Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be a condition you have heard about on the news or depicted in popular Netflix shows.
You might have witnessed this serious diagnosis portrayed in military or law enforcement genres. Yet most people are unaware that PTSD is a chronic and distressing mental health condition, not limited to those in high-stress professions. In fact, this mental illness can affect anyone, no matter your profession, gender, or age.
The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) shared, “PTSD affects 3.6% of the U.S. adult population—about 9 million individuals. About 37% of those diagnosed with PTSD are classified as having severe symptoms. Women are significantly more likely to experience PTSD than men.”
Research has shown individuals with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or any binge eating have significantly higher rates of PTSD than individuals without an eating disorder. Those who have an eating disorder complicated by trauma and PTSD require treatment for both conditions using a trauma-informed, integrated approach like EMDR or Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.
PTSD Symptoms
Trauma is an event that can be extremely overwhelming, where you can feel a loss of control and become a threat to your or someone else's life. The symptoms of PTSD can vary somewhat depending on age, however, there are common denominators when diagnosed.
To have PTSD, a person must have been exposed to the real or perceived threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence – either directly, as a witness to others, or learned that the traumatic event occurred to a close loved one. Someone can also develop PTSD if they have been repeatedly exposed to disturbing details of such an event.
Symptoms of PTSD often feel intrusive and out of one’s ability to control. This may look like recurring visions or memories of the distressing event, flooding their mind. Another manifestation of the mental illness may be sleep disturbances, like insomnia or nightmares. When awake, a person may dissociate – this is when a person feels disconnected from themselves and reality. Alternatively, as if they are actually re-living the traumatic event.
When reminded of the trauma, either by an external trigger or intrusive thought or memory, it may take a great deal of time for the person to return to a calm mental and physical state.
Why? The nervous system becomes hypervigilant (think fight or flight response) and believes the person is in true danger. The mind and body essentially shield or protect the person who is recalling the traumatic event – a natural defense mechanism. Re-living trauma can feel deeply frightening and as if the trauma is happening all over again to them, for the first time.
Because of the strong physical and emotional distress that occurs with PTSD, avoidance of triggering memories, feelings, thoughts, people, and places is ever-so common. A person may become fearful of passing by the place where the trauma occurred, seeing objects or images that remind them of the event, or even certain sounds or scents connected to the trauma can be triggering. Avoidance can also sometimes develop into substance use as a way to self-medicate or numb themselves to the distress experienced. In the case of eating disorders and co-occurring trauma, preoccupation with food, body, disordered eating behaviors and exercise can all function similarly, as maladaptive coping strategies to numb and avoid the suffering caused by trauma.
A person with PTSD might display noticeable differences in their moods and behaviors following the traumatic event.
Someone who was once cheerful and outgoing may become irritable, on edge, and withdrawn, due to the inner turmoil they are experiencing. Furthermore, their memory can be impacted, causing confusion and lowered self-esteem. Details of the stressful event are often altered, while their identity and self-worth can become distorted. Someone with PTSD can show symptoms similar to depression, where they express low self-worth, no longer enjoy things they once did, feel detached from family and friends, and have muted emotions.
It is not uncommon for someone suffering with PTSD to have difficulty regulating their emotional state. What does this look like? Outbursts of anger or expressing emotions to an extreme degree that does not seem to match the situation; for example, a small argument about chores could elevate into a screaming match where objects are broken, or verbal and behavioral responses seem extreme. These types of events can be challenging for loved one’s who encounter someone with PTSD, and confusing for the person with the mental illness. This is why it is critical to seek help.
If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD, please proceed with kindness, patience, and compassion. The distress is very real. Your symptoms can improve with support and proper trauma-informed care. Support groups led by trained mental health professionals can provide the space you need to process memories and reduce the feeling of isolation that occurs with surviving trauma. If groups are not your thing, individual therapy may be the best place to start.
Seek Help and Guidance
A competent therapist will help you understand what is happening inside your body and mind while providing a supportive space to move through distressing memories. EMDR is an evidence-based trauma treatment provided by therapists and counselors that effectively reduces the severity of trauma symptoms and pairs specific memories with bilateral eye movements to reintegrate the trauma memory, reduce its intensity, and make it more manageable. IFS therapy is another approach with research demonstrating its significant, positive effects on adults with PTSD and childhood trauma, that helps clients heal the emotional burdens and beliefs holding them back.
Begin PTSD Treatment And Trauma Therapy in Los Angeles, CA
In addition to providing EMDR and IFS therapy, Kindful Body therapists offer coping skills that target intrusive thoughts and help you regulate your emotions, so you can feel connected and whole again. You can start your therapy journey with our team by following these steps:
Contact us to schedule a consultation.
Meet with one of our caring relationship therapists
Start improving your relationship with food!
Other Services Offered With Kindful Body
In addition to treating eating disorders and trauma, we also offer therapy for low self-esteem issues, anxiety treatment, body image, and grief counseling. Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our therapists here to get the help you need in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Orange County, CA, or anywhere online in California. We look forward to helping you on your recovery journey.
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