PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur following a life-threatening event such as an attempted murder or armed robbery or a physical assault.
Most survivors of trauma will have symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks that fade over time, but others develop PTSD as these symptoms persist or worsen.
Symptoms of trauma can begin immediately after a traumatic event, but PTSD is only diagnosed when some of the following symptoms have persisted for more than 30 days:
- Experiencing flashbacks
- Repeatedly having a sense of reliving the experience
- Nightmares & interrupted sleep
- Intense physical / emotional distress when reminded of the event
- Avoiding thoughts, conversations, activities or places that remind you of the experience
- A sense of tension, anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity
- Hypervigilance
- Easily startled
- Fear & loss of the sense of safety
- Outbursts of aggression or rage
- Problems in concentrating, reading, writing, speaking, short attention span
- Sense of being stuck
- Problems with making decisions
- Inability to recall parts of or all of a traumatic event
- Numbing & diminished interest in significant events
- Dulled feelings. Restricted range of emotions
- Detached from other people
- Problems with relationships or attachment
- Lack of sexual interest
- Absence of fantasy / no sense of future
- Feelings of guilt / shame
Can Post Traumatic Stress Disorder be Treated?
Yes! Eureka Centre provides EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) Treatment.
It is a new & exciting method assisting people with a variety of psychological problems. More than 20 scientifically controlled studies of EMDR have proven its effectiveness in the treatment of traumatic & other disturbing life experiences. It is capable of a rapid desensitization of traumatic memories and a removal of symptoms, e.g. flashbacks and nightmares.
Getting help for Trauma
At Eureka Centre we have a very experienced and gifted Clinical hypnotherapist & EMDR specialist, Jeanette Dreyer, who achieves excellent results.
If you are struggling to move on after an armed robbery or physical assault, EMDR is an effective therapy to help you process the trauma & move past it.
