ptsd Recovery, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, ptsd Help and Treatment

Mental Stress of Troops in Iraq No Bar to Duty, US Says

The Pentagon could extend combat tours in Iraq despite an official report showing that hundreds of thousands of US troops who have been involved in at least one war zone in Iraq or Afghanistan are experiencing serious psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to the Pentagon’s own mental health taskforce, US troops have been undertaking higher levels of sustained combat duty than that experienced by soldiers during the war in Vietnam and in the second world war.

It found that 38% of soldiers, 31% of marines, 49% of national guard members and 43% of marine reservists showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychological problems within three months of returning from active duty. Its report also noted inadequate mental healthcare and facilities, and prejudice over mental health problems.

The US has about 155,000 troops in Iraq, most of whom typically spend 15 months in combat zones with a guaranteed 12 months at home. But that is a breach of the Pentagon’s own rules saying equal time should be spent on and off duty.

This week, Peter Geren, acting army secretary, told Congress that extended stints of frontline duty could be ordered if President Bush opted to push the 30,000-strong troop surge in Iraq beyond September. The senate armed services committee heard that while no decisions had been made, plans had to be started.

Yesterday, Vice-Admiral Donald Arthur, co-chairman of the Pentagon’s mental health taskforce, said there was "no doubt" that more numerous and lengthier deployments were exacerbating mental health problems. "Not since Vietnam have we seen this level of combat," he said.

The taskforce’s report said symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury - the two "signature injuries" associated with service in Iraq and Afghanistan - included anger and substance abuse. And soldiers’ reticence meant the problem was probably greater than research indicated. The report also questioned the practice of returning troops to frontline duty while they were taking medication such as lithium or Prozac.

A cut in combat duties to lessen psychological stress was also urged by an army study based on research in Iraq last year. But that proposal was rejected this week by a senior aide to the ground forces commander in Iraq. Brigadier-General Joseph Anderson told USA Today: "We would never get the job done."

© Guardian News & Media 2008
Published: 6/20/2007

Prevention of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Study of PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is related to anxiety triggered by extreme trauma. PTSD is an affliction related to war veterans but can strike anyone at anytime.

Forever at War: Veterans’ Everyday Battles with Post-traumatic Stress …

Forever at War: Veterans’ Everyday Battles with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Homeless Veterans

Since the Vietnam War, rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been steadily increasing and PTSD rates from the Iraq Conflict are at an all-time high. PTSD is not new

PTSD and the Purple Heart

Just two weeks before the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the Pentagon announced that it would not award the Purple Heart to war veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress..

Military & Veterans: Politics for the deserving: Veterans …

.. especially as it relates to post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, will improve under the new leadership.

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Post traumatic Stress Disorder - A Spiritual Perspective

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a disorder of the heart that has been stretched to its limit in order to regulate emotions of fear, confusion, rage, and helplessness brought about by circumstances it could not prevent.

When it happens that the heart, mind, and body become overloaded with negative impressions concerning events that they are subject to while in a state of helplessness or necessary conformity to the circumstances at hand, then conditions are ripe for the inner disorder that has come to be known as ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD).

PTSD is not primarily a disorder of the mind, though it may appear as such, but rather a disorder of the heart that no longer feels capable of dealing with the helplessness that it has had no way of preventing. This helplessness, while in a state of moderate intensity, can produce a numbing of all the emotions of heart and body so that one can live through the experience. But when conditions change and the external situation is no longer present or no longer as stressful, or, when numbing is no longer effective, then the release of what has been encapsulated can occur without any warning, and suddenly, what was a successful way of coping with distress, becomes unsuccessful.

PTSD is not a disease of the body. Nor is it a disease of the mind. Rather, it is a symptom of the limitation of a heart that has been stretched to its limit in order to regulate the emotions of fear, confusion, rage, and helplessness brought about by a circumstance or circumstances that it could not prevent. Under normal conditions, the heart has a way of taking instruction from the mind so that it receives guidelines about what to believe about such circumstances and how to hold them in a way that gives them believability and credibility. But under the circumstance of severe and ongoing trauma or of a single traumatic incident of great intensity, the heart no longer believes that there is any explanation that is credible for what it is feeling or perceiving, and no longer knows how it will survive the need to continue enduring what cannot be explained. This is a perception of the heart rather than the mind, for the mind may hold explanations, but these do not appear to make a difference to the heart.

