Trauma and PTSD Therapy

Symptoms of PTSD are usually grouped into four diverse types: intrusive memories, negative moods and thinking, avoidance, and physical and emotional reactions. Symptoms and their severity may vary from person to person and lessen or worsen over time. These include:

• Unwanted and distressing memories of the event.
• Reliving the event over and over again, referred to as flashbacks.
• Disturbing nightmares about the event.
• Severe emotional or physical reactions to situations that remind you of the event.

Avoidance is the act of intentionally removing yourself from situations because you fear how you will react to it. Symptoms include:

• Avoid discussing or even thinking about the traumatic event
• Staying away from people, places, and activities that may remind you of the event

Changes to more negative thinking or moods can be a symptom of PTSD. These include:

• Feelings of hopelessness
• Negative thoughts about yourself, friends and loved ones, or the world in general
• Forgetting or blocking out specific events or parts of the traumatic event
• Difficulty maintaining relationships
• Detachment from family and friends
• Loss of interest in anything that was once exciting to you
• Lack of emotion

Sometimes changes in your physical or emotional reaction to people and situations can signal PTSD symptoms. These include:

• Increasingly startled or frightened
• Feeling of constant danger or "on guard"
• Self-destructive or increasingly dangerous behavior (binge drinking, speeding, etc.)
• Trouble sleeping or concentrating
• Increasingly irritated, angry, or aggressive behavior
• Feelings of overwhelming guilt or shame

PTSD can also affect children who have been in abusive or neglectful situations. In children under 6 years old, these symptoms may be:

• Re-enacting the traumatic event or parts of it through playtime
• Nightmares or scary dreams that might include parts of their traumatic event.