What is PTSD?

(PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also referred to as (PTS) Post Traumatic Stress, is an anxiety disorder that a person may develop after experiencing or witnessing an overwhelming, traumatic event. This extreme experience will have provoked feelings of intense fear, helplessness or horror.  While the event stays locked in time, to the individual affected, the traumatic event/ experience never ended.

Symptoms of PTSD

1. Emotional Numbing - Non responsive to emotional situations

2. Hyper-arousal – Irritability / constantly on alert for danger

3.  Unable to sleep

4.  Avoiding sleep to avoid nightmares

5. Avoiding Persons, Places, and things related to Traumatic event

6. Flashbacks / Intrusive Emotions– Re-experiencing the Event that caused the Trauma.  Flashbacks are experienced while awake and can be triggered by interior or exterior stimulus.

Interior Triggers

• Thinking about event continuously causing the individual to feel that the danger that caused the initial trauma is still real.

• Waking up from nightmares that feel absolutely “REAL” (feel emotional and physical pain)

Exterior Triggers

• Loud noises

• Locations

• Smells

• Touch

• Sight

• Presence of individuals related to traumatic event

• Anything in the exterior world that causes the individual to be triggered to react with FIGHT, FLIGHT, OR FREEZE after the initial trauma and when the initial traumatic situation / danger is no longer present

Nightmares – disturbing dreams that are a direct reflection of the event that caused the initial trauma That include physical and emotional pain

And / or 

disturbing dreams not directly related to the initial traumatic event that include physical and emotional pain

Long story short : an individual feels trapped in an event that occurred in the past.  To the individual the event and the danger attached to the event never ended.