Often, one who has experienced severe trauma - whether on a battlefield, in a violent or cruel relationship, as a victim of sudden brutality, terror, or horror, or, as a witness of severe violence done to others - first becomes numb to these circumstances as a way of turning down the volume of nervous system overload that is a result of the situation. However, when numbing is not possible, either because the situation continues without let-up at the same high level of intensity and the body’s fear responses are continuously activated, or, because the sense of disbelief and shock have already taken hold, and one has already begun to feel that nothing makes sense, symptoms of PTSD can begin to be observed.

The violence and horror that are the general precursors to PTSD can occur in many forms. They can occur through one’s own being the subject of cruelty, abuse, or horror, or they can occur through witnessing someone else or a group of others in this role. The heart, having come to the end of its capacity to tolerate the pain of its own experience, begins to look for ways to compensate for the amount of distress it is feeling so that its very survival can continue.

The spiritual context in which PTSD develops is an outgrowth of the emotional, for the powerful emotional resonance of PTSD produces a separation of the lower emotional body from the higher, so that an infusion of light from the higher Self which might otherwise transform the situation and make it more bearable, becomes difficult or impossible. For many who experience traumatic situations, the experience, in retrospect, is one in which the individual does not know how they got through it, feeling that something unknown took over that made survival possible. This ’something’ is often a transfusion of spiritual energy from the higher energy bodies into the heart center so that more capacity exists to deal with the present circumstances. Such a transfusion of light occurs in many instances of difficulty for individuals, for each soul who is severely challenged in life is being helped from the soul level of their being as well as by other beings of light who may be assisting. Nevertheless, where the heart has become enveloped with its own pattern of resonance with energies of terror, despair, confusion, anger or helplessness, it can happen that the higher bodies cannot gain access to the level of the physical self in order to further self-healing. As a result, the physical self who experiences the results of trauma can come to feel that there is no way to relieve it.

There are many forms of treatment that have been refined, today, for post traumatic stress disorder, and also many who are in need of this help. The spiritual incorporation of greater light into the body and heart would add to these, the possibility for creating a bridge of light and healing so that the woundedness of the heart could be held in a different energy than the one it is presently resonating with. This practice of alignment with the higher levels of oneself, carried out regularly, can serve the purposes of healing, enabling many more to find their way back from traumatic situations than can occur at the present time. It is also true that in a future in which such separation of energy bodies might take place, there would be enough transmitted light so that the seamless reconstruction of the pathways between upper and lower bodies could take place as a normal part of the maintenance processes of the entire spiritual-physical being.

For now, both the current ways of addressing PTSD and the incorporation of light from the spiritual dimension are effective means of addressing the healing needs of PTSD, the latter by increasing the joining of the physical self with the self-of-light so that a new energy can enter the picture and alter the disabling conditions from within. Until such time as changes on the world scene make this disorder a thing of the past, ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ will best be viewed as a spiritual-emotional disorder related to the time we are in, with dire consequences for the many who are suffering greatly from its effects.

By Julie Redstone
Published: 10/25/2007

Post Traumatic Stress Disorderzilla attacks Tokyo.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorderzilla attacks Tokyo. Jan. 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 PM. DesiDespair. I’m unsure insecure and uneasy about what to do with myself.

The Pentagon and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

In Monday’s roundup: Debating healthcare reform, the military’s stance on Post-Traumatic Stress Dissorder (PTSD), and Torture.

Post Traumatic Stress

Post traumatic stress. in a previous post one of the topics i touched on is the aftermath of losing a patient or rather the effect it can have on you as the doctor.

President Bush’s post traumatic stress

If President Bush develops problems and is later plagued by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), will he be surprised to find out that it’s very difficult for people who served their country

Post-traumatic stress syndrome and the missionary

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm. 

Healthcare Reform, the Pentagon and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder …

In Monday’s roundup: Debating healthcare reform, the military’s stance on Post-Traumatic Stress Dissorder (PTSD), and Torture.   Read more…

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16 Signs That Your Teenager Needs Counseling-from Woodstock, Lake Zurich And Oakwood Hills

A variety of behavioral and emotional problems afflict teenage youngsters. For example, some of them seem to have great difficulty following rules and behaving in socially acceptable ways.

