Trauma/Abuse

Read through the Quick Assessment. Consider if you or someone you love has experienced a traumatic experience(s), and is indeed suffering from many of those symptoms.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a real illness. You may get PTSD after living through a traumatic event such as: war and combat, hurricanes or any other natural disaster, a house fire, a bad car accident, an airplane crash, a dangerous robbery, severe violence or homicide, sudden life threatening illness or death, rape, sexual abuse and incest, physical abuse, severe neglect, family alcoholism and drug addiction, and witnessing a parent being battered. One may even experience a series of traumas. 

The signs and symptoms of PTSD may start right after the event. The first month of symptoms is termed “Acute Stress Disorder“. If the symptoms continue past one month, or the stress lies dormant and the symptoms appear years later, the disorder takes on the new name “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some people even develop new and more severe symptoms later in life, if untreated.

Medication can help ease the symptoms, make you feel less tense and afraid, and help you to sleep better. Therapy can eliminate or greatly ease many symptoms. Several types of therapy are available including talk therapy, art therapy, and play therapy. Therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Brain-spotting Therapy (BST), and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are especially suited to help process the trauma, so one can return to a more “normal” life.  

Family therapy and relationship counseling may also be an important component to healing. Examples of additional healing tools are: regular aerobic exercise, eating at least 3 well balanced meals each day, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, building a strong support system, use of relaxation techniques and yoga, and renewing a sense of Spirituality.

PTSD can happen to anyone, including children. It is important to seek treatment as soon as possible in order to eliminate years of distress. The illness affects not only your life, but the lives of the people around you too.

Many people who have experienced traumatic events live with symptoms of PTSD for too long. If you are ready to go through the healing process, contact our office today to set up an appointment with a caring counselor who can safely guide your journey.