PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.

They may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult.

These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person's day to day life.

In most cases, the symptoms develop during the first month after a traumatic event. In some cases, there may be a delay of months or even years before symptoms start to appear.

Some people with PTSD experience long periods when their symptoms are less noticeable, followed by periods where they get worse. Other people have constant, severe symptoms.

The specific symptoms of PTSD can vary widely between individuals, but generally fall into the categories described below:

Re-experiencing is the most typical symptom of PTSD. 

This is when a person involuntarily and vividly relives the traumatic event in the form of:

• flashbacks 
• nightmares 
• repetitive and distressing images or sensations 
• physical sensations, such as pain, sweating, feeling sick or trembling

Avoidance

Trying to avoid being reminded of the traumatic event is another key symptom of PTSD. 

This usually means avoiding certain people or places that remind you  of the trauma, or avoiding talking to anyone about your experience.

Emotional numbing

Some people attempt to deal with their feelings by trying not to feel anything at all. This is known as emotional numbing. 

This can lead to the person becoming isolated and withdrawn, and they may also give up pursuing activities they used to enjoy.

Hyper arousal

Someone with PTSD may be very anxious and find it difficult to relax. They may be constantly aware of threats and easily startled. This state of mind is known as hyper arousal.

Hyper arousal often leads to:

• irritability 
• angry outbursts 
• sleeping problems
• difficulty concentrating

With Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, I am able to help someone suffering with PTSD to get back to who they really are, and the wonderful thing is the process is very rapid and can work where more traditional strategies fail.

For some clients, just a few sessions is all they need to remove the traumatic memories from their subconscious, allowing their mind to process events and emotions, removing all the negative consequences and unhelpful symptoms.

For most people, due to coexisting conditions, it usually just takes around 5 - 6 sessions to free them from PTSD and get them enjoying life again (the duration of therapy varies by individual). 

During the process it is very likely that I will include a Rewind session where we allow the brain to remove the traumatic memory from your mind, completely, and sometimes a Reframe session will be added to replace the traumatic memory with a more enjoyable one. This very much depends on the specific needs and situation of the client, and will be discussed during the initial consultation.