They are often viewed by other children, adults or social agencies as bad apples, bipolar, ADHD or troublemakers. If your teenager exhibits some of the following behaviors, you should consider counseling for him or her:

1. Hostile or violent behavior toward people or animals,

2. The use of threatening, bullying or intimidating behavior,

3. The starting of fights,

4. Carries a dangerous weapon that could cause serious harm to others.g. a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife or gun),

5. Behaves cruelly, physically or emotionally, to either people or animals,

6. Steals,

7. Highly aggressive or demanding sexually,

8. Destroys property,

9. Sets fires, intending to cause damage,

10. Is deceitful,

11. Has broken into a building, house, or car belonging to someone else,

12. Lies to avoid responsibilities,

13. Shoplifts,

14. Often stays out at night, despite your objections,

15. Has run away from home,

16. Has been truant.

If your child has exhibited any of these behaviors, you should seek a comprehensive evaluation of him by a psychologist. He or she may also have parallel conditions such as a mood disorder, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), a substance abuse problem, ADHD, or a thought disorder, all of which should also be evaluated.

Your youngster is likely to have ongoing problems if he or she fails to receive early and comprehensive counseling. Without it, he or she will continue to be unable to adapt to the demands of adulthood.

Unfortunately, he or she will continue to be at high risk for having problems with relationships, school, effective socialization and even maintaining a job. If your kid relishes the breaking of laws and behaving antisocially, any number of factors may be contributing, including brain damage, child abuse, heredity, academic failure and/or traumatic life experiences.

Treatment of your son or daughter can be complex and challenging. However, it can be provided in a variety of different settings depending on the severity of the behavior.

Counseling with these kids can be very challenging because they often have an uncooperative attitude and a fear and distrust of adults and other authority figures. In developing a comprehensive treatment plan, a child and adolescent psychologist will likely use information gleaned from your child, your family members, his or her teachers and other behavioral specialists in order to understand the causes of his or her problems.

Counseling and psychotherapy is usually necessary to help your child in appropriately expressing and controlling anger; special education programs may also be needed if he or she has any learning disabilities.

You will probably need expert help in carrying out any special management or educational programs that may be prescribed for use at home or in his or her school. Besides counseling, treatment may also include medication if your youngster has difficulty paying attention, managing his or her impulses or coping with high levels of depression or anxiety.

Since establishing new attitudes and behavior patterns will take time, treatment may not be brief. However, early treatment offers your child a better chance for considerable improvement and hope for a more successful future.

By: Dr Michael Shery

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dr Shery is in Cary, IL, near Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Huntley and Lake-in-the-Hills. He’s an expert psychologist, provides day, evening and Saturday appts and accepts all insurance plans. Call 1 847 516 0899 and make an appt or learn more about counseling at: www.carypsychology.com

Help with PTSD Recovery Here

 

Guilt and PTSD in children

Although guilt is not one of the ‘core’ symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) it often goes hand-in-hand with it.

CPTSD From Child Abuse

I’m 50 (the same age as Michael Jackson), live in the US, have had complex PTSD from about the age of 7 due to child abuse.

Articles on Child Abuse | PTSD

Articles on child abuse - This article focuses on growing from traumatic experiences such as PTSD. Growing from your pain is definitely possible.

Young burn victims at risk for PTSD

In contrast, 6% of children met the DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD at the 4- to 6-month assessment and none did so at 6 months.

Could your child have post-traumatic stress disorder?

If your child has experienced a serious trauma don’t overlook the possibility of ptsd.

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Anxiety Disorders: Types, Symptoms, Treatment

Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at times. Many people feel anxious, or nervous, when faced with a problem at work, or before taking a test or making an important decision. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.

Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension, fear, or worry. Most everyone experiences temporary anxiety, a feeling of nervousness or fear, as a normal reaction to a stressful situation at some point in life. While anxiety is a natural response to some situations, it can develop into a debilitating disorder in some people. It is estimated that about 13% of the United States population has anxiety. Most people suffering from anxiety do not consult a doctor as they believe only "mentally sick" people need to visit a psychiatrist.

