Have you, or someone you love experienced a stressful event in which you felt
incredibly fearful and utterly powerless?
These two experiences combined together mean you are suffering Trauma. Whilst some people are able to process and recover from traumatic life experiences within a few months, with minimal impact on their general functioning, many are not. Symptoms of trauma will usually surface within three months of the event, but when these continue to impact and undermine an individual’s functioning beyond a six month period, it is definitely time to re-evaluate things. Left untreated, post-traumatic stress has the unfortunate potential to wreak long-term physical and psychological havoc, and can lead to actions of alcohol and substance misuse in some cases.
CHECKLIST TO DETERMINE IF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS IS AFFECTING YOUR LIFE LONG TERM
IF YOU CHECKED MORE THAN HALF OF THE ABOVE, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
“Trauma debriefing” is something that a professional can support you and work through with you, to assist you to manage your PTSD.
Our Psychologists work as a team with victims to face and express their stories; reframe any guilt you may have; normalise your symptoms; master your feelings; and make some sense of meaning of your experiences. You want to feel like you have a sense of control back in your life, and restoring functionality at all levels including physical, cognitive, emotional, social and occupational is important. Take a moment and imagine your life with all of these levels functioning the way you want. You don’t need to stay stuck!
Asking for some support and assistance is the first step to making the long term change you envision. Hope does exist.
We believe wise minds make wise decisions, so let us help you. Contact us today.
