Those who develop posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of experiencing trauma often suffer from nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, hypervigilance, and/or depressed mood. They may also go through periods of heightened irritability, hostility, and self-destructive behavior. But the question is when? Jessica Tappana, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in treating PTSD, says it can vary as the illness often takes an unpredictable course.
An Unpredictable Course
Tappana says the greatest honor of her career is helping her clients work toward healing from PTSD. “Memories of and hope for new clients whose fear and PTSD was so significant that they could barely function in their day-to-day life who find healing, meaning, and freedom from their PTSD symptoms is exactly what brings me to work each and every day,” Tappana explains. This passion as well as her experience allows her to delve into the course and development of PTSD below:
“When someone experiences something traumatic, it’s expected that they will show signs of PTSD initially. You may feel like you’re looking over your shoulder, worry about going out at night, or double check the locks on the door for a few weeks. PTSD is what develops when a person gets stuck and those symptoms develop or continue down the road. We usually say PTSD is present when the symptoms are interfering with a person’s life for more than three months after the stressful event.
PTSD can get either better or worse over time. What I see with clients in my own practice is that for a while, they are able to ignore thoughts, feelings, and reminders of the trauma so they say they’re coping really well. The trauma doesn’t impact their life on a day to day basis and life moves on. However, at some point it becomes nearly impossible to keep stuffing down the feelings associated with the experience. Maybe something happens in your personal life that reminds you of what you went through or you are just feeling really stressed. Whatever the reason, your PTSD symptoms start to get worse. On the other hand, some people notice that their PTSD symptoms gradually start to go away over time without any significant intervention. You slowly start to rejoin areas of your life, focus on self-care, and notice that your anxiety and fear about the situation start to dissipate.
For many people, some sort of PTSD specific treatment is needed for PTSD to go away. The good news is that PTSD treatments work! We have a variety of evidence-based PTSD treatments that we know help people get better. These treatments include EMDR, Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT). It’s common to tell yourself that your symptoms will get better later or that you aren’t ready to face the trauma you experienced. Unfortunately, however, the only way over the fear you’re experiencing is to face it and a skilled trauma therapist can help you do so.”
Learning to Cope With PTSD: 5 Techniques
1) Deep-breathing. To prevent anxiety from continuing or progressing, take some deep breaths. Start by breathing in through your nose and then letting out a big sigh through the mouth. Do it again, but this time count to three before you let that breath back out. You can repeat again and again, increasing the length of time with each repetition, until a calmness comes over.
2) Progressive Muscle Relaxation. This is another great strategy for combatting unwanted stress and anxiety, and its technique is simple: you tense and relax different muscles in the body to bring greater attention to a feeling of relaxation. You can start by finding a quiet place and squeezing the muscles in your right hand. Squeeze, release, squeeze, release. Exhale as you release the tension and focus on the relief you feel.
3) Mindful meditation. Reduce negative feelings and tune into the present moment—which is often difficult for those with PTSD—by practicing mindful meditation. All this technique requires is that you shift your focus to right now: Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? How are you feeling? If your mind wanders to the past or future, gently guide it back to the present.
4) Hobbies. This one’s simple: get back to doing what you love to do. If you like to cook, make a new dish. If you like to work out, go to the gym or outside for a run. If you like to paint, get busy on your next masterpiece. Making time for engaging in our favorite hobbies can do us more good than most of us realize!
5) Socializing. And finally, spend time with your loved ones. Dedicating at least a little bit of time each day to catch up with an old friend, chat with your parents, or even just hang out with a few people from work can go a long way, as socializing has proven to boost feelings of wellbeing and decrease feelings of depression—two benefits that’ll certainly help one battle the harmful effects of PTSD.
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I lost my mother to suicide in 2010, just about a month from my sisters wedding. She’s been an alcoholic my entire life & relapsed (after being sober) while at my sisters wedding & causing all kinds of drama & fighting. Then, she realized what had happened & she (I assume) couldn’t continue to live her life that way anymore. Five years later, my ex-husband was shot (& survived) across the street from where my mother took her life. While my ex was supportive after my mom’s death, he insisted on leaving our home & property & we lost everything. Since then, I’ve had to move to multiple rentals & eventually lost my marriage-likely due to Traumatic Brain Injury, but it’s been a few years since our marriage & relationship has ended. Now, I struggle with new Romaric relationships & then need for my partner for me to “share” how I feel. I’ve never been good at expressing myself, now, I find it nearly impossible because I’m often confused or uncertain about my own true feelings. I have a Councelor & a psychiatrist, but my progress is slow. Will I not be able to have any future successful relationships? My life has been plagued my trauma, including sexual abuse at a very early age. I’m doing my best to get healthy, but, my partner is threatening to leave our relationship. I guess that I have to accept the inevitable, but, I wonder if I’ll ever have a successful relationship/partner in my future. I’m 47, no kids (3 miscarriages) & I don’t have a clue how to navigate stressful/intense interpersonal interactions. What the article said about confusion of feelings, I find especially true. I just am hopeful that my mental health therapy will be successful in the long run for me.
I am completely in tune with what Jessica has said. Where is the help and support for those suffering from the abuse – yes abuse – that those close to PTSD sufferers have to go though? I have a brother with PTSD and Bipolar who is not interested in medication or therapy, so cannot be helped in that way. Nor does he own or take responsibility for the effect his conditions have on other people. Any challenges, appeals or even emotional reactions I make are met with “Well, mine is bigger than yours” and also with such a torrent of rage that I am being eroded every time it happens. Why should all the running and the treading on eggshells be made by people who are already weakened by such people? People who cling to you through obligations of family ties and won’t let you go because they have alienated most other people.
I am curious how you deal with PTSD that is caused by a loved one that remains a constant in your life. How do you progress to a healthy place? My PTSD has been caused by constant years of “loud in your face” verbal abuse and physical abuse from my daughter who has never let me discipline her. When I have tried I have had the cops called on me, only to spend the night in jail or nothing is done because I cannot bring myself to tell the officers the abuse she has placed upon me before they have arrived. In 2017, after she was placed into rehab 5 different times in one year and subsequently I was diagnosed with PTSD and severe depression. She is 28 now and continues to live in my home simply because I cannot stomach her being homeless. She has bipolar ll and personality disorder and I feel I have some duty to help her as her mother. Lately she has put forth some effort. Is there anything I can do to effectively help her and I, both? She too has been diagnosed with PTSD not byway of me but byway of her wreck less living she has seen horror, I, can but only imagine.
Jessica – I finally went for therapy (free – VA) and spent 3 years being told how to SET BOUNDARIES so that you aren’t harmed… My daughter is 30 and now just an alcoholic chainsmoker after serious drusg for 15 years… theft, domestic abuse – all her. I was lucky and able to get her OUT of my home… bought a small trailer nearby for her to live in – I still pay some of her expenses…I recommend perhaps ALINON or some similar SUPPORT GROUPS to help remind you that your life is also important – refocus on what you can do – THIS is the only life you get… MAKE YOURS GOOD – addicts and psychopaths are enabled by oxytocin-filled people who need to “DO GOOD” – so STOP … once they grow up they are NOT your children – you WERE MOMMY – Now you are back to being just YOU – live your life – not the addict’s, their ways won’t change because you did anything – they either grow out of it or not… you’ll be dead by then – LIVE YOUR LIFE…