Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychological reaction to a severely stressful or physically threatening event. It is a psychiatric condition that affects almost 3.5% of the general adult population every year. Research has also shown that approximately 8% of people experience PTSD at some point in their lives.
Any events that an individual finds distressful, frightening, or deeply disturbing such as accidents, losses, abuse, and neglect, can be traumatic and may cause PTSD.
DSM5 defines a traumatic event as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Some examples of situations that can trigger the development of post-traumatic stress disorder include the following:
Post-traumatic stress disorder causes a variety of psychological, emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms. Each individual experiences PTSD symptoms differently in terms of severity, length, and onset. This is why doctors and counselors use different kinds and combinations of therapy during a PTSD retreat
Most symptoms begin to develop within a month of exposure to the traumatic event. But sometimes it can take months to years before you know you have developed PTSD.
Generally, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are categorized into four types:
One of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder is reliving or re-experiencing the traumatic event, whether in the form of memories, dreams, nightmares, or flashbacks. These unwanted, intrusive thoughts and distressing episodes can occur any time and anywhere, with or without triggers.
When reliving the traumatic event, people with PTSD often go into severe physical and emotional reactions as a response to such intrusive memories.
Re-experiencing symptoms may also happen when a patient gets exposed to a trigger (i.e., a person, object, place, or event) that reminds them of the trauma.
It is common for individuals with PTSD to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma as a form of coping mechanism. Some examples include:
Avoidance symptoms can help relieve anxiety and negative thoughts and feelings. However, it is not a sustainable way to cope since avoidance only breeds fear in the long run. Plus, not talking about the trauma and how individuals feel about it prevents them from getting the help they need.
PTSD is a psychiatric disorder, so it is bound to have various physical and emotional consequences. This includes the following:
Patients with PTSD experience these emotional and physical symptoms constantly, even without being triggered. As a result, individuals find it hard to function and perform daily tasks, such as eating, socializing, sleeping, and working.
PTSD affects the cognitive function of the brain, as well as one’s mood and behavior. It can be a direct influence of the traumatic event itself or as a result of other symptoms. Some examples of cognition and mood alterations include the following:
Furthermore, these changes in mood and cognition can also lead to the development of other mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
One of the main causes of PTSD is exposure to a traumatic event. A traumatic event is an occurrence that creates a huge amount of stress as well as feelings of fear, danger, and helplessness. It is something that causes physical, psychological, and emotional harm to an individual.
Every person has a different perception of each situation, so what’s traumatic to someone may not be as significant to another. That’s why there are a lot of situations that can cause PTSD. Some of the most common ones include the following:
Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one or more of the following ways.
Anyone can develop post-traumatic stress disorder, regardless of age, gender, occupation, and social status. However, certain things can increase an individual’s risk of getting PTSD, such as the following:
Furthermore, studies suggest that some jobs make an individual more vulnerable to PTSD. In fact, statistics state that PTSD is commonly present in first responders, specifically paramedics, rescue teams, firefighters, and police officers.
Patients exhibiting the symptoms of PTSD should consult a board-certified psychologist or psychiatrist for a thorough evaluation and diagnosis. Most patients undergo an in-depth assessment involving an interview and/or a medical questionnaire about their feelings, thoughts, and behavior.
A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder will be made if the patient exhibits the following:
Once diagnosed, your doctor will create a comprehensive treatment plan to help manage your symptoms and allow you to live a normal life again. Your doctor may also recommend or partner with a PTSD trauma retreat facility, such as 11th Hour Trauma Retreat, for an intensive treatment program.
Post-traumatic stress disorder causes many physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral symptoms—often affecting people differently. That’s why doctors utilize various approaches and modalities in treating this condition. Some of the most common techniques, which may also be combined with one another, include medications, psychotherapy, and PTSD trauma retreat.
PTSD affects and alters the normal balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. This then disrupts the brain, triggering unhealthy and unwanted feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, aggressiveness, and behavioral issues. To combat these symptoms, your doctor may put you on specific medications to restore normal brain function. This includes the following:
Your doctor may also prescribe medications to combat insomnia and nightmares.
Psychotherapy is the most commonly used approach in treating trauma/PTSD.
Psychotherapy can assist clients who suffer from trauma by understanding their feelings and experiences, creating plans to stay safe, developing positive coping skills, and finding other support and resources.
11th Hour PTSD Trauma Retreat can help clients recover from trauma long after the event took place. Trauma that has not been dealt with is one of the leading reasons people seek counseling or therapy.
The most common therapies that have proven effective in trauma treatment are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The goal of 11th Hour PTSD Trauma Retreat’s therapy is to provide a solid foundation and jump start to healing.
Patients diagnosed with PTSD who cannot go through therapy on their own can try enrolling in a PTSD retreat. This type of facility provides intensive individual and group therapy that involves different treatment modalities, such as animal-assisted therapy. You will work with a highly trained trauma therapist on your healing and achieving your desired goals in a one to two-week time frame.
11th Hour Trauma Retreat is one of the leading providers of trauma treatment and support. We provide individualized and evidence-based programs and treatment services, which clients can receive during their daily sessions on their chosen days.
Some examples of the therapy approaches we provide include the following:
If you don’t respond well to at-home treatment or hospitalization, then you can try entering into our trauma retreat program at 11th Hour Trauma Retreat.
Contact us now to experience the best PTSD retreat near me.
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
