Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) refers to a combination of symptoms related to an event experienced or witnessed that was very shocking, frightening or overwhelming.

PTSD was initially used to describe symptoms seen in men and women who witnessed or experienced trauma in war zones.  As therapists worked with children, teenagers and adults who were recovering from traumatic experiences such as physical violence, emotional and/or sexual abuse, accidents, etc. it became apparent that symptoms described by traumatized soldiers were also seen in individuals who were exposed to these other frightening or life threatening events.

Some common signs of PTSD include:

• Sleep disturbance-difficulty to fall asleep or to stay asleep, recurring nightmares
• Memory problems -poor concentration-difficulty recalling details about the traumatic event
• Flashbacks of the traumatic event (may include vivid reliving of the visual, physical sensations or smells, etc reminiscent of the original traumatic event)
• Dissociative reliving of the traumatic experience
• Avoidance of any reminders of the traumatic event (place, thoughts, individuals, discussions)
• Emotional numbing of any feelings related to the traumatic event
• Hyper-arousal of sensations, such as a startle reactions, distortions of sounds or physical sensations, especially when facing a real or imagined threat
• Mood swings: irritability, aggression, crying uncontrollably
• Disturbance in relationships: Detachment or inability to show loving emotions

PTSD may be acute or chronic. It is considered Acute PTSD when the symptoms have occurred for less than three months, however when the duration of symptoms persist for longer than three months it is referred to as Chronic PTSD. All of the therapists at the Centre have training and expertise to work with individuals experiencing PTSD.