The important thing is to understand that anxiety can be treated and that living with constant anxiety is not necessary. Untreated anxiety disorders can push people into avoiding situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are likely to suffer from depression, and they also may abuse alcohol and other drugs in an effort to gain relief from their symptoms. Job performance, school work, and personal relationships can also suffer.

Types of anxiety disorders

There are several different anxiety disorders:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder - an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic, exaggerated worry and tension that is unfounded or much more severe than the normal anxiety most people experience. Worrying is difficult to control. Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder include muscle tension, trembling, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, irritability, loss of sleep and not being able to concentrate.
• Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder - an anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated panic attacks along with intense anxiety between attacks and possible avoidance of situations where attacks may occur. Panic attacks last about 5 to 30 minutes. Panic attacks can lead to phobias if they aren’t treated.
• Phobias. A phobia is an extreme, unreasonable fear in response to something specific. Examples include fear of crowds, bridges, snakes, spiders, heights, open places or social embarrassment. A phobia is only considered a problem when it keeps you from living a normal life.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions), which feel uncontrollable to the sufferer.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - a debilitating anxiety disorder that may develop following a terrifying event. It is characterized by persistent frightening thoughts and memories of the ordeal.
• Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia - an anxiety disorder characterized by a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by one’s actions.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders

Physical symptoms:

• rapid or irregular heartbeat, feeling as if you are having a heart attack
• stomach problems (gnawing feeling, nausea, diarrhea, irritated bowel syndrome)
• breathing heavily, shortness of breath
• difficulty in swallowing
• sweating, or feeling cold and clammy
• headaches, lightheadedness or dizziness
• muscle tension and pains
• chronic fatigue
• difficulty falling or staying asleep
• insomnia
• hot flashes or chills
• chest pain
• rubbery legs, tingling in fingers or toes
• frequent urination

Emotional and psychological symptoms:

• general sense of apprehension and dread
• nervousness
• jumpiness
• poor memory
• lack of concentration
• extreme exhaustion
• fearfulness or terror
• isolation from others
• strong desire to escape
• feeling incredibly self-conscious and insecure
• feeling of being overwhelmed
• fear that you are losing your mind
• fear of going crazy, of dying
• fear of losing control
• frequently feel like crying for no reason
• feeling angry and lack of patience
• fear of madness, impending death
• feelings of being outside yourself, being cut off from reality
• feeling worried all the time, tired, irritable

Treatment options

In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, psychotherapy, or both.

Medications for anxiety
Medications may be especially helpful for people whose anxiety is interfering with daily functioning. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, the types of medications often prescribed for anxiety disorders include:

• Antidepressants: SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), Tricyclic antidepressants.
  SSRIs are helpful in a variety of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD, and social phobia.
  The FDA has granted specific indications to the following disorders and antidepressants: generalized anxiety disorder (venlafaxine, buspirone, escitalopram, paroxetine), social phobia (paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine), OCD (fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine), and PTSD (sertraline, paroxetine).
• Anti-Anxiety Medications: Benzodiazepines, Azipirones.
  Benzodiazepines are especially useful in the management of acute situational anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder where the duration of pharmacotherapy is anticipated to be 6 weeks or less and for the rapid control of panic attacks. If long-term use of benzodiazepines seems necessary, obtaining a confirmatory opinion from a second physician may be helpful because chronic benzodiazepine use may be associated with tolerance, withdrawal, and treatment-emergent anxiety.
  Benzodiazepines include clonazepam, which is used for social phobia and GAD; alprazolam, which is helpful for panic disorder and GAD; and lorazepam, which is also useful for panic disorder.
• Buspirone is a newer anti-anxiety medication that is used to treat GAD. Unlike the benzodiazepines, buspirone must be taken consistently for at least two weeks to achieve an anti-anxiety effect.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is considered to be one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy for treatment of anxiety, is also the most studied psychotherapy. In this type of therapy people suffering from anxiety disorders learn to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to troublesome feelings. This type of therapy helps limit distorted thinking by looking at worries more realistically.

