Trauma and PTSD
What do you mean by trauma?
Trauma includes a wide variety of significant distressing experiences that people endure that overwhelm the mind, body or both. Trauma events can present in a variety of ways. Common events that can cause trauma include:
- Natural disaster such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes.
- Neglect or abandonment
- Physical Abuse
- Sexual Abuse, Rape, Uncomfortable sexual experience
- Witness to violence, serious issues, and/or death
- Scary Medical Procedure
- Combat and/or stressful military experience
It is important to understand that what is traumatic for one person may not be for another.
What are of symptoms of unresolved trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
As a result of traumatic events and distressing life experiences, some people develop symptoms that can make daily life and task completion difficult. Trauma symptoms can include:
- Anxiety and stress
- Distressing memories
- Difficulty relaxing
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Procrastinating
- Shutting down
- Substance use.
- Behavioral Addictions
- Difficulty regulating emotions
- Relationship and intimacy issues
- Low self-esteem and shame
- Difficulty trusting others
- Inability to feel safe - hypervigilance
- Not feeling "like myself"
- Sleep issues/insomnia/nightmares
- Poor concentration
- Anger and irritability
Trauma Treatment with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy found to be effective in treating PTSD. CPT focuses on repairing the damage done by a traumatic event by allowing you to challenge negative thoughts and interpretations, gain a healthier perspective about the trauma, cope better with any future trauma and move forward with your life. Standard CPT typically involves 12 weekly sessions though this can vary depending on your needs. In CPT, you will work with your therapist to identify and explore the ways that the trauma has altered your thoughts and beliefs, affecting both how you feel and how you act. Your therapist will specifically help you pick out thoughts that keep you stuck from recovery.
Does everyone exposed to trauma develop PTSD?
No, not everyone who lives through a distressing event experiences PTSD. In fact, most will not get the disorder. Research shows that about 60% of the population will experience at least one trauma in their life and about 8% of the population develops PTSD. Many factors play a part in whether a person develops PTSD or not. Some of these risk factors include:
- Living through a dangerous event
- Having a history of mental illness
- Getting hurt
- Seeing people hurt or killed
- Feeling sorrow, helplessness or extreme fear
- Having little or no social support after the event.
- Dealing with extra stress after the event.
Do I have to retell everything that happened to me?
Only if you believe it will be beneficial but it is not required for Cognitive Processing Therapy. In the majority of cases, providing a brief account of the trauma is all that is usually necessary for treatment.
Where can I find more information on Cognitive Processing Therapy?
For more information on CPT, visit the following links:
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/cognitive-processing-therapy