Counselling for Trauma & PTSD

What is Trauma and PTSD

Most of us are likely to experience an incident or event/s that are considered to be traumatic at some point in our lives, however not all of us will be affected in the same way and some people may not be effected at all. According to Mind (2023), Trauma is: “The experience of any stressful, frightening or distressing event that is difficult to cope with or is out of our control.” 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is different than trauma alone. According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses - DSM5 (2013), PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a person has either been directly exposed to a traumatic incident themselves, has witnessed a traumatic incident happening to another person, have heard about a close family member or friend experience a traumatic incident or they have been exposed to, or witnessed repeated traumatic incidents, such as first responders to life threatening incidents such as traffic accidents or stabbings, repeatedly over time. It can also include incidents of sexual violence such as being subjected to repeated sexual abuse overtime. In general terms it is where a traumatic event has caused a real fear to your survival or the survival of another that is difficult to comprehend or cope with.

Symptoms of PTSD: According to the Mayo Clinic (2024) symptoms of PTSD are generally grouped into four types such as: 

Intrusive memories - These can include distressing memories, having flashbacks as if you are reliving the event or having nightmares about the event, and having a sever emotional reaction to events that can remind a person of the traumatic event.  

Negative changes in thinking and mood - This can be such things as feeling negative about self or others, a fear of the world and people such as having difficulty trusting others, blaming self or feeling guilt, anger or shame. You can become detached from people and activities, and there can be feelings of emotional numbness or you could find it difficult to feel positive emotions.

Changes in physical and emotions reactions - This could be such feelings of being easily startled or jumpy, being alert to danger, having difficulty sleeping, having difficulty concentrating, experiencing irritability, anger or aggressive behaviour. Sometimes rapid breathing or feeling a sense of panic and sweating can be physical reactions at moments when in fear of something that can be a reminder of the traumatic event.

Avoidance - This can include avoiding places, people or activities, or avoiding talking about the event or things that remind your of the traumatic event.

Neuroscience of trauma and PTSD

According to the NHS (2022), people with PTSD experience changes in the brain following trauma. For example, it is believed that the size of the hippocampus is smaller for people with PTSD. This may influence a persons ability to emotionally process memories and can cause problems like fear, anxiety, memory problems and flashbacks. If the hippocampus is malfunctioning it may prevent the brain from processing memories properly. Accessing mental health treatment and sometimes in conjunction with medication, can help to process these memories properly to relieve, reduce and hopefully allow the memories to be processed in a more manageable way.

Treatment for PTSD: According to the NHS (2022), Treatment for PTSD can include talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a combination of talking therapy and medication, or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)