Healing from PTSD and C-PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can be caused by one or more traumatic events – either experienced personally or vicariously. The trauma then affects your day-to-day life after that.
Imagine a soldier who lives through a brutal battle in a war zone. You can imagine the lingering horror: the flashbacks, the unwanted thoughts about what happened, the uncontrollable fear, the readiness to fight when triggered by certain noises – like a door slamming or something dropping on a table.
It’s easy to see how the initial trauma comes to invade your everyday life. Imagine being assaulted… and then having a pang of fear every time you see someone who looked like the assailant.
Did you know you can experience the same effects… even if you were not personally involved?
For example, take the events of 9/11… or the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was not personally involved in either, yet both left me (and many others) with symptoms like a constant fear, nightmares, jumpiness, and flashbacks to what we saw in the news.
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
C-PTSD is another form of trauma that occurs over an extended period rather than from a singular event. I’ll give you an example…
One of my clients spent much of her life getting blamed for every issue her two younger brothers caused: anything broken, spilled, ripped, etc., it all fell on her.
One day, her father was drunk and heard a crash in the kitchen. He roared into the kitchen and took out his anger on her, beating her within an inch of her life. This event, which is absolutely traumatic on its own, was just one of the many traumas she experienced over 22 years.
She reported intense stress over the entirety of her teenage years. Even when her father wasn’t around, she had unbearable painful cramps, and the pain was such that she was in and out of the hospital. She had actual internal damage from the long-term stress she experienced! Now, she’s constantly unsure of herself and has difficulty trusting her partner in her current relationship.
It’s different for everyone, but pain and disruption are certain.
During my time working with veterans and first responders, I’ve heard so many accounts of them seeing things that stick with them.
For example, a responder had a call, a multi-car accident, that was particularly difficult. He experienced nightmares of the scene because of what he heard and saw between all the vehicles. The constant nightmares caused sleep deprivation. This led to mood issues such as irritability which strained his relationships. While driving, he would always take a long way around if he ever had to pass that location. These symptoms and more caused him to experience great difficulty until he sought help.
My experiences with veterans are so much the same. One notable difference is by the time they see me, they are no longer near the areas where they saw and experienced so much tragedy. Unfortunately, the mention of a place or particular sound can throw them into a flashback to which they may react before they realize. One client recounted how a loud pop caused him to ball his fist and begin to tremble before he could process what happened. The sound was from the TV in the next room. I could see the tears of frustration begin to appear in his eyes.
This same client described feeling abandoned and unloved during her childhood. She experienced so many of the same physical, mental, and emotional triggers, and they felt so normal to her by this time. From childhood to the present, she maintained jumpiness at the sound of someone raising their voice because, to her, that meant physical punishment might come next. Someone speaking angrily with their teeth closed sent her into a mental spiral downward because of how much emotional pain was caused by the same when she was young. I have so many more accounts of what clients are experiencing when they come to my practice. Suffice it to say their lives are at a standstill.
You can get through this, and therapy can help.
I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with clients who struggle with PTSD and C-PTSD because I have seen the changes myself. Clients who have come to my practice describing the symptoms I mentioned above and how they have caused a complete disruption in their lives have stopped them from living the lives they know they deserve.
EMDR is a thoroughly studied evidence-based form of therapy. There are eight phases in the process: (1) History-taking; (2) Preparation; (3) Assessment; (4) Desensitization; (5) Installation; (6) Body Scan; (7) Closure; and (8) Reevaluation.
We’ll begin by you helping me understand your concerns and symptoms. This intake session can be as detailed or as vague as you need. One thing I’ve learned over time is that different people move at different paces. I will not ask you to go into great detail if that is not something you’re physically, mentally, emotionally, or legally able to do.
One of the benefits of EMDR is you don’t have to go into detail if you can’t or don’t want to. No matter what you want to do, I help you prepare a place of emotional safety to help you remain calm during the process and after. We target events related to your present symptoms, again with as much detail as you’re able. We’ll observe how strongly distressing these events are to you on a 1-10 scale, and we’ll use what’s called bilateral stimulation to help “unstick” those events which have become sticking points in your mind and body, moving that number to 0.
Next, we’ll introduce positive beliefs and work to get that to a 7 on a 1-7 scale. From there, we’ll see how you’re feeling in your body and discuss your symptoms at that point. The goal is for you to leave my practice no longer reporting any symptoms.
It’s time for the peaceful life you never thought possible…
Things happen in our lives, be they singular events or lifelong traumas. Let’s work together to improve your life and bring healing.
Call me for a free 20-minute consultation: (215) 874-7162.
I’ll ask some basic questions about your situation. If we’re a good fit, we move on to the next stage. It’s easy, and there is no pressure.