Post-Traumatic Stress. Is it What You’re Going Through?

Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are frequently used terms in this day and age. And what they are and if it affects you can be hard to figure out but here is some basic information.

Trauma is a life event that caused an overwhelming amount of stress that went past way past what you could cope with. Traumatic events can come from abuse, assault, witnessing violence, neglect, or anything else that caused that overwhelming stress. If you went through an event that caused you so much stress it changed you; you may have experienced trauma.

Post- traumatic stress is a type of stress where people have invasive and overwhelming feelings from past trauma that affect daily living in the present. Post-traumatic stress comes out in many ways including flashbacks, nightmares, overwhelming anxiety, or depression. The term PTSD is a diagnosis used by healthcare professionals when people have several of those experiences (signs and symptoms) for six or more months. You may still be experiencing post-traumatic stress even if you don’t meet the criteria for the PTSD diagnosis.

This can be complicated to figure out alone. That’s where trauma therapy comes in. Trauma therapy asks about your past and how it’s affecting you now. A trauma therapist gives a listening ear and the opportunity to talk about painful experiences from your past whenever you’re ready to talk about it. You get the space to process the most painful parts of your life without worry about judgement or your information being shared without your permission. You have a space to heal and learn new ways to cope with your past.

If you’re wondering if you are experiencing post-traumatic stress reach out to schedule your first therapy session.