Trauma & Post Traumatic Stress
The term post traumatic stress relates to a person experiencing a situation whereby they either witness or are involved in a threatening event such as possible death or significant injury to themselves or another person. Post traumatic stress describes the on-going effects to a person who experiences the traumatic event.
A traumatic event can include personally terrifying experiences such as being involved in or witnessing:
• a severe accident (car, workplace, plane crash)
• receiving a life-threatening medical diagnosis
• enduring physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
• exposure to war or natural disasters
• mugging, robbery, assault
• other endangering situations
Many of the above situations can cause significant feelings of fear, anxiety and in turn heightened stress levels. As a result, post traumatic stress can be experienced in a number of ways. The three main ways in which post traumatic stress is experienced are:
1. Repeated “reliving” of the event
• Flashbacks – episodes whereby the event seems to be happening over and over again
• Recurrent distressing memories of the event
• Ruminations relating to the trauma
• Nightmares (bad dreams) about the event
• Physical reactions to situations that remind you of the traumatic event
2. Avoidance
• Emotional “numbing,” – feeling as though you don’t care about anything
• Feelings of detachment from oneself or your environment
• Memory loss in respect to important aspects of the trauma
• Diminished interest in normal activities or previously enjoyable activities
• Less expression of moods
• Staying away from places, people, or objects that remind you of the event
• Sense of having no future or shortened future
3. Arousal
• Difficulty concentrating and focusing
• Exaggerated response to things that startle you (i.e., partner tapping you on the shoulder)
• Hypervigilance – oversensitivity or being hyper-aroused
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Sleeping difficulties – usually waking during the night or light sleeping