Providing PTSD Relief
- Steve Russo
- Oct 1, 2014
- 2 min read
Hope, renewal and transformation for body, mind and spirit. By Annmarie Huppert.
We all suffer from occasional, unexpected amounts of stress considering our everyday hustle and information overload. However, if that sense of overload never goes away and becomes a part of daily living, the line between run-of-the-mill stress and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) can become blurred.
The difference between a hard time and getting stuck in PTS can be subtle. After an overly stressful event, most people re-live it, have difficulty sleeping, and feel overwhelmed for weeks. When weeks stretch into months, or a person is repeatedly exposed to stressful incidents, PTS can become very real.
If it’s been more than three months since a stressful event and symptoms are still present, consider learning more about what is causing them. There are seven criteria that a mental health professional uses to diagnose PTS, but you might be surprised to know:
PTS is a normal response to an abnormal amount of stress
PTS is not a lifetime sentence
PTS doesn’t have to be something you live with or learn how to manage
Here are a few other things you might not know about PTS:
“Aren’t people with PTSD dangerous?”
People struggling with PTS, called ‘survivors,’ are typically only dangerous to themselves. Herein lies a paradox - survivors driven into isolation by society’s views about mental health issues cannot achieve healing in isolation. It takes a team of caring, compassionate, PTS informed people to support the survivor’s healing journey. People are only pushed to the brink of violence when they believe there are no alternatives.
“PTSD is a veteran thing, isn’t it?”
Yes and no. Actually, women have been unrecognized survivors fighting on the front lines of PTS for centuries. Active duty military personnel certainly have opportunity for exposure to the kinds of trauma that causes PTS, but it also affects children and first-responders, such as police and fire personnel.
“The last thing I want to do is dig up a painful past.”
It’s not necessary to relive painful traumatic events to move forward in healing PTS. Rather, practicing how to focus on the present, understanding how the brain uses the past to keep us safe and learning better coping skills are keys to handling PTS.
Think you might be struggling with PTS? Reach out! Is someone you care about having a hard time ‘getting over’ a painful experience? These simple things can help:
Be generous. A simple smile, text message sent at just the right time or listening ear can be the one thing that helps someone get through a difficult day.
Make yourself available and set boundaries. Become clear about how involved you’re willing to become; then let your friend or loved one know you’re available to help within certain limits.
Consider how you think and speak about mental health. People are the most important part of healing from PTS; however, ignorance and insensitivity about how mental health issues show up in a person’s life can cause unintentional emotional damage.
Pass it along. Discover helpful tips for over-all wellness or emotional healing, then share them with people you love and care about.
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