Ways To Deal With Ptsd

Support Treatment For Post

Post-traumatic stress disorder can have a negative effect on your life. It can make it hard for you to carry out simple tasks and keep you from enjoying the activities that make life worth living. To help yourself feel better, start with these small changes that make a big difference:

Ways To Deal With Ptsd And Memories Of Abuse

I reminded myself that I was okay presently. My husband does not live here, so he cannot terrorize me the way he once did. I filled a glass with cool water and held onto the sink to stabilize my body.

Part of me wanted to jump in the car and drive far away because my safety net at the end of my marriage was to drive away. I resisted the urge. I looked around my home and saw only my things. There is no trace of my ex here .

I grabbed a book, The Gift of Fear and flipped it open, reminding myself that my fear instinct, the one I ignored for the majority of my marriage, is not accustomed to me listening to it. I was married for almost 18 years fearful for almost two decades. I ignored my fear responses because “He loves me. I love him. He won’t hurt me”. Basically, I told my body’s innate fear reactors to shut the hell up and stop bothering me.

Types Of Ptsd Triggers

Triggers can fall into two categories: internal triggers and external triggers.

• Internal triggers are things that you feel or experience inside your body. Internal triggers include thoughts or memories, emotions, and bodily sensations .
• External triggers are situations, people, or places you might encounter throughout your day . Listed below are some common internal and external triggers.

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Journaling To Deal With Ptsd

It should be no surprise to see journaling listed as a means to help with PTSD. I have participated in several different types of counseling and most of the time, the counselor suggests journaling as a means of therapy. I admit that it took me a long time to learn to journal and keep at it. It took finding the proper materials to induce me to become more dedicated to keeping a journal, and I can attest to the helpful effects of putting pen to paper.

The VA has published a guide to Therapeutic Journaling in which writing is identified as being beneficial to health . This agrees with several studies which suggest that daily journaling allows people to release their thoughts and emotions, and in so doing helping them to understand and interpret those experiences as they write about them.

Treatments For Traumatic Stress

Psychologists can provide evidence-based interventions to help you cope with traumatic stress or acute stress disorder.

One is Psychological First Aid , originally designed to help children, adolescents, adults, and families in the aftermath of a disaster or terrorism. Its now used to help people who have experienced any type of trauma. PFA is based on the idea that distress is normal after a traumatic event. Rather than treat that stress like a disorder, the focus of this approach is to provide support and assistance and share information about stress reactions and coping strategies. Mental health providers and disaster response workers provide PFA in the days and weeks after a trauma, in diverse settings including hospitals, housing shelters, community settings, and even over telephone crisis hotlines. The goal of PFA is to reduce distress and improve coping and functioning, both short-term and long-term.

Another evidence-based treatment is , or CBT, which is successfully used to treat many psychological disorders, including traumatic stress. CBT is a psychological treatment that helps people learn to change unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns. The World Health Organization recommends trauma-focused CBT to treat symptoms of acute traumatic stress in adults. Some research also suggests that people who receive trauma-focused CBT may be less likely to develop chronic PTSD.

If you or a loved one is struggling to recover from a traumatic event, a psychologist can help.

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Seek Types Of Therapy For Ptsd

One of the most important methods for learning how to cope with PTSD symptoms is to seek help from a mental health professional.

There are several types of therapy for PTSD that have all been proven effective in giving you the ability to anticipate, recognize, take action against, and minimize trauma symptoms. Some forms of therapy are more effective in teaching you how to cope with PTSD.

Tip : Support Ptsd Treatment With A Healthy Lifestyle

The symptoms of PTSD can be hard on your body so it’s important to take care of yourself and develop some healthy lifestyle habits.

Take time to relax. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, massage, or yoga can activate the body’s relaxation response and ease symptoms of PTSD.

Avoid alcohol and drugs. When you’re struggling with difficult emotions and traumatic memories, you may be tempted to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. But substance use worsens many symptoms of PTSD, interferes with treatment, and can add to problems in your relationships.

