TRAUMA

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH AND MAKE MEANING OUT OF YOUR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES?

Post-Traumatic Stress Response is a common, normal, and often adaptive response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful life event. Almost everyone who experiences a scary situation will show at least a few signs of post-traumatic stress. That’s because our brains are hard-wired to tell our bodies to tense our muscles, breathe faster, and pump more blood when we’re under intense stress. This is the “fight-or-flight” response which enables our bodies to deal with the threat/danger.

Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a situation that involves the possibility of death or serious injury, or who learns that a close family member or friend has experienced a traumatic event, can develop post-traumatic stress disorder, although most people don’t. It’s still not completely understood why some people who are exposed to traumatic situations develop PTSD while others don’t.

Common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include reliving a traumatic event through nightmares, flashbacks, or constantly thinking about it. You might avoid situations or people that remind you of the event, have only negative thoughts or emotions, and constantly feel jittery, nervous, or “on edge.” Although some of these symptoms sound similar to PTSR, the difference is the duration and intensity. When symptoms continue for more than one month, are severe, and interfere with your daily functioning you most probably have PTSD and may need medication and therapy to help you deal with the trauma.

I work with:

  • Individuals who have experienced a trauma either directly or indirectly
  • Families and loved ones who were traumatised directly or indirectly
  • I offer containment and debriefing of groups in corporate and other settings
  • I offer psycho-educational talks on trauma and how to cope with it.
  • I offer counselling and support for other front-line workers who have been traumatised by the work that they do such as paramedics, policemen, nurses and mental health professionals. Join me on my Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/446194273359179