You might not think about a traumatic event in your life for months or even years. Suddenly, you get flashbacks, nightmares, and panic attacks that make it feel like it just happened yesterday. At Wellness Road Psychology, with two locations in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and New York City’s Financial District, the therapists at Wellness Road Psychology, provide counseling and other treatments to help you work through your trauma and manage the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Call or click to book your PTSD consultation at Wellness Road Psychology today.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that appears after you experience a life-altering event that left you in a state of shock or terror. While many people associate PTSD with military service because of the high rates of the disorder among veterans, anyone who has trauma in their past can develop PTSD as a result. Traumatic events that can cause PTSD down the road include:
Many people who go through traumatic events experience a subsequent period of adjustment, but soon return to a state of normalcy. Even in these cases, PTSD can appear long after you think you’ve forgotten the event.
Post-traumatic stress disorder appears in different ways among patients, but the symptoms can be separated into four general categories:
Avoidance seems obvious: You try not to think about or speak of a particularly traumatic event. Additionally, you try your best to stay away from people or places that remind you of it.
Intrusive thoughts come on without warning and seemingly out of your control. They may come in the form of vivid flashbacks or nightmares during which you relive the event.
The changes in your mood that result from PTSD might not seem connected to the disorder at all. You may feel withdrawn or have trouble connecting with friends and family.
Physical and emotional reactions appear as the result of triggers, or things that remind you of your trauma. Sounds and physical touch might cause you to startle or burst into anger. You might drink a lot or participate in other self-destructive behaviors as a response to what you’re feeling.
At Wellness Road Psychology, the therapists offer focused therapy to help you manage life after experiencing extreme trauma. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps you learn to evaluate and manage your thoughts and feelings.
CBT for PTSD might include exposure therapy to help you learn to encounter your triggers gradually and peacefully. The therapists enables you to see a different side of your trauma to make sense of it and work past any resulting guilt that you feel.
If distress from your past affects your day-to-day life, don’t hesitate to book a post-traumatic stress disorder consultation by phone or online at Wellness Road Psychology today.