Eata healthy diet. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day. Omega-3s play a vital role in emotional health so incorporate foods such as fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts into your diet. Limit processed food, fried food, refined starches, and sugars, which can exacerbate mood swings and cause fluctuations in your energy.

Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can trigger anger, irritability, and moodiness. Aim for somewhere between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Develop a relaxing bedtime ritual and make your bedroom as quiet, dark, and soothing as possible.

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What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying,

PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as shell shock during the years of World War I and combat fatigue after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in adolescents ages 13 -18 is 8%. An estimate one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Three ethnic groups U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites.

Tip : Reach Out To Others For Support

PTSD can make you feel disconnected from others. You may be tempted to withdraw from social activities and your loved ones. But it’s important to stay connected to life and the people who care about you. You don’t have to talk about the trauma if you don’t want to, but the caring support and companionship of others is vital to your recovery. Reach out to someone you can connect with for an uninterrupted period of time, someone who will listen when you want to talk without judging, criticizing, or continually getting distracted. That person may be your significant other, a family member, a friend, or a professional therapist. Or you could try:

Volunteering your time or reaching out to a friend in need. This is not only a great way to connect to others, but can also help you reclaim your sense of control.

Joining a PTSD support group. This can help you feel less isolated and alone and also provide invaluable information on how to cope with symptoms and work towards recovery.

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Avoid Consuming Too Much Media About The Event

After experiencing a traumatic event, it can be tempting to watch or read lots of things about it on social media or in the news. This is especially the case for higher profile events like terrorist attacks or natural disasters. However, it is best to avoid watching, listening to or reading lots of media related to the event, especially if when you do so it causes you distress.

What Exactly Is Ptsd Anyway

First, the basics. PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder. It occurs in people whove experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.

Sometimes, that event is big and obvious: combat, a life-threatening accident or sexual assault. Other times, it develops after a series of smaller, less obvious, stressful events like repeated bullying or an unstable childhood.

Chronic PTSD can result from multiple adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, which can include unstable adult relationships, food insecurity, childhood abuse, effects of racism, recurrent micro-aggressions and more.

These recurrent childhood stressors can impact brain and overall development leading into adulthood. When a child is exposed to stressors early in life, unhealthy patterns often develop and brain function may change due to internalization of trauma.

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Charities Supporting People Who Have Experienced A Traumatic Event

Cruse Bereavement Care a charity offering support for bereaved people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland a charity promoting the well-being of bereaved people in Scotland

Rape Crisis there are three rape crisis charities that offer support to people across the UK:

What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Ptsd

Most kids and teens with PTSD will:

• have upsetting thoughts of the trauma
• have bad dream or sleep problems
• have bad memories, called flashbacks, that make it seem like the trauma is still happening
• avoid things that remind them of the trauma
• be more easily startled, scared, or anxious
• feel more moody, sad, angry, or not enjoy things as before
• not remember some parts of what happened

Younger children may show more fearful and regressive behaviors They may re-enact the trauma through play.

When symptoms like these happen in the first days and weeks after the trauma, it may be called an acute stress reaction. Doctors diagnose PTSD when symptoms last longer than a month.

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What Should Happen When You Have Ptsd And Memories Of Abuse

So what do I really expect to happen now, only three years out of the marriage? I have been free from his daily abuses for only one-sixth of the time I was captive to them. It seems reasonable that my body continues to react fearfully after I ignored its warnings for so long.

I accept my body’s reaction to fear, even to fear imagined, caused when I typed those memories of abuse into a blog post. I believe that in time, if I patiently soothe my body’s fear and let it know “I hear you, and this is what we’re going to do,…” that the reaction will disappear. That the PTSD and the memories of abuse will weaken.

Emotional Support And Service Animals

Animals have a unique way of bringing unconditional love and comfort. Just being in their presence can ease anxiety and stress.

For someone struggling with PTSD symptoms, they may be able to get a trained service dog to help support them. Service dogs are trained to recognize when symptoms are acting up and can gently try to redirect their owner.

Pets, in general, have a calming presence that can be extremely comforting for someone dealing with PTSD.

