Here are just some of the symptoms you may be experiencing if you have been involved in, or witnessed, a traumatic event:
intrusive distressing recollections of the traumatic event nightmares flashbacks intense distress when confronted with reminders of the trauma stress, anxiety, panic avoiding anything associated with the event inability to recall a significant aspect of the trauma detached from others - feeling you cannot 'connect, with people feeling numb little interest in the things you used to enjoy
'Emotional' trauma?
You could equally feel traumatised by an emotional blow, through what you have heard or been through! The same counts: you are likely to settle within 4-6 weeks if not long before.
These symptoms, apart from ongoing panic, are normal immediately after a traumatic event and, if not subsiding within days, should gradually disappear over a period of 4 - 6 weeks - if not: seek help. All of these should subside gradually over the weeks following the event with you just needing the support of your friends and family in familiar (safe) surroundings.
Not diagnosed with PTSD?
How distressed you are matters much more than whether or not you can be fitted with the 'label' of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The exact diagnosis can only be made by a qualified mental health professional/doctor, who has assessed you with the help of a recognised questionnaires, such as the Impact of Events Scale or the Post-trauma Check List, and a conversation/interview. However,I think it is more important to consider how the symptoms are affecting you and how quickly you want to recover without having to resort to long-term medication.
Debriefing? 'Debriefing', using the Mitchell model has been shown at best to be ineffective and at worst harmful for psychological trauma. This is partly because someone could potentially be re-traumatised by made to re-experience the sights, sounds and feelings of the original incident - it interferes with the natural healing process.
NICE guidelines The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) states that brief single-session interventions should not be routinely offered.
TRiM However, people do value some kind of an intervention after a work-related traumatic incident and the Trauma Risk Management programme (see main body) fits in well with the NICE guidelines.
Not suffering from full-blown PTSD, but not recovering?
You may notnecessarily suffer from PTSD, but you may still, after time has passed, suffer some of the symptoms of PTSD, in which case the help of a human givens therapist can still be invaluable. The human givens approach includes helping someone meet their essential emotional needs, making the most of their natural resources, and hypnotherapy, including the 'rewind' technique (an updated version of the NLP 'Visual Kinaesthetic Dissociation' technique)if appropriate.
When to seek help for post-traumatic symptoms
About a month following the traumatic event, trauma counselling may be helpful if several of the following apply to you*):
"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you" Wayne Dyer
were already stressed before have been traumatised before felt your life was in danger wish you had done more wish you had acted differently felt ashamed continue to feel very angry avoid thinking/talking about it
have little accessible support feel isolated cannot get on with your life cannot cope with 'normal' activities are drinking more alcohol smoke more take drugs/medicine to cope
*) Adapted from the Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) programme initially developed by army mental health professionals Major Norman Jones and Capt. Peter Roberts (Retired), introduced into the Royal Navy and Royal Marines by Dr Neil Greenberg and Cameron March MBE Royal Marines (Retired)
The Linden Method for anxiety
Anxiety and panic attacks are dreadful conditions, and yet are often easily treated.
Charles Linden developed the Linden method. He cured himself completely from severe anxiety disorder and wanted fellow sufferers to benefit.
What kind of counselling?
During the first three months following the trauma or when suddenly feel overwhelmed by the memories of a trauma, even if years later, any counselling should only focus on the event(s); no 'general' counselling should be offered. Watch a videoabout a really good treatment methods for post-traumatic stress symptoms: the rewind technique, first described by Milton Erickson, further developed by one of the originators of NLP: Richard Bandler and ultimately refined by Ivan Tyrell and Joe Griffin of Mindfields College.
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The material on these pages is intended as information only, and not as medical advice.
