understanding ptsd symptoms

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.  Understanding PTSD symptoms is crucial for early identification and seeking appropriate support. While it’s natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation, most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. However, for some individuals, the distressing memories, emotions, and physical reactions associated with the trauma persist, interfering with daily life and functioning.

What Causes PTSD?

PTSD can result from a variety of traumatic events, including:

1. Combat exposure: Military personnel who have experienced combat, either directly or indirectly, are at increased risk.
2. Physical, mental, emotional or sexual assault: Survivors of rape, physical abuse, narcissistic abuse, domestic violence, or other forms of physical and emotional violence often develop PTSD.
3. Natural disasters: Witnessing or experiencing a natural disaster, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods, can lead to PTSD.
4. Accidents: Severe accidents, such as car crashes or plane crashes, can trigger PTSD symptoms.
5. Childhood trauma: Children who experience neglect, abuse, or separation from caregivers can develop PTSD.

PTSD symptoms can manifest in four main categories:

1. Intrusive Memories: Individuals with PTSD often experience recurrent, distressing memories of the traumatic event. These memories can be intrusive and feel as if the event is happening again (flashbacks). They may also have nightmares related to the event.
2. Avoidance: People with PTSD may try to avoid situations, places, or people that remind them of or trigger the traumatic event. They may also avoid talking about the event altogether and may withdraw from friends, family, and activities they once enjoyed.
3. Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood: PTSD can lead to negative changes in thoughts and feelings. This may include persistent negative beliefs about oneself or the world, distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the event, feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, and a reduced interest in activities once enjoyed. Individuals may also experience persistent negative emotions such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame.
4. Changes in Reactivity and Arousal: People with PTSD often experience heightened arousal and reactivity. This can manifest as irritability, anger outbursts, reckless or self-destructive behavior, hypervigilance (feeling constantly on guard), difficulty concentrating, and exaggerated startle response.

When to Seek Help for PTSD Symptoms

Experiencing some of these PTSD symptoms in the aftermath of a traumatic event is normal. However, if these symptoms persist for more than a month or two, cause significant distress or impairment in daily functioning, or worsen over time, it’s essential to seek help from a qualified PTSD expert or mental health professional.

Treatment Options for PTSD Symptoms

PTSD is a treatable condition, and early intervention can lead to better outcomes. Treatment for PTSD often involves psychotherapy, medication, trauma recovery, hypnotherapy, or somatic therapy.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help PTSD

1. Accessing Subconscious Memories: Hypnotherapy can help individuals access and process traumatic memories stored in the subconscious mind. By accessing these memories in a safe and controlled environment, individuals may be able to reframe their perceptions of the traumatic event, reducing its emotional impact.
2. Reducing Anxiety and Hyperarousal: The relaxation techniques used in hypnotherapy can help individuals with PTSD manage symptoms of anxiety and hyperarousal. By inducing a state of deep relaxation, hypnotherapy may help individuals learn to reduce the intensity of their physiological responses to triggers associated with the traumatic event.
3. Reprocessing Traumatic Memories: During hypnotherapy sessions, individuals may be guided through visualization exercises or guided imagery to reprocess traumatic memories in a more adaptive way. By altering the way these memories are stored and recalled, hypnotherapy aims to reduce their emotional intensity and decrease their impact on daily functioning.
4. Building Coping Skills: Hypnotherapy can also be used to teach individuals coping skills and relaxation techniques that they can use outside of therapy sessions to manage symptoms of PTSD. These skills may include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization techniques.
5. Exposure Therapy:  Exposure therapy as a hypnotherapy tool, allows the client to visualize doing the things that frighten them, first in the imagination so they can slowly build up to actually doing these things in real time, such as imagining themselves doing the things they are avoiding.  After doing these things in the realm of the imagination, it becomes much easier to do them in person.
6. Mindfulness: Mindfulness allows the client to be present in the moment with whatever they are doing, so they can remain focused on the now, rather than going back to the past or to some imagined future.  Practicing mindfulness can help to calm the nervous system.
7. Establishing Safety:  Feeling safe is very important to dealing with PTSD symptoms.  Since the client can be anxious and hypervigilant, we need to create a sense of inner safety and get the subconscious mind to accept that there is no immediate threat.  The threat is in the past.  And although it may feel like it could happen again any moment, once the client is in a safe place the likelihood of the traumatic even repeating itself is low.

PTSD after narcissistic abuse

Most people coming out of narcissistic abuse experience CPTSD, which is Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has the same symptoms but is the result of a series of abusive or stressful events, rather than a single traumatic event.  Most victims of relationship abuse have CPTSD.

The most notable PTSD symptoms of narcissistic abuse are anxiety, panic, sweaty palms, obsession, rumination, hypervigilance, avoidance, suicidal ideation, loss of interest in activities and passion for life.

The way I help people to heal PTSD is to process through the traumatic memories, by giving them a safe space to talk about their experiences and process through the trauma. I also use Hypnotherapy.

PTSD is a challenging condition, but it’s essential to remember that help and support are available. If you or someone you know is experiencing PTSD symptoms, encourage them to seek help. With the right treatment and support, individuals with PTSD can learn to manage their symptoms, regain a sense of control, and lead fulfilling lives.

Book a session for PTSD recovery now.