By Katie Bennett
Published: 8/25/2008

Daily stress and health risks

What is post-traumatic stress disorder? Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can be a debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal

Trauma and PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment

Trauma is something that most of us will be forced to cope with at some point on our life journey. Indeed, it’s estimated that between 50% to 90% of us will have to cope with it at some time or other

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) :Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Causes, Symptoms, Treatment … Definition Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder.

www.myhypnosisnews.com Playing the video game

This is only a first step in showing that this might be a viable approach to preventing post traumatic stress disorder,’ said Dr Emily Holmes of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University.

Tetris a cure for post-traumatic stress disorder

Exposure to terrifying or highly stressful events can be really traumatic. If you’re feeling the strains of post-traumatic stress, perhaps a bit of Tetris will make it all better

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (ptsd): What Is I?

Over the past decade, as I have worked with cops, firfighters, abuse victims and children of addicts, I have learned that there are many causes for PTSD. It has also affirmed my belief that PTSD is real and harmful, not only to those who have it, but also to those around them. It impacts the way we act, react, our motivation and our capacity to feel–well, anything.

Terrifying experiences that shatter people’s sense of predictability and invulnerability can profoundly alter their coping skills, relationships and the way they perceive and interact with the world. The criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are 1) exposure to a traumatic event(s) in which the person witnessed or experienced or were confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others, and 2) the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror DSM IV p. 427-28). Gradual Onset Traumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by repeated exposure to ’sub-critical incidents’ such as child abuse, traffic fatalities, rapes and personal assaults.

Nevertheless, not all people exposed to trauma are ‘traumatized.’ Why? In 1998, Pynoos and Nader proposed a theory to assist in explaining why people have different reactions to the same event. They asserted that people are at greater risk of being negatively impacted by traumatic events if any of the following are present: 1) they have experienced other traumatic events within the preceding 6 months, 2) they were already stressed out or depressed at the time of the event, 3) the situation occurred close to their home or somewhere they considered safe, 4) the victims bear a similarity to a family member or friend and 5) they have little social support.

It has been argued that officers, emergency service personnel, children of addicts and abuse victims experience traumatic events or threats to their safety on an almost daily basis. Being abused, not knowing when or if your parents will come home, repeatedly seeing children murdered, people burned in car fires and devastated victims starts to take its toll. People like idealistic officers who joined the force to change the world and protect the innocent begin to feel like nothing they do makes a difference, they cannot even keep their zone safe (criteria 3). This is especially problematic for officers who live in or near their work zone and often leads to frustration and burnout (criteria 2). Children start to feel that the whole world is uncontrollable and unsafe.

It is still not totally accepted within the law enforcement community for officers to discuss the impact of situations on them. Anger, humor and sarcasm are but a brief outlet for what many officers dream about at night. As their condition worsens, many officers withdraw, because they are fearful of seeking help or support for fear it is a one way ticket to a fitness for duty evaluation or will get out and be an obstacle for future promotions. Several studies in recent years have shown that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is among the most common of psychiatric disorders.

Another thing that distinguishes people who develop PTSD from those who are just temporarily overwhelmed is that people who develop PTSD become "stuck" on the trauma, keep re-living it in thoughts, feelings, or images. It is this intrusive reliving, rather than the trauma itself that many believe is responsible for what we call PTSD. For example, I have worked with officers who have responded to child abuse calls and had a child of their own who was a similar age (criteria 4). In the course of daily life children get hurt and have bad dreams. As parents they have seen looks of pain and fright on their kids faces. This makes it just that much easier to envision the looks of terror and agony on the face of the child as their parent beat them. Sometimes this visualization gets corrupted and officers suddenly they start to see their child in their mental re-enactment of the trauma, obviously a much more powerful memory. These officers are much more likely to be ‘traumatized’ by the incident and potentially get ’stuck.’

Traumatized individuals begin organizing their lives around avoiding the trauma. Avoidance may take many different forms: keeping away from reminders, calling in sick to work, or ingesting drugs or alcohol that numb awareness of distress. The sense of futility, hyperarousal, and other trauma-related changes may permanently change how people deal with stress, alter thier self-concept and interfere with their view of the world as a basically safe and predictable place. In the example above, these people often became even more overprotective of their children, suspicious of others, and had difficulty sleeping, because every time they close their eyes they see the child.

