PTSD

The acronym stands for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and it is referred to as a psychological diagnosis made after an individual experiences a traumatic event. Due to the trauma, symptoms may not start showing immediately after the traumatic event but rather a several months after. This is usually caused by denial, as most survivors of traumatic events often suppress the event to return to normalcy. Once the denial starts to wear off, this is when symptoms start to manifest themselves.

Below are some of the effects a person may experience if they are living with PTSD

Flashbacks

One of the things that happen during a traumatic event is that your mind and all your other senses are magnified. This means that if you have been in a massive car accident, you may be able to hear the metal grinding against the tar, windows breaking, your body being ejected to the ground, or being trapped behind the wheel.

Psychologically their mind retreats within itself and starts to capture all the happening and consequently make a memory book full of specific snapshots related to the trauma. These memories tend to replay over and over in their mind.

Nightmares

Flashback happens when an individual is awake, and they are small snapshots back to the day of the trauma. However, nightmares occur in the subconscious and can be far more painful and upsetting to experience. This is because the conscious mind is rational, while the subconscious mind is completely irrational. Your nightmares are much more rooted in irrational subconscious fears and feelings.

Let’s use the car crash scenario; the flashback will be a real memory of the incident. And although the conscious mind does start to distort these memories to serve your state of mind and feelings, they are grounded in the information you remember. Nightmares, on the other hand, are not, which means instead of factual memory, in a nightmare, your brain may link it to unrealistic feelings and occurrences. For example, instead of drowning in water, you are now drowning in blood, which heightens the trauma.

Triggers

The memory book your mind creates during a harrowing experience consists of several elements. These are all related to the five senses of smell, sight, touch, hearing, and taste. As such, your experience can be relived through various triggers. Using our car crash example, if a specific song on the radio was playing just before you lost control of the vehicle, then that song may be a trigger. If you happen to hear the song again months later unexpectedly, this can trigger the incident to replay in your mind again.

Sexual assault victims have reported being hyper-aware of the smell of their assaulter. Being able to recognize and describe the exact smell of the individual. Sound is also a huge trigger in PTSD. For example, I was abused as a child and teen, and the smell of Old Spice has been a debilitating trigger. Another trigger for me is watching golf on T.V. no one in my home is allowed to watch golf. Many veterans are catapulted back to the war zone in their minds by hearing the pop of car exhaust, mistaking it for gunshots. Triggers don’t necessarily have to be accurate, just accurate enough for the brain to form a connection back to the trauma.

Avoiding Human Interaction

Many survivors of distressful events tend to become recluse, often spending most of their time alone. This often leads to anxiety and depression. One of the primary reasons why trauma survivors prefer to be alone and seclude themselves is because of the fear of not being believed or shamed.

Sexual assault survivors who reported their perpetrators experienced had the same depression and anxiety. Once the information got out to friends and family. Many chose to stay indoors and limit their human interaction to a minimum. Another prominent reason why trauma survivors prefer to avoid human interaction is to avoid confrontation with people who know and love the perpetrator

** Many survivors will also make jokes and try to make people laugh to make them believe their life is fun which is a distraction from what is happening. **

Struggling To Sleep

One of the symptoms of PTSD is struggling to sleep, with some survivors reportedly starting to experience long bouts of insomnia. The struggle to fall asleep after trauma is linked to several reasons. The first reason is fear, the fear of going to sleep. This stems from the individual knowing that they may experience a nightmare. However, it also stems from a fear of being vulnerable and not in control.

It occurs more specifically in assault survivors. When we are asleep, we are at our most exposed and vulnerable. If they believe they may be hurt again, then sleep is something people may avoid. Another reason why trauma survivors struggle to sleep is brain hyperactivity. This is linked to flashbacks and restlessness. Sleep requires a state of peace of mind. However, if your mind is restless and unstable, sleep may be much harder.

Paranoia

Hyperawareness is a symptom of PTSD and is mainly prominent in trauma that affects the person physically, such as an assault, an attack, or even fighting at war. This is because your body is on high alert and looking to find ways to protect itself. This may often result in paranoia. and hallucination, where you interpret scenarios happening to fit the narrative of your fear.

Difficulty in Focusing And Concentrating

When a person survives a trauma getting back to their normal routine is often challenging. This is especially true for the first couple of months after the trauma. Many survivors report struggling to think straight, focusing at work or school, or even being socially engaged. This is because the mind is still engrossed in the event and still trying to process the event’s happenings.

As such, one may find themselves in a dazed state of mind, where basic cognitive skills such as making decisions, special recognition, or reading social cues become quite challenging. Therefore, it is advised that survivors take some time off from their daily schedule of going to work, school, or other activities that require these skills. One of the side effects symptoms of difficulty in focusing and concentrating is found especially amongst adolescent teens who often report a drop in grades and inability to integrate successfully back into their social routines.

Extremely Emotional And Sensitive

Where some survivors become a lot more hypersensitive and emotional. This is the case in most assault survivors, where heightened emotions of sadness and loneliness became prevalent. Where many survivors reported feeling like they were about to have emotional outbursts and had no idea how to manage them or stop them.

Psychologists have recommended that trauma survivors speak to other survivors of similar events. This is often in the form of a support group where individuals can share their feelings and emotions in a supportive atmosphere. Many people in the support group have been through similar traumas they feel less alone. Trauma survivors find it hard to share their feelings with people who may love and support them but are unable to grasp the core feelings of the trauma. Support groups are a great outlet for those wishing to discard any extreme emotions they may be bottling in.

Crisis of Faith

One of the symptoms of PTSD is negative feelings toward beliefs and principles that one held dear or esteem. One of the areas where survivors experience these feelings is their faith or religion. This tends to lead many to a crisis of faith, where they battle with their beliefs. A crisis of faith after a trauma tends to be rooted in blame. With survivors blaming their God or a higher power for the trauma that has unfolded.

This is linked to an individual’s inability to reconcile their beliefs about what has happened to them. As most religions preach of a just and fair God, survivors may feel this principle is no longer true as they consider what occurred to them unjustly and unfairly. The consequence is that they turn away, either temporarily or permanently, from their faith, opting to discard their beliefs.

Diminished interest

In activities that were previously enjoyed

After reading all the symptoms mentioned above, this one should be the least surprising. When someone encounters a trauma, it is often life-changing and something that alters the state of their normal routine in life. This result is individuals finding themselves completely and utterly uninterested in anything. Preferring to sit on the sidelines and not participate in any activities. This often holds to activities that the individual used to love or be good at, especially if it relates to the trauma.

For example, if a high school cheerleader is assaulted after cheerleading practice or while in their cheerleading uniform, they may associate the trauma with cheerleading. Which will mean choosing never to engage in the activity again. Many trauma survivors will find it extremely difficult to find interest in anything again; this is associated with feelings associated with hopelessness and lack of purpose.

Unfortunately, time does not heal PTSD. Your brain has rewired the nervous system, if untreated, PTSD will get worse. This is not a “time heals” situation. Even the most strong-willed trauma survivors cannot “will their way away” from PTSD. This is why it is particularly important to seek help.

This brings us to the good news! There are treatment options that exist to allow an individual to bring their nervous system back into balance. You don’t have to feel this way forever!