Traumatic stress can be described as the devastating emotional response to a terrible event which was typically unexpected, dramatic, isolating, and for which we had no ready strategy.
It can occur from a single incident; a number of incidents; or when repeated or prolonged. Whilst the cause of unresolved trauma is not always apparent to the sufferer, the ongoing presence of it certainly is; with symptoms that may include panic attacks, flashbacks, disturbed sleep, nightmares, hypervigilance, phobias, inability to focus, social anxiety, relationship difficulties, emotional numbness/flatlining, overwhelm, loss of creativity, and other debilitating effects. Recent research from King's College London has suggested that one in 13 young people in the UK have had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before reaching 18 years. A study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry found 31% of young people suffered a traumatic experience during childhood and that those who were exposed to trauma were twice as likely as their peers to experience a range of mental health disorders, with 7-8% experiencing PTSD before the age of 18 years. The traumatic stress response can be experienced at any time in our lives and does not always immediately follow the traumatic event, but can lie dormant - sometimes for several years. A seemingly innocuous life event can then sometimes trigger our nervous system - for example, following full physical recovery from serious illness or accident; or from a major transition such as change in work, approaching or during retirement, a change in relationship or family dynamics. |
The actual details or origin of trauma may never be known for an individual; but client experience shows that despite this, relief and healing is nevertheless possible.
You can't paint over rust the same is true for trauma |
'Being positive', and attempting to suppress or 'manage the symptoms of traumatic stress', just doesn't hack it. ... and neither does shining a light on it!
As a Master NLP Practitioner and Certified NLP Coach I use cutting-edge trauma techniques, which are gentle, and which DO NOT require the client to analyse and focus on past events. When using these approaches, clients typically tell me that their trauma symptoms dissolve to the point that there are no longer any left to manage. The effect is permanent; there's no bubbling through; and there's no relapse. Neuroscience is now able to point to why these approaches for healing trauma work. |