One of the core issues in trauma is the fact that memories of what has happened cannot be integrated into one’s general experience. The lack of people’s ability to make this ‘fit’ into their expectations or the way they think about the world in a way that makes sense keeps the experience stored in the mind on a sensory level. When people encounter smells, sounds or other sensory stimuli that remind them of the event, it may trigger a similar response to what the person originally had: physical sensations (such as panic attacks), visual images (such as flashbacks and nightmares), obsessive ruminations, or behavioral reenactments of elements of the trauma. In the example above, sensory triggers that triggered some of the officers memories were certain cries, hearing or seeing a parent spank their child, returning to the same neighborhood for other calls and, of course, television shows or news reports that involved descriptions of abuse.

The goal of treatment is find a way in which people can acknowledge the reality of what has happened and somehow integrate it into their understanding of the world without having to re-experience the trauma all over again. To be able to tell their story, if you will.

The Symptoms of PTSD

Regardless of the origin of the terror, the brain reacts to overwhelming, threatening, and uncontrollable experiences with conditioned emotional responses. For example, rape victims may respond to conditioned stimuli, such as the approach by an unknown man, as if they were about to be raped again, and experience panic.

Remembrance and intrusion of the trauma is expressed on many different levels, ranging from flashbacks, feelings, physical sensations, nightmares, and interpersonal re-enactments. Interpersonal re-enactments can be especially problematic for the officer leading to over-reaction in situations that remind the officer of previous experiences in which she or he has felt helpless. For example, in the child abuse example above, officers may be much more physically and verbally aggressive toward alleged perpetrators and their reports tend to be much more negative and subjective.

Hyperarousal. While people with PTSD tend to deal with their environment by reducing their range of emotions or numbing, their bodies continue to react to certain physical and emotional stimuli as if there were a continuing threat. This arousal is supposed to alert the person to potential danger, but seems to loose that function in traumatized people. This is sort of like when rookie officers start and a hot call is toned out, they usually have an adrenaline rush. After two or three years, the tones hardly have any impact on them. Since traumatized people are always ‘keyed up’ they often do not pay any attention to that feeling which is supposed to warn them of impending danger.

Numbing of responsiveness. Aware of their difficulties in controlling their emotions, traumatized people seem to spend their energies on avoiding distress. In addition, they lose pleasure in things that previously gave them a sense of satisfaction. They may feel "dead to the world". This emotional numbing may be expressed as depression, and lack of motivation, or as physical reactions. After being traumatized, many people stop feeling pleasure from involvement in activities, and they feel that they just "go through the motions" of everyday living. Emotional numbness also gets in the way of resolving the trauma in therapy.

Intense emotional reactions and sleep problems. Traumatized people go immediately from incident to reaction without being able to first figure out what makes them so upset. They tend to experience intense fear, anxiety, anger and panic in response to even minor stimuli. This makes them either overreact and intimidate others, or to shut down and freeze. Both adults and children with such hyperarousal will experience sleep problems, because they are unable to settle down enough to go to sleep, and because they are afraid of having nightmares. Many traumatized people report dream-interruption insomnia: they wake themselves up as soon as they start having a dream, for fear that this dream will turn into a trauma-related nightmare. They also are liable to exhibit hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response and restlessness.

Learning difficulties. Being ‘keyed-up’ interferes with the capacity to concentrate and to learn from experience. Traumatized people often have trouble remembering ordinary events. It is helpful to always write things down for them. Often ‘keyed-up’ and having difficulty paying attention, they may display symptoms of attention deficit disorder.

After a trauma, people often regress to earlier modes of coping with stress. In adults, it is expressed in excessive dependence and in a loss of capacity to make thoughtful, independent decisions. In officers, this is often noticed because they suddenly begin making a lot of poor decisions, their reports lose quality and detail and they are unable to focus. In children they may begin wetting their bed, having fears of monsters or having temper tantrums.

Aggression against self and others: Both adults and children who have been traumatized are likely to turn their aggression against others or themselves. Due to their persistent anxiety, traumatized people are almost always ’stressed out,’ so it does not take much to them set off. This aggression may take many forms ranging from fighting to excessive exercise or obsession about something—anything to keep them from thinking about the trauma.

