PTSD

The kind of trauma that may be a trigger for post traumatic stress (PTSD) is classified as being when you have experienced or witnessed ‘actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation.’ (APA 2014)

Diagnosis of PTSD is based on you having suffered from psychological distress for more than one month following the traumatic incident(s). The symptoms of PTSD include low mood, angry outbursts, poor memory, self-destructive behaviour, suicidal thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks.

Using a relational approach, such as psychodynamic therapy, has been found to be useful in the treatment of long term traumatic stress and is recognised by the NHS and Scottish Government’s guide to psychological therapies in Scotland.

As a counsellor, my areas of special interest are complex trauma & PTSD, childhood trauma, birth trauma.

FURTHER READING

• https://headfixers.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/the-role-of-trauma-in-mental-health-the-issue-cannot-be-ignored-any-longer/ – Dr Eoin Galavan, 2015
  
• Trauma and Recovery: the aftermath of violence, from domestic abuse to political terror – Judith Herman, 1992
• In an Unspoken Voice: how the body releases trauma and restores goodness – Peter Levine, 2010
• The Healing Fields: working with psychotherapy and nature to rebuild shattered lives – Sonja Linden & Jenny Grut, 2002