If the danger is gone, maybe long gone, but the shock and alarm persist, you may be dealing with some of these PTSD signs and symptoms. When “fight or flight“ is a way of life, post- traumatic stress may be a factor. PTSD persists in your mind. It lingers in your body. It upsets your relationships.
PTSD keeps you in crisis mode. You're stuck re-experiencing the worst experience of your life.
Does your body hold the tension and fear related to your traumatic event so deeply that you constantly feel sick or nauseous or tightly wound?
Do you feel like, no matter how you fight it, traumatic memories of a disturbing time refuse to let you move on? To finally move past the trauma, you need to get a clear understanding of PTSD signs and symptoms, and how they impact your life and future.
PTSD Signs and Symptoms
Repeated Re-experiencing
Reliving the traumatic experience over and over takes its toll on the trauma survivor. You may deal with flashbacks or nightmares that leave you feeling powerless and out of control. Sights, sounds, or smells may trigger unwanted memories or physical responses. Sometimes you may find yourself triggered without really knowing why.
Hyper-vigilance
PTSD uses your trauma experience against you. You begin to feel as if the entire world is made up of hidden dangers and unexpected crises. You may be consumed with a constant need to keep yourself safe. PTSD signs include nervousness, being easily startled, or experiencing bouts of panic and irritability, The persistent need to remain aware and in control may leave you exhausted and on edge.
Interpersonal Issues
PTSD often sucks the enjoyment and comfort out of personal relationships. Friends and family find it difficult to relate to you. You may struggle to see people the way you once did. Positive feelings may succumb to suspicion, anger, and resentment. PTSD sufferers may manage strained interpersonal connections with isolation and withdrawal or by verbally or physically lashing out.
If PTSD leads you to act in an unsafe manner, seek help immediately to protect you and the people around you.
Avoidance
How far out of your way will you go to avoid dealing with reminders of your trauma? PTSD works in this sort of reverse way too, keeping trauma fresh in your body and mind by training your focus on ways to avoid thinking about the trauma. You may even resist dealing with other people who might trigger a disturbing thought.
PTSD sufferers often shut down emotionally to keep anything associated with their trauma from overwhelming them. Sometimes avoidance may become such a preoccupation that you can no longer recall the trauma or suffer depression or anxiety.
Replacement Pain
PTSD doesn’t just wreak havoc on your mind and emotions, it stresses and strains your body as well. Your attempts to deal with, or avoid dealing with, your trauma may take a toll on you physically. PTSD signs of replacement pain often include chronic pain, headaches, digestive disturbance, and muscle aches. Generally, these maladies are not a direct result of the trauma itself, but arise as a response to the emotional upheaval created by post-traumatic stress.
Unaddressed, PTSD uses past trauma to wear down the quality of your present life, health, and relationships. Living a life free of the PTSD signs and symptoms that result from your traumatic experience may even seem impossible right now. Try to remember that you are a trauma survivor. You can survive PTSD too. You just need help.
Reach out for the care and expertise of an experienced counselor soon.Trauma therapy can help you resolve the past and look forward to a healthy future.
If you would like some extra support and are looking for a psychotherapist, please contact me for a free consultation to learn about how I can be of service.
To find out more about my services click here: PTSD Treatment. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver.
For your other needs, you can count on April Lyons Psychotherapy Group, to help you heal and grow through EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, and trauma therapy – because we believe in your strength and potential for recovery.