Psychosomatic reactions. Chronic anxiety and emotional numbing also get in the way of learning to identify and discuss internal states and wishes. May traumatized people report a high frequency of headaches, back and neck aches, gastro-intestinal problems etceteras. Since the stress is being held inside, the body begins to become distressed.

Summary

After a trauma, people realize the limited scope of their safety, power and control in the world, and life can never be exactly the same. The traumatic experience becomes part of a person’s life. Sorting out exactly what happened and sharing one’s reactions with others can make a great deal of difference a person’s recovery. Putting the reactions and thoughts related to the trauma into words is essential in the resolution of post traumatic reactions. This should, however, be done with a professional specializing in PTSD due to the wide range of reactions people have when they start confronting and integrating the memories of the trauma.

Failure to approach trauma related material gradually is likely to make things worse. Often, talking about the trauma is not enough: trauma survivors need to take some action that symbolizes triumph over helplessness and despair. The Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, are good examples of symbols for survivors to mourn the dead and establish the historical and cultural meaning of the traumatic events. There are several events for survivors of traumas that officers can also take part in. These events remind survivors of the fact that there are others who have shared similar experiences. Other symbolic actions may take the form of writing a book, taking political action or helping other victims.

PTSD is real, and can be resolved with time, patience and compassion.

By: Dawn-Elise Snipes -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dr. Snipes received her PhD in Counseling and Education from the University of Florida. She has worked for 10 years in community mental health and is an ordained Christian minister. Currently she runs an online private practice www.dr-is-in.com‘> Doctor Is In and anwww.allceus.com‘> online continuing education site . Both sites are managed by her husband atwww.datatriangle.com‘> Data Recovery and Computer Analysis.

PTSD

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PTSD, A Soldier’s Perspective

For the veteran or soldier whose mind has been compartmentalized from complex PTSD, recovery can take years.

Baby Steps For PTSD Recovery

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Veterans Battling PTSD

January 20, 2009, Fairmont, WV - A recent survey of West Virginia’s combat veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo suggests that nearly half may have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

PTSD - Self Imposed Prison

I lived in my own hermit like seclusion for so long I’m comfortable with it.

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Reducing Stress and Anxiety.

We all know what it’s like to feel anxious and have overwhelming stress. Most of us experience anxiety when we’re faced with stressful situations or traumatic events. Our heart pounds before a big presentation or a tough exam. We get butterflies in our stomach during a blind date. We worry and fret over family problems or feel motion at the prospect of asking the boss for a raise. Anxiety is part of our natural "fight-or-flight" response. It’s our body’s way of warning us of possible danger ahead.

I was working as a social worker for a year, I have been case manager to many different people. I worked for government agencies for twenty years so this has meant that I work in a variety of areas. I have special training in working with children and families, but there have been times when I have been transferred to work with the elderly and adult mentally ill because of agency staffing patterns. In some ways it gets frustrating being moved from one population to another, but it also helps me learn about different disorders as well as services that are available.

From those experience from my job, I tend to admit to myself that I was suffering from the symptoms of anxiety panic attacks and went in to the doctor to seek professional help for this instances. I believe that the struggle was almost over. I could go in, get some medicine, and start to get better. And then I realize that it was not that simple. There are many treatments for anxiety, and some of them appear to be miracle cures, but the people selling them are pretty deceptive. Anyone who tells you the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder is easy is deceiving you. In fact, it is a difficult, involved process.

However, if anxiety is overwhelming you with fear and stress, preventing you from living your life the way you’d like to, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Fortunately, there are effective treatments for anxiety attacks and disorders. Therapy, relaxation techniques, and a balanced, healthy lifestyle can help you reduce your anxiety and take back control of your life. Remember, that stress is one of the most common disorder among of all ages of the population. Everyone becomes anxious over different things in their lifetime. For most of us anxiety disappears when the event or situation is over, but for some people with generalized anxiety it is not this simple. They are individuals that need to be involved with a professional for treatment of anxiety. This can be done effectively in a number of ways.

And one of the common treatment for anxiety for some people is begin with individual counseling, so the person has a chance to discuss the types of things or situations that are anxiety producing them. This also gives the therapist a chance to access if the person would benefit from medication. As the person advances in their comfort level in their treatment of anxiety they may be moved into a group counseling session. Speaking and interacting in a group setting is a very common fear. Being able to address this fear with a group of others that understand and support you can be very healing. For the people that are so anxious and nervous that they cannot go out in public the treat of anxiety may need to begin with the therapist coming to their home.

