Trauma
Do you feel stuck in the blues?
Do you feel stuck and can’t seem to find joy in life?
Is every day a struggle for you to feel good and just enjoy your life without feeling edgy, tense, nervous, uptight, and anxious?
Do you find it difficult to get a restful night’s sleep?
Are your emotional reactions making it hard to communicate and be around others?
Do you experience flashbacks and unwanted distressing memories frequently?
Are you restless, fidgety, or have trouble concentrating and staying focused or organized? The symptoms of traumatic stress can be confused with symptoms of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Do you have persistent pain or unresolved physical symptoms?
If you said yes to any of the above, these are some of the common experiences of those suffering from trauma who have what is known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.
There is hope. Read on and reach out here for a 20-minute Complimentary Discovery Session here.
“Learn to read symptoms not only as problems to be overcome, but as messages to be heeded.”
The facts about trauma, PTSD, and Complex Trauma / C-PTSD.
It’s not just soldiers returning from war who experience PTSD. In fact, PTSD is more common in women.
Trauma is extremely common. 7 in 10 people experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. 14-43% of children experience at least one trauma.
PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, while C-PTSD affects approximately 3.8% of US adults, and an estimated one in 11 people (9%) will be diagnosed with PTSD or C-PTSD in their lifetime.
The main difference between PTSD and C-PTSD is the frequency of the trauma. While PTSD is caused by a single traumatic event, C-PTSD is caused by sustained, repeating trauma that continues for months, even years (commonly referred to as "complex trauma"). Unlike PTSD, which can develop regardless of what age you are when the trauma occurred, C-PTSD is typically the result of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences.
Women are twice as likely as men to have C-PTSD and PTSD. About 8 of every 100 women (or 8%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 men (or 4%).
The most common trauma for women is sexual assault or child sexual abuse. About one in three women will experience a sexual assault in their lifetime. Rates of sexual assault are higher for women than men. Women are also more likely to be neglected or abused in childhood, to experience domestic violence, or to have a loved one suddenly die.
The highest rates of PTSD prevalence among both men and women are found between the age of 18 and 24 years.
“Trauma is our most urgent public health issue”
How is Trauma defined?
The word Trauma is derived from the Greek word ‘WOUND.
”A breach in the protective barrier against overstimulation resulting in an overwhelming sense of helplessness”. ~ Sigmund Freud
“Trauma is an internal straitjacket created when a devastating moment is frozen in time. It strangles the unfolding of being and stifles our attempts to move forward with our lives. It disconnects us from ourselves, others, nature, and spirit.” ~ Dr. Peter Levine
“Trauma can arise from anything that is too much, too soon, too fast to handle.” “Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is the impact inside the body and mind as a result of what happens to you.” ~ Dr. Gabor Maté on When the Body Says No
How does having PTSD feel?
According to the American Psychiatric Society, “people with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended.
They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear, or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. People with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch.”
“Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then, It’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”
Here is how one woman describes it.
“The best way I can describe how I experience life since my traumatic event in my teens is by comparing it to watching a scary, suspenseful movie—anxiously waiting for something to happen, palms sweating, heart pounding, on the edge of your chair.”
It is natural to feel afraid during and after a scary, dangerous or traumatic event. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This “fight-flight-freeze” response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened, even when they are not in any actual danger.
People with a history of trauma may experience a wide range of symptoms. Some of these symptoms can be linked to chronic pain. Trauma causes the nervous system to become overactive, meaning that it is stuck in a state of stress and persistent arousal and DIS-EASE.
“Trauma is a ‘wound’. It may not be a physical wound but it’s a wound to our psyche, to our soul. It leaves us bereft, disconnected from ourself, and disconnected from others. But it is a wound that can be healed if we use the right tools and apply those tools.”
“In PTSD patients..the continued secretion of stress hormones is expressed as agitation and panic, and in the long term, wreaks havoc with their health.”
Trauma is the inability to stay in the present here and now. With trauma, the capacity of the brain system to process what is belonging in the past is interfered with because the brain changes. The body and the mind and the brain continue to react as if the trauma is still there. And so with trauma you’re likely to develop autoimmune diseases.
“Cancer, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, in every case, began as a coping mechanism when these people responded to their trauma by suppression of healthy anger by not speaking out or fighting back because they were dutiful, helpful, people pleasers.”
Ongoing PTSD and C-PTSD
Can alter the way you think and behave, leading you into addiction and making poor choices
Can strain your relationships with family, friends, work, and community.
Can lead to serious chronic pain and autoimmune diseases
Can spawn self-destructive behaviors, habits, and addictions.
Can make you think you’re a lost cause
“Trauma is not a memory about the past. The past is over but the trauma sits inside of you and makes you feel and behave as if it’s still going on… it’s you right now feeling like it’s happening to you over and over again and you keep behaving as if you are still stuck there.”
People suffering with post traumatic stress disorder PTSD face an ongoing challenge every day and often feel there is no way out, no hope.
But here’s the really good news.
Others have freed themselves, so can you.
You can get your life back
You can make a fresh start whenever you want
You can rewire your brain
You can be in control of your thoughts
You are not alone
There is hope
This is not hard. You can easily do this. Give yourself the break you truly deserve. Work with me. I’ll be your personal PTSD therapist and coach as together we help you break free of all that has been holding you back and create a happy peaceful life.
You will love the phenomenal RTT process, and just like thousands of others who have experienced wonderful transformations and breakthroughs, you will feel energized, focused, powerful and free.
How does this sound to you? Too good to be true? I get it. It is an amazing feeling breaking free of PTSD, anxiety, and pain. But this isn’t just something that has worked for others, this can be your reality too.
If you would like to know how it works click here to book a call with me and let’s chat.
About the Healing Journey
Healing and transformation occur in several ways - immediately, accumulatively, and retroactively. The healing journey is a totally individual experience, often with peaks and valleys, winding trails, and obstacles on the road to recovery. Pain and PTSD remnants may resurface on the way, but you will find the strength to follow the road home to your peace, calm, and wellbeing as you continue the crucial work of self-care.
“In order to heal, it is essential to gather the strength to think ….what is not working. What is not in balance? What have I ignored? What is my body saying no to? Without these questions, the stresses responsible for our lack of balance will remain hidden.”
“Beneath the surface of the protective parts of trauma survivors there exists an undamaged essence, a Self that is confident, curious, and calm, a Self that has been sheltered from destruction by the various protectors that have emerged in their efforts to ensure survival. Once those protectors trust that it is safe to separate, the Self will spontaneously emerge, and the parts can be enlisted in the healing process”
Reach out for a Complimentary Discovery Session here
Sources:
National Center for PTSD. PTSD in Children and adolescents
How Common is PTSD in Women
American Psychiatric Society
Center for Disease Control - Adverse Childhood Experiences ACEs
Videos
Interview Healing Trauma: How To Start Feeling Safe In Your Own Body with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk - at around 10 minutes
Immune System: Biology of Loss: Recognizing Impaired Attachments & Fostering Resilience - Dr. Gabor Mate - Perinatal Services BCStored trauma Autoimmune diseases
Dr. Peter Levine on Waking the Tiger with Dr. Peter Levine - Beyond Theory Podcast | S2 E14:
Books
The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk MD
When the Body Says No - by Dr. Gabor Mate
Waking The Tiger by Dr. Peter Levine
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