TRAUMA/PTSD SYMPTOMS

Even though the fearful or overwhelming life event has long since passed, the sensations of fear, panic, irritability and danger continue to persist. This leaves one to feel as though they are on the edge of a steep cliff reliving the experience causing life to be overwhelming. Symptoms such as these, as well as a racing heart, sweaty palms, tightness in the chest, jaw, or throat, difficulty swallowing or all of the above, may be signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

These sensations may happen shortly after being reminded of the "original" event or may "seem" to come out of the blue. Other people become dizzy or disoriented, experience numbness or feel as though they have left their bodies. Some may feel intense rage and anger, leaving them to believe they have lost control, or they are re-experiencing the event. At times, situations, people or places may be avoided as a means of coping with these upsetting sensations. They may tell themselves "it's over, I shouldn't still be having these reactions; why can't I get over it?!"

These symptoms, and others, may also appear during dreams or nightmares causing the individual to awaken in state of panic or fear. "Flashbacks" of the event can be triggered as a result of a smell, a color, an image or sound causing the individual to re-experience the event in the present as though it is happening all over again without warning. Various aspects of a person's life may be affected in which ordinary tasks become seemingly difficult or unbearable. Sleep, as mentioned previously, may become compromised and involve nightmares or night terrors, resulting in feelings of exhaustion or depletion during the day. Over time the fearfulness can become mixed with depression and lethargy, leaving one to feel as though they are on a roller coaster ride of emotions. EMDR can help!

Untreated PTSD in and of itself is retraumatizing in that flashbacks and frightening nightmares result in the trauma survivor progressively narrowing his/her environment (or abusing substances) in order to avoid the triggers.

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