBT, EMDR, and Narrative Exposure Therapy are all treatments that can help. These treatments all involve talking about what happened, making sense of what happened, reducing the avoidance and overwhelming emotions, helping you to reclaim your life.