One thing to be aware of is that there are service animals and emotional support animals. Service animals require special training. Emotional support animals, on the other hand, are not necessarily trained or certified in any way.

In fact, if you already have a pet, you already have an emotional support animal!

If youre considering getting one, a letter from your doctor or therapist helps. You wont have to pay additional fees or be subject to breed restrictions if you rent your home.

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Finding A Therapist For Ptsd

When looking for a therapist, seek out mental health professionals who specialize in the treatment of trauma and PTSD. You can ask your doctor or other trauma survivors for a referral, call a local mental health clinic, psychiatric hospital, or counseling center.

Beyond credentials and experience, it’s important to find a PTSD therapist who makes you feel comfortable and safe. Trust your gut if a therapist doesn’t feel right, look for someone else. For therapy to work, you need to feel comfortable and understood.

Common External Ptsd Triggers

• Sights, sounds, or smells associated with the trauma.
• People, locations, or things that recall the trauma.
• Significant dates or times, such as anniversaries or a specific time of day.
• Conversations or media coverage about trauma or negative news events.
• Situations that feel confining .
• Relationship, family, school, work, or money pressures or arguments.
• Funerals, hospitals, or medical treatment.

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Where Can I Find More Information On Ptsd

The National Center for PTSD, a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is the leading federal center for research and education on PTSD and traumatic stress. You can find information about PTSD, treatment options, and getting help, as well as additional resources for families, friends, and providers.

Validate Your Experience And Reaction

Try to remind yourself that what youre feeling is real and justified. Its an important step toward resolving the effects of traumatic events.

People who have experienced trauma need to realize that although this is a new feeling for them, it is normal for those who have also experienced trauma, says Feibel.

Normalizing these thoughts and feelings is extremely important. It helps people to realize they are going through something many other people have gone through and that they are not alone, she adds.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness , validating your experience means realizing that what you experienced was real and hurtful.

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Eye Movement Desensitisation And Reprocessing

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is a psychological treatment that’s been found to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.

It involves recalling the traumatic incident in detail while making eye movements, usually by following the movement of your therapist’s finger.

Other methods may include the therapist tapping their finger or playing sounds.

It’s not clear exactly how EMDR works, but it may help you change the negative way you think about a traumatic experience.

How Can Parents Help

If your child has been through trauma, here are things you can do:

• Help your child feel safe. They may need extra time, comfort, and care from you for a while.
• Help your child relax. Invite them to take a few slow breaths with you. Breathe in while you count to 3. Breathe out while you count to 5.
• Do things together that you enjoy. Trauma can make it harder to feel the positive emotions that naturally help kids recharge. Play, laugh, enjoy nature, make music or art, cook. These activities can reduce stress and build your childs resilience.
• Reassure your child. Let them know they will get through this. And that you are there to help.
• Let your childs doctor know what your child has been through. Get a referral to a mental health professional .
• Tell your childs teacher that your child went through a trauma. Kids with PTSD may have more trouble focusing on schoolwork. Ask for your child to have extra help or more time to do schoolwork if they need it for a while.

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Negative Cognitions And Mood

The DSM V PTSD criterion negative cognitions and mood contains the following symptoms: Inability to recall key features of the trauma, overly negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world, exaggerated blame of self or others for causing the trauma event or for resulting consequences, negative affect, feeling isolated, difficulty experiencing positive affect, and decreased interest in experiences. To reduce the impact of these symptoms on your daily functioning, you can apply the following techniques:

• Religious coping: spiritual or religious coping can help reduce the impact of the symptoms related to feelings of isolation, and positive or negative feelings . Both religion and spiritualism help people find support, meaning, and hope after experiencing a traumatic event.
• Social support: spending time with friends and family increases the chance that someone will experience positive emotions and that someone will enjoy activities again, reduces feelings of isolation, and they can provide a more balanced view on the traumatic event and the newly formed thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world, which can help someone overcome feelings of guilt and shame ,,,.

How to deal with PTSD? The negative cognitions and mood symptoms can best be reduced by religious and spiritual coping, and by spending time with friends and family.