Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. The loss of a loved one, bearing witness to a terrible accident, or natural disasters are all triggers of this condition. While women and children are more susceptible to PTSD, men often suffer from it as well, particularly soldiers returning home from war.
PTSD: Signs to Look For
Recurring intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and/or difficulty
with memory.
Trouble focusing on staying on task, frequently distracted,
and difficulty in retaining new information.
Decision-making becomes overwhelming.
Detached emotionally, withdrawn from others, lack of
interest in everyday activities.
Always feeling on guard, irritable, easy to anger, sleep
disturbances, easily startled with an exaggerated response.
Headaches, backaches, skin problems, weight loss, TMJ, stomach problems begin to surface.
Did you know?
"The Army's first study of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, but less than half with problems seek help." - study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine
"A traumatized brain is compelled to train its focus away from language and verbal content and to fix instead on nonverbal dangercues--body movements, facial expressions, tone of voice...searching for threat-related information." BelleRuth Naparstek, L.I.S.W.
Talking is a left brain activity. Feelings, images, and body sensations occur in the right brain. Research shows how after trauma, the left brain's capacity to function normally is diminished and the right brain becomes more active. This is why using guided imagery is better than talking for healing trauma.
Learn more about PTSD:
Recommended Books:
Invisible Heroes: Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal
B. Naparstek, LISW
The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Disassociation and Disease
Robert Scaer, M.D.
Rituals of Healing: Using Imagery for Health and Wellness
Achterberg, Dossey, & Kolkmeir