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PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Most people think that this diagnosis is just for war veterans but it is not. Victims of childhood abuse
or neglect, violence, emotional abuse, crime, accidents, loss and grief, or hostile work environments can suffer from
PTSD.
When we are in a frightening situation, our bodies use our sympathetic nervous system to go into "fight or flight"
mode. We experience an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, respirations, blood flow to our muscles, etc. We are ready
to run or fight! When the danger is gone, our bodies use our parasympathetic nervous systems to calm down and relax. PTSD
is a condition where the sympathetic nervous system stays "on." Over time, this has a negative effect on our brains
and bodies. In treatment, the client learns what "triggers" this stress response, how to handle the triggering event, and
how to activate the parasympathetic system so that they can relax again after the situation is resolved.
Some
signs and symptoms of PTSD are:
Anxiety,
hyperventilation, panic attacks, irritablility, anger, trouble going to sleep and/or staying asleep, nightmares or flash backs,
feeling startled or having irrational fears, depression, thoughts of suicide, failure, hopelessness or not being "good
enough," hypertension, irritable bowel, pelvic inflammatory disease, addictions, isolation from friends and family, feelings
of loneliness or abandonment, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, apathy or cynicism, and chronic pain. You do not have
to have all of these symptoms to have PTSD.
Treatment
for PTSD:
I use a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and EMDR (please see the treatment information page for
more information about these), along with visualization and guided imagery tools to treat PTSD. I can show you how to
reduce your discomfort and take care of your symptoms as they occur.
PTSD can be managed and the symptoms reduced.
Please contact me to set up a free 30 minute interview and together we can see if you have PTSD. Together we can
create a treatment plan and "tool kit" to relieve your symptoms.