We all handle stress in different ways. Some people find keeping busy helps, others look to fantasy, and some people employ various self-directed techniques like keeping a stress journal.
Our EMDR courses can be used to treat psychological traumas like PTSD. But what’s the difference between normal stress and PTSD? When something terrible happens to us – a bereavement, rape, assault, accident etc – our brain has its own coping mechanisms which can range from denial to extreme fatigue. It’s here the line between normal emotional coping mechanisms and PTSD begins to blur.
Normal reactions to a trauma include:
• Feeling numb, shocked, disconnected or puzzled – this should gradually fade over hours/days in the case of a normal, coping person
• Bad dreams and trouble sleeping – this is just one of a range of physical manifestations of the trauma. Over days/weeks these should pass (in the case of a PTSD sufferer they likely increase in intensity)
• Fear the event will happen again – this is completely normal and is only a sign of PTSD when that fear becomes flashbacks etc.
Symptoms of PTSD are grouped into three main categories:
1. Re-experiencing the traumatic event repeatedly
2. Avoiding reminders of the trauma e.g. sounds, places, people etc. (part of this can be based in a fear of remembering the event more clearly)
3. Increased anxiety and emotional arousal most of the time
PTSD training is designed to provide a framework upon which sufferers can rebuild their mind and return to normal.
