Kessler Psychological, LLC

WHAT IS TRAUMA:

1. Most importantly, trauma is different for everyone. There are a lot of reasons why the same two people have vastly different reactions to the same event. So, just because you're fine today, you might be struggling tomorrow; and just because someone you know has had no problems after a traumatic event, doesn't mean you shouldn't or won't. There are no rules, just human reactions.

2. Generally speaking though, those moments that have traumatic effects on people, tend to be scary. Witnessing or experiencing threats to life, limb, or general sanctity of body or way of life. These could be in one moment or over many years.

What do REACTIONS look like:

1. There are sort of three distinct reactions to experiencing traumatic events.

                    A. NORMATIVE: worry, disruption of your day to day, wanting to be close to others or wanting to be alone, wondering or questioning, crying, over- or under-eating, sleeping too much or having insomnia, nightmares/distressing memories, strong drive to help/do something productive, fear. Overall though, here, you are able to maintain some semblance of normalcy and functioning. Keep doing what you're doing and be patient with and kind to yourself. Try to exercise/walk/bike ride, eat well, stay hydrated, get good sleep, because your body needs resources to move through this and be okay. Open up to others. Go to support meetings. Treat yourself to something healthy or enjoyable. Rest.

                    B. STRUGGLING: Oftentimes, people have some symptoms and impairments in their lives that don't quite meet the criteria for PTSD, but nonetheless, life is not getting back to normal and there's stress and disturbance. This is a time to get professional support. While sometimes this goes away on its own eventually, why prolong the struggle??? Also, sometimes this doesn't go away on its own and unfortunately, it usually gets worse, becoming more chronic and far-reaching.

                    C. ACUTE STRESS DISORDER and POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD): This is a mixture of symptoms that can last any where from three days to one month after a trauma. After the one month mark, it turns into PTSD. The symptoms between this and PTSD are therefore quite similar, while due to the duration of symptoms, PTSD becomes more complex and far-reaching. Generally speaking, the symptoms occur in the following categories: INTRUSION: persistent, disturbing memories, images, dreams, re-experiencing of events; AVOIDANCE: of the topic or any reminders; MOOD/BELIEFS: persistent negative emotional state, and moreso with PTSD detachment, isolation, mistrust, distorted beliefs about self/others/the world; AROUSAL: difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance (always being on the look out), exaggerated startle response, irritability; DISSOCIATION: generally an anxiety symptom wherein you feel detached from yourself or your surroundings, a sense of unreality.