This is one of the most common questions I get so I wanted to take some time and really explain what Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is. Let us start by going over the events that would qualify as traumatic enough to cause PTSD. They include exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Pretty straightforward and I think we all can agree those are really bad things. That being said we do know that there are lots of other events that are traumatic and can negatively impact your life but they might not meet the full criteria for PTSD in particular.
After that the next thing to look at is the criteria for how people experienced the traumatic event. Of course that includes if a person directly experienced one of those horrific events, but it also includes witnessing in person the event happening to others, learning that the event occurred to someone close to you, or experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to really horrific details of the traumatic event (think first responders/ doctors/police officers/child welfare workers/ etc.). All this being said, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. But it is still important to know the symptoms in case you or someone you know starts having problems.
The next criteria for PTSD include several different intrusive symptoms, for example recurrent distressing memories of what happened, distressing nightmares related to the event, flashbacks to what happened, intense distress when reminded of what happened. The other very common symptom of PTSD includes avoiding anything associated with the traumatic event. With PTSD we can also expect problems with remembering parts of the event, negative beliefs about oneself (for example feeling like you are a bad person), maybe the person feels guilty about what happened. Many times with PTSD there is a huge lack of interest or participation in significant activities, like quitting hobbies, not going out with friends, etc. PTSD can cause feelings of detachment from others, and can also make it really hard to experience positive feelings. Many times with PTSD there is irritable behavior, reckless, maybe even self-destructive behavior. Hypervigilance, being easily started, having problems with concentration, and problems sleeping are also all very common symptoms of PTSD.
After a traumatic event many of these symptoms are very common, but they only meet criteria for PTSD if the problems have been continuing for more than a month and causing significant distress in the person’s life. There are also lots of other factors to consider, like are alcohol or drugs impacting things, or is there another explanation for the symptoms, maybe a medical issue, or another mental health issue like depression. It can be very complicated but if you recognize any of these symptoms yourself, please reach out for help. PTSD is treatable and counseling can help.
Counseling for PTSD in Florida - How Quiet Water Counseling of Florida can help.
Quiet Water Counseling provides online PTSD counseling for both men and women throughout Florida. EMDR counseling for PTSD is a well researched treatment that has helped many other women and men get help from PTSD. You don’t have to suffer from PTSD alone. Online EMDR counseling for PTSD in Florida can help. Follow the buttons below to find out more about counseling for PTSD with Quiet Water Counseling of Florida.
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Kellie Brown is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified EMDR Counselor providing online EMDR counseling for PTSD throughout Florida.
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Kellie Brown Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida
Kellie Brown is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified EMDR Counselor in Florida, she is trained in providing PTSD Counseling for both men and women. She knows that getting counseling for PTSD can help turn a person’s life around. She is based in Central Florida but provides online counseling for PTSD, including online EMDR Counseling throughout Florida.
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