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PTSD Symptoms

When you see a child acting out and misbehaving, or an adult who seems unable to focus, connect or control emotions, how often do think to yourself, "Hmmm, I wonder if there's trauma in that person's background..." More often than not we just blame and feel abused and/or frustrated by such behaviors - even when they're our own. Understanding the link between childhood trauma and negative behavior patterns can be critical to treating them.
Trauma affects you to a degree, that's a given. But can you choose how trauma affects you? On Monday, our nation was faced, yet again, with a staggering attack in the midst of one of the most celebrated and community oriented events in Boston every year, The Boston Marathon. Faced with our constant vulnerability, it can be tough to learn to live in a world where you can do your best to be safe -- and still have zero guarantees. What do you do when you don't know what to do? Last week, on my radio show, I interviewed Ashley Lambert-Wise, founder of BattlingBare.org, a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness for PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in the military.
As someone struggling with PTSD, you've probably had a nightmare or two that evokes either your direct traumatic experience or the feelings that went along with it. Why do we have nightmares? What is their purpose? Is it possible to get them to stop?
There is a relationship between PTSD and OCD, but sometimes the obsessive-compulsive behaviors sneak up on you and so it's not so obvious. Have you noticed, since your trauma, that you have new, idiosyncratic behaviors, even ones that don't make sense? Do you clean (yourself or your home) obsessively? Does everything suddenly have to be perfect? Following a trauma, it's normal for your behavior to change in response to the new experience you've had. The question is, how do you move past that?
I have a client (we'll call him A.) who said to me yesterday, about an action he needs to take to move forward, "I just don't want to do it. It's too painful, so I avoid it." While avoidance is typical in PTSD recovery here's the problem: Nothing in recovery happens unless you make it happen. So what will happen if you continue to avoid? Nothing. What to do when PTSD avoidance grounds your progress to a halt?
If you live with PTSD, then you definitely have had your share of angry outbursts. How could you not? Your fuse is small, your triggers large and your ability to go with the flow went out the window the day your trauma(s) occurred. Is there hope for you to proactively manage your anger? You bet!
The majority of survivors begin PTSD recovery in traditional talk therapy. It's a natural place to start. As a society, we're very in tune with 'therapy' and the idea of talking to a professional when something is wrong emotionally and we don't know how to fix it. But is talk therapy really effective in healing PTSD? The answer is, NO. Here's why...
If you have PTSD then you know what it’s like to feel unable to control your emotions. You’re walking along having a fine day when all of a sudden you hear a siren or a car backfires and you hit the deck or hide in the bushes. Or, you’re feeling completely at ease in a conversation with someone and then all of a sudden a huge wave of anger courses through you and you react with vicious words and vehement aggression. What’s happening in these instances? Your brain is processing information that makes it feel in danger, which causes it to send messages to your body, which activates your sympathetic nervous system that leads you to respond in either fight, flight or freeze. Bottomline: Typical of anyone with PTSD you’re having trouble regulating your emotions. Not to worry, there are ways to counteract this.
After trauma and struggling with PTSD we all want two things: safety and control. How do we get them? Sometimes by rather maladaptive coping techniques!
During my own PTSD decades (yes, I struggled for 25+ years!), one of the toughest things for me was having to be around other people when I felt horrible, depressed, anxious, angry, sleep-deprived and just generally dysfunctional.