You hear the term “PTSD” everywhere, in the news, social media, from co-workers, friends and family. Maybe you’ve wondered if you or your spouse have PTSD. Many veterans and first responders experience traumatic events, sometimes multiple traumatic events, and everyone responds differently. But bottom line: trauma is something that no one should have to experience. But when you do and it affects you, it’s time to make some changes.
What do trauma symptoms look like? Here are a few:
- Maybe you can’t get those images out of your mind. Even when you’re with your family or doing things you used to enjoy.
- Sometimes it feels like your trauma is happening all over again. Even though you’re safe.
- You struggle with restful sleep, maybe you have nightmares. Sometimes your spouse is afraid to sleep in the same bed because you yell or kick in your sleep.
- You believe the worst in people, yourself, the world.
- You do everything you can NOT to think about your trauma. You hate crowds and go out when you think there will be fewer people around. You drink or try to stay as busy as possible, because when you slow down, your mind starts spinning.
- You find yourself scanning for threats, and you can locate the exits of any store, restaurant, or public place you go. You patrol your house, recheck your locks.
- Loud noises make you jump, which makes fireworks tough to deal with.
- You get so angry – sometimes you may not act on it, but even little things frustrate you.
- You’re impulsive and reckless. You take chances that you wouldn’t take if your family was with you.
- You struggle to connect with people – maybe even those you love the most like your kids. Many times, you just feel numb or have a sense of “not caring.”
Maybe some of the above sounds like you or someone you love. We can decide if you want to learn strategies to manage these symptoms or if you want to address your trauma memories head on. Schedule a 20-minute consultation today, and we can talk about how you could benefit from therapy.