Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may occur soon after a major trauma, or it can be delayed for more than 6 months after the event. When it occurs soon after the trauma, it usually gets better after 3 months. However, some people have a longer-term form of PTSD, which can last for many years.

PTSD can occur at any age and can follow a natural disaster such as a flood or fire, or events such as war, a prison stay, assault, domestic abuse, or rape. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in the U.S. may have caused PTSD in some people who were involved, in people who saw the disaster, and in people who lost relatives and friends. These kinds of events can produce stress in anyone, but not everyone develops PTSD.

We do not know what causes PTSD, but psychological, genetic, physical, and social factors are involved. PTSD changes the body’s response to stress. It affects the stress hormones and chemicals that carry information between the nerves (neurotransmitters). Having been exposed to trauma in the past may increase the risk of PTSD

Psychological Symptoms of PTSD fall into four main categories:

1. Repeated "reliving" of the event, which disturbs day-to-day activity

• Flashback episodes, where the event seems to be happening again and again
• Recurrent distressing memories of the event
• Repeated dreams of the event
• Physical reactions to situations that remind you of the traumatic event

2. Drug & Alcohol Abuse

• Excessive drinking
• Drinking alone
• Excessive and/or illegal drug use

3. Avoidance

• Emotional "numbing", or feeling as though you don’t care about anything
• Feelings of detachment
• Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
• Lack of interest in normal activities
• Less expression of moods
• Staying away from places, people, or objects that remind you of the event
• Sense of having no future

4. Arousal

• Difficulty concentrating
• Exaggerated response to things that startle you
• Excess awareness (hyper vigilance)
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Sleeping difficulties

Physical Symptoms of PTSD:

The person affected by PTSD might feel a sense of guilt about the event (including "survivor guilt"), and the following symptoms, which are typical of anxiety, stress, and tension:

• Agitation, or excitability
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Feeling your heart beat in your chest (palpitations)
• Fever
• Headache

Hypnotherapy Treatment

Naturally, the majority of people experiencing these distressing symptoms want to be free of them so that life can return to normal again. Hypnotherapy presents a means of doing this in a controlled way. There are many techniques at a hypnotherapist's disposal that can help the individual put the event into a perspective where it is less disturbing. The client's inner strength is boosted and resources of safety enhanced so that the person feels in a position to work with the trauma. By accessing the event in a controlled way, resolution of the issue can take place.

If you have had a traumatic experience and you recognise some of the symptoms, do seek help. Getting back to your old way of life is possible. Find yourself a hypnotherapist who is experienced in dealing with PTSD that you feel comfortable with and start the process of getting your life back.