What is Psychological Trauma?
Psychological trauma occurs when a person experiences a traumatic event, which usually involves a threat (or perceived threat) of death or serious injury to themselves or others - the person would typically feel fear, helplessness, shock or horror.
Traumatic experiences could include: road traffic accident, natural disaster, rape, assault, robbery, childhood abuse, combat situations, domestic violence, terrorist attack, torture, diagnosis of a terminal illness, and others.
Some people can feel traumatised following events that do not directly threaten life but are nevertheless shocking and deeply upsetting, for example, being made redundant, finding out that their partner is having an affair, having their home re-possessed, being criticised in front of others, quarrelling with a good friend, losing a beloved pet, being bullied at school or work, and others. Whist these may not satisfy the "official criteria" for trauma, it is important to acknowledge that such effents could have a profound and lasting effect on our lives and that sometimes we may need help to deal with these "mini-traumas" that may sometimes cause symptoms similar to those of PTSD.
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed if the person who has experienced the traumatic event, continues to suffer the following symptoms after a month or longer after the event:
(a) Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks or nightmares, where the traumatic event is re-experienced.
(b) Avoidance of people, situations or things that might bring on their intrusive symptoms.
(c) Hyperarousal - physiological signs of increased emotional arousal, hypervigilance (constantly looking out for danger) or increased startle response.
What help is available?
If symptoms do not subside after a month or two following the traumatic event, it may be necessary to seek professional help. National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) as effective treatments for PTSD. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that Emotional Freedom Technique and related therapies which use a combination of acupressure and psychology (such as Thought Field Therapy, Tapas Acupressure Technique and others), are also effective for PTSD treatment, with the results resembling those of obtained through EMDR, but more research is necessary in this area. Whichever treatment you choose, make sure that you see an experienced practitioner.
Organisations and links offering support and information
UK Trauma Group www.uktrauma.org.uk
National Center for PTSD ( USA) www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/information
David Baldwin's Trauma Pages www.trauma-pages.com
Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture www.torturecare.org.uk
Gift From Within - International organisations for victims of trauma and victimisation www.giftfromwithin.org