Emotional trauma stems from situations in which you are threatened, helpless, and overwhelmed. God has designed us to respond to and survive these events, but we are also designed to process them afterwards. Not resolving or coming to peaceful terms with an event, can lead to lasting psychological effects like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, impacting many aspects of your life.
Trauma refers to a severe stressor that causes emotional injury. The event can be experienced personally or through vicarious exposure to an event, such as being a witness. The brain’s survival responses during trauma include fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Following the event, the heart and mind try to process what happened by triggering thoughts, feelings, and sensations of the memory. Healthy people typically feel the effects of a traumatic event for several weeks. The intrusion of these memories can affect work, home, and relationships, and the symptoms vary by individual. These symptoms left unresolved, can develop into PTSD. Respecting each person’s experience and recognizing potential symptoms is crucial, impacting both individuals and those around them.
Understanding PTSD Diagnosis Criteria:
Note: Formal diagnosis requires specific factors, but symptoms can occur without it.
Counseling can help you understand the effects of trauma, normalize experiences, process the trauma, and addresses negative beliefs. It fosters awareness of abnormal behaviors, teaching coping skills for managing triggers and promoting healthy personal and professional life engagement. If you are experiencing symptoms like reliving traumatic events, nightmares, anxiety, or changes in sleep or eating patterns, seeking counseling is important. Other signs include irritability, substance use, or feelings of guilt or depression. Don’t hesitate to reach out for support. We can help you.
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