We Can Help With ... Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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The psychological impact of horrific events can last a long time. A reminder of the event can be enough to cause flashbacks or an extreme fear reaction, with the mind reliving the horror of the event.

Soldiers, for example, can hide under tables when they hear a car backfiring, thinking they're back in a war zone. A car's brakes can be enough to send an individual into a severe panic, if that was the last sound they heard just before a major accident. Seeing young people in the street can cause anxiety and fear for victims of assault.

This effect is commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD and it can be a debilitating condition. The fear of the reaction alone can be enough to stop you doing things, preventing you from enjoying life to the full and crushing your spirit.

The body has its own way of dealing with trauma, but not everyone benefits from it. Some of us process the event emotionally by dreaming about it, either consciously or subconsciously. However, this doesn't work for others and the event stays in the mind. This can lead the mind into thinking that the event is happening all over again, creating the same feelings as with the original event.

Treating PTSD involves breaking the link between the historical event and the present day. The individual can then hear the backfiring car for what it is, rather than creating an instinctive fear reaction.

The treatment involves hypnotherapy to help the subconscious mind deal with the event and see the triggers for what they are, with other techniques like NLP & EFT used to support the therapy. Psychotherapy can also be used for more deep-seated reactions.