Many people with severe panic attacks are rushed to the hospital because those around them assume they are having a heart attack. Anxiety may develop at any age in a person’s development. Many times when it develops in adults it is following some type of trauma. This is often referred to as post traumatic stress disorder. This disorder is quite complex and takes a different approach than dealing with the treatment of anxiety. Many members of the military develop post traumatic stress disorder as a result to exposure to intense military action. For them anxiety is one of many complicated symptoms.

Keep in mind that, the treatment of mood disorder is always difficult and it requires several different stages. If you suffer from severe anxiety as I did, the first stage is to get your symptoms under control. The First stage is all I thought there was to the treatment of anxiety - the administering of medication. Basically, the doctor gave me some sedatives and an antidepressant that would help treat my anxiety. This would somewhat alleviate my symptoms and get me into a space where I could be responsive to therapy. Therapy, however, was much more involved. Treatment of anxiety to end with pills is not good. You see, treating anxiety with medication helps you suppress the symptoms, but it does not address the underlying causes. Most anxiety panic disorders stem from some psychological factor. There was something about me that was making me have severe anxiety attacks, and it was important to get to the root of it. Eventually, whatever it was that was causing the anxiety would find another way to rear its ugly head.

Luckily, the treatment of stress and anxiety doesn’t only consist of therapy. There were a lot of other practical steps that I could take to help treat my anxiety, steps that were immediately effective. Through exercise, meditation, hypnosis, and maintaining a healthy social life, I could keep my anxiety at bay on a daily basis. It would still come out periodically, but if I didn’t let myself shut down I could keep the upper hand. I am still undergoing my treatment of anxiety, but it is better than it has been in years.

Crizza
Information on stress and anxiety and how hypnosis can help you with stress management and dealing with anxiety, can be found at our web site.

By crizza reyes
Published: 4/8/2008

 
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Is There Treatment For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Yes, there is treatment for ptsd , but a great first step is to get information and education about the disorder and then to attend a local ptsd support group. Therapy for this can be very expensive and so the more knowledge about it before going into therapy the better. Being educated and joining a support group can help you feel more in control of your emotions, have fewer symptoms, and enjoy life again.

One reason that treatment is often unsought by victims of the condition is that virtually addressing or any discussion of the offending trauma is bound to be quite painful, and stirs in the victim memories and emotions tied back to the event. You may need to try different types of treatment before finding the one that helps you and it is important to find the right therapist and/or therapy so that doesn’t add time to your recovery.

Generally, treatment for ptsd is begun only after the survivor has been safely removed from a crisis situation. The aim of treatment is to reduce symptoms by encouraging the affected person to recall the event, to express feelings, and to gain some sense of mastery over the experience. Recovery seems to be quicker when the survivor feels safe or can get a feeling that there is a possibility that they can be safe.

It is reported that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is experienced by 10 million people in the US each year, and the good news is that a growing number of ptsd survivors are now receiving successful treatment as more is learned about the condition and multiple therapies are employed to ease its often devastating effects on health and quality of life. Usually more than one type of treatment is necessary to recover and as recovery occurs those treatments need to be adjusted so that the survivor continues to recover, not get stuck in one place.

Survivors of trauma often have difficulty believing that they will ever recover. Very often, they feel on the edge and become obsessed with trying to stay safe. They can also be afraid to address what happened to them and many times family members are frequently fearful of examining the traumatic event as well and this is sort of a double trauma for the survivor. There have been a growing number of reports of ptsd among cancer survivors and their relatives and many times this goes completely undiagnosed. The likelihood of treatment success is increased when these other conditions are appropriately diagnosed and treated as well.

By: Darlene Siddons

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Darlene has researched and practiced many spiritual and personal growth paths and now offers these services to her clients: Wise Woman Teachings; Wellness Coach; Crystal Readings; Gentle Touch Energy Healer. Her mission is to teach individuals how to find and maintain their inner balance for the mind, body, spirit. f.ree Inspiration For Daily Lives Newsletter at Spirited Boutique

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