Trauma and PTSD

Trauma comes in many shapes and forms. What’s traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another and that doesn’t make the experience any less valid. Psychological trauma can be defined as an event, or series of events, that overwhelms a person’s ability to recover emotionally. Sometimes there is an easily identifiable traumatic event, such as natural disaster, car accident, rape or physical abuse, but oftentimes individuals experience trauma without recognizing it or by invalidating their experience. This is especially true for children who have little resources to fend for themselves and cognitive capacity to understand what is happening. 

Betrayal trauma, emotional neglect, invalidation, verbal abuse and dismissing behaviours, for example, can be traumatic, and often is. If you are someone who struggles with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, anger, feelings of worthlessness or shame, it could be rooted in childhood trauma. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that develops after being involved in, or witnessing an event that involves actual, or threatened, death. Symptoms may include:

  • Nightmares and trouble sleeping

  • Flashbacks

  • Avoiding anything that reminds you of the trauma

  • Dissociation

  • Hyperarousal, hypervigilance, anxiety 

  • Having intense physical sensations (stress response system becoming activated), such as rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, shortness of breath, dizziness

  • Avoiding activities you once found enjoyable or isolating

  • Experiencing negative thoughts about yourself and others or feeling emotionally numb

  • Suicidal thoughts, ideations, and even attempts

Experiencing PTSD can feel like you are reliving the trauma over and over again because in a sense, you are. Your body thinks each reminder of the trauma means you are once again in physical danger and is preparing you for fight or flight.  So, even though you are no longer in physical danger your body thinks you are and it can remain stuck in the body’s nervous system until it has been reprocessed. PTSD can become even more debilitating when individuals develop comorbid mental health issues as a result, such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse problems to manage the symptoms of PTSD. 

Trauma therapy can help you to regain control over your life again so you no longer feel haunted by the past. It is not uncommon for individuals to feel unsafe and distrustful of others after experiencing a traumatic event and that’s normal. Ensuring clients feel safe in our sessions is my top priority. Once you feel safe and comfortable sharing about your experience(s) we can begin our trauma work together. Depending on the trauma and your individual needs this may include breathwork, reprocessing trauma through bilateral stimulation, relaxation techniques, prolonged exposure to triggering stimuli, victim impact statements and through modifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma.