PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone. About 1 out of every 20 adults in the U.S. (or 5% of Americans) has PTSD in any given year. Even though PTSD treatments work, most people who have PTSD don’t get the help they need.

June is PTSD Awareness Month. Help us spread the word that PTSD treatment works. Everyone with PTSD needs to know that effective treatments can reduce symptoms and lead to a better quality of life. Whether a Veteran or civilian who experienced sexual violence, a serious accident, or other traumatic event, help is available.

Give support. Get support. During PTSD Awareness Month.

 

June is recognized as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, with June 27 designated as PTSD Awareness Day. While PTSD is often associated with veterans and active-duty service members, PTSD can affect anyone, at any age.  Trauma can leave lasting emotional and psychological effects that impact daily life and overall well-being.

 

 

June is PTSD Awareness Month! Give support. Get support. During PTSD Awareness Month, help a loved one living with PTSD and remember to practice selfcare.

Help raise PTSD awareness.

Related:  Coping with PTSD Symptoms – TUTORING YOU

 

There are some direct ways to cope with specific PTSD symptoms. Try using these ways of coping to figure out which ones are helpful to you. Then practice them. Like other skills, they work better with practice.

Talk with a mental healthcare provider if symptoms continue for more than a few weeks or disrupt your daily life.

Unwanted, distressing memories, images, or thoughts

• Remind yourself that they are just that, memories.
• Remind yourself that it’s natural to have some memories of the trauma(s).
• Talk about them with someone you trust.
• Remember that, although reminders of trauma can feel overwhelming, they often lessen with time.

Sudden feelings of anxiety or panic

Traumatic stress reactions often include feeling your heart pounding and feeling lightheaded or “spacey.” This is usually caused by rapid breathing. If this happens, remember that:

• These reactions are not dangerous. If you had them while exercising, they most likely would not worry you.
• These feelings often come with scary thoughts that are not true. For example, you may think, “I’m going to die,” “I’m having a heart attack,” or “I will lose control.” It is the scary thoughts that make these reactions so upsetting.
• Slowing down your breathing may help.
• The sensations will soon pass and then you can go on with what you were doing.

Each time you respond in these positive ways to your anxiety or panic, you will be working toward making it happen less often. Practice will make it easier to cope.

Feeling like the trauma is happening again (flashbacks)

• Keep your eyes open. Look around you and notice where you are.
• Talk to yourself. Remind yourself where you are, what year it is, and that you are safe. The trauma happened in the past, and you are in the present.
• Get up and move around. Have a drink of water and wash your hands.
• Call someone you trust and tell them what is happening.
• Remind yourself that this is a common response after trauma.
• Tell your mental healthcare provider about the flashback(s).

Dreams and nightmares related to the trauma

• If you wake up from a nightmare in a panic, remind yourself that you are reacting to a dream. Having the dream is why you are in a panic, not because there is real danger now.
• You may want to get up out of bed, regroup, and orient yourself to the here and now.
• Engage in a pleasant, calming activity. For example, listen to some soothing music.
• Talk to someone if possible.
• Talk with your healthcare provider about your nightmares. There are treatments that can help.

Difficulty falling or staying asleep

• Keep to a regular bedtime schedule.
• Avoid heavy exercise for the few hours just before going to bed.
• Avoid using your sleeping area for anything other than sleeping or sex.
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. These harm your ability to sleep.
• Do not lie in bed thinking or worrying. Get up and enjoy something soothing or pleasant. Read a calming book, drink a glass of warm milk or herbal tea, or do a quiet hobby.

Irritability, anger, and rage

• Take a time out to cool off or think things over. Walk away from the situation.
• Get in the habit of exercising every day. Exercise reduces body tension and relieves stress.
• Remember that staying angry doesn’t work. It actually increases your stress and can cause health problems.
• Talk with your counselor or healthcare provider about your anger. Take classes in how to manage anger.
• If you blow up at family members or friends, find time as soon as you can to talk to them about it. Let them know how you feel and what you are doing to cope with your reactions.

Difficulty concentrating or staying focused

• Slow down. Give yourself time to focus on what it is you need to learn or do.
• Write things down. Making “to do” lists may be helpful.
• Break tasks down into small doable chunks.
• Plan a realistic number of events or tasks for each day.
• You may be depressed. Many people who are depressed have trouble concentrating. Again, this is something you can discuss with your counselor, healthcare provider, or someone close to you.

Trouble feeling or expressing positive emotions

• Remember that this is a common reaction to trauma. You are not doing this on purpose. You should not feel guilty for something you didn’t want to happen and can’t control.
• Make sure to keep taking part in activities that you enjoy or used to enjoy. Even if you don’t think you will enjoy something, once you get into it, you may start having fun.
• Take steps to let your loved ones know that you care. You can express your caring in little ways: write a card, leave a small gift, or phone someone and say hello.

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Source: Coping with PTSD Symptoms (va.gov)

If you are having trouble sleeping because of your symptoms, please view this article which I hope will give you some comfort.

PTSD and Sleep: Rest Easier with Treatment – TUTORING YOU

PTSD-Love is all we Need – TUTORING YOU

 

When you go through a trauma, it’s understandable that you might either feel numb or have strong feelings, including fear, guilt, confusion, or anger. It’s also common to be hard on yourself if you’re not getting better. Healing from trauma is a process that doesn’t happen overnight, or even—for many—in a few days or weeks.

Reach Out

It’s easy to avoid people and become isolated, but when you make an effort to connect with others, especially those who have been through similar experiences or who help you to continue on a positive path, the weight of the trauma might start to feel lighter.

Practice Relaxation Methods

You can sometimes feel anxious after a trauma, and calming activities can help. What activities put your body and mind at ease, even for just a little while? Is it swimming, reading, meditating? Do you enjoy creating art or playing music? Spending time with a pet? All these relaxation methods are worth a try.

What to Watch Out For

Don’t get caught up in negative ways of coping. Using alcohol, for example, may help you to get to sleep and forget, but it also interferes with deeper sleep cycle. In the long run, that can interfere with your health and your ability to heal. In order to feel better, it’s important to find strategies that make you feel better and help you be healthy and strong.

When You Need Extra Help

If it’s been more than a couple of months since the trauma, and your symptoms are still interfering with your life, you may need extra help. There are plenty of treatment options that can help. You can explore effective treatments online or talk with a medical provider about the ones that are best for you.

Each person is different, so allow yourself time to process the pain, and begin to find the best ways for you to manage your reactions.

ptsd.va.gov

 

Treatment Can Help You Heal

It’s common to hope that PTSD symptoms will just go away over time, but this is unlikely if you’ve had symptoms for longer than a year. Even if you feel like you can handle your symptoms now, they may get worse over time. Seeking treatment and talking about a traumatic event may seem hard, but confronting difficult memories can help you heal and move forward.

Trauma-Focused Psychotherapies

With trauma-focused psychotherapy you work with a trained provider to face exactly what is bothering you. There are three specific treatments that have the strongest scientific evidence showing they are safe and proven to work. These therapies are: ·         Cognitive Processing Therapy ·         Prolonged Exposure ·         Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Each therapy is different, but they all teach you how to process your trauma-related thoughts, memories, and feelings so that you can move on. For more on how these therapies work and evidence-based treatment watch our short, informative videos. Treatment: What to Expect Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) After a trauma, it’s common to have negative thoughts — like thinking what happened is your fault or that the world is very dangerous. CPT helps you learn to identify and change these thoughts. Changing how you think about the trauma can help change how you feel. “Before, I had my blinders on and I’d see all the things I had [done] wrong. And now, when I go through it, I see the experience as a whole… The way I think about this completely changed.” – Christopher J. Tyler, US Army (1996-2004) Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) People with PTSD often work hard to avoid traumatic memories and things that remind them of the trauma. This can help you feel better in the moment, but in the long term it can keep you from recovering from PTSD by preventing you from processing what happened to you. In PE, you expose yourself to the memories, feelings, and situations that you’ve been avoiding. It sounds scary, but facing things you’re afraid of in a safe way can help you learn that you don’t need to avoid reminders of the trauma. “It unlocks the ugly stuff. It’s in there eating away at you anyway, so it’s better just to purge it in your therapist’s office. Honestly it felt like a weight off of my shoulders. It was phenomenal.” – Sarah Humphries, US Army (1994-2012) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) EMDR can help you process upsetting memories, thoughts and feelings by having you focus on images of the trauma. At the same time, the therapist introduces brief sets of back-and-forth eye movements, taps or tones. This helps your brain work through the traumatic memories. Over time, it changes how you react to memories of your trauma and how you feel about yourself. “My traumatic thoughts don’t come to the forefront of my everyday life and consume my thoughts…they have been processed and placed into long- term memory, where they belong.” – Rogelio “Roger” Rodriquez, Jr., US Navy (1987-1993), US Air Force (1993 – 2013) AboutFace: Veterans Talk About Getting Help To hear more about these and other Veterans’ experiences with trauma-focused psychotherapies visit AboutFace, where Veterans who have been through them, will tell you about their experience. How Can You Decide Which Treatment is Right for You? The online PTSD Treatment Decision Aid is a great way to learn about your options and consider which treatment is right for you. You can watch videos of providers explaining how treatments work, then build a personalized comparison chart of the treatments that appeal to you. You can share a printout of the chart with your provider as you decide together which treatment best meets your needs.

Produced by VA’s National Center for PTSD

Related: Coping with PTSD Symptoms – TUTORING YOU

 

We are the world’s leading research and educational center of excellence on PTSD and traumatic stress.

PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. If symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD. The good news is that there are effective treatments.

Ways to get help.

• Get Help in a Crisis
  The National Center for PTSD provides links and information to help you locate VA and other mental health services in your area.
• Find a therapist.
  Describes types of professionals who provide therapy and medication for PTSD and trauma issues.
• Self-Help and Coping
  Find out what to expect after a trauma and about self-help tools that can help you manage stress reactions.

Help for Veterans

• Care for Women Veterans
  Describes VA services offered to women Veterans, including the Women Veterans Health Care Program.
• PTSD Treatment Programs
  Information on specialized treatment for PTSD within VA Medical Centers.
• VA Benefits and Claims
  Answers to some questions about PTSD and service-connected disability that are frequently asked by veterans. Provides information about resources for treatment.

Getting immediate help for PTSD:

If you need help right away:

• Call 1-800-273-8255
  Press “1” if you are a Veteran.
• Chat online with a counselor.
• Call 911 or visit a local emergency room.

 

It’s not just soldiers! Women are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD, experiencing symptoms like hyperarousal and emotional numbness. Understanding these symptoms can lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.

Dedicated to those women who were traumatized by something or someone. If you need help beginning your path to recovery, start with your family doctor. Please do not put it off. There are professionals who WILL help you.  God bless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12th-stepper. blogspot

Related:  After a Trauma: Take Time to Heal – TUTORING YOU

Breathing is a necessity of life that usually occurs without much thought. When we breathe in, blood cells receive oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that’s carried back through your body and exhaled.

Improper breathing can upset the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange and contribute to anxiety, panic attacks, fatigue, and other physical and emotional disturbances.

The next time you’re feeling anxious, there are a variety of anxiety breathing exercises to try. Learn how to use breathing exercises to help relieve feelings of anxiety and stress.

 

 

 

synapse.com

 

Related:  Coping with PTSD Symptoms – TUTORING YOU