Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that’s triggered by experiencing a terrifying, or life-threatening event. In fact, most individuals who experience traumatic events have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping. But, with time and good self-care, they usually get better. However, if the symptoms get worse, or are long-lasting, they can interfere with your day-to-day functioning. Seeking effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reducing symptoms and improving functioning. Trauma can mean anything that causes us to stress so overwhelmingly that our physical response to it is to ‘freeze’ feeling unable to successfully overcome it. This ‘frozen’ material can often be stored in childhood and then triggered by new stress like a death, a break-up, or a car accident.
You may be experiencing PTSD if you have:
- Invasive, upsetting memories of a tragedy
- Flashbacks (reliving a trauma as if it’s happening again)
- Loss of interest in daily life and activities
- Feeling emotionally numb
- A feeling of not leading a normal life
- Avoidance of certain activities, feelings, thoughts, or places
- Difficulty remembering important aspects of a traumatic event
- Negative thoughts about yourself, other people, or the world
- Hopelessness about the future
- Difficulty maintaining close relationships
- Feeling detached from family and friends
- Lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Difficulty experiencing positive emotions
