What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can develop in anyone who experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, such as an accident, physical or sexual assault, natural disaster, combat, etc. PTSD affects millions of people worldwide and can have long-lasting effects on their lives.
Common PTSD symptoms include flashbacks to the traumatic event, nightmares and disturbed sleep patterns, avoidance of activities that remind one of the trauma, negative thoughts and feelings about oneself and the world around them, irritability and aggressive behavior, hyperarousal (feeling “keyed up”), difficulty concentrating or remembering details associated with the trauma.
People with PTSD may also experience emotional numbing, loss of interest in activities, feeling detached from others, and increased anxiety or depression. PTSD can have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to work or interact with others and can lead to poor physical health outcomes due to stress.
What is CPTSD or Complex Trauma?
Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) differs from regular PTSD in that it often involves multiple traumatic events, which may have occurred over a long period of time and involved the individual’s ongoing relationships with another person or group of people. Such scenarios may involve physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, living in a war zone or with an emotionally distant parent.
Why Reconnect is the Right Choice for Trauma Treatment
Our emphasis on trauma care makes Reconnect uniquely qualified to help people with PTSD or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). Our innovative trauma-focused treatments can help people with CPTSD process their trauma and learn coping skills to manage the difficult emotions that accompany it.
Trauma treatment at Reconnect is focused on helping individuals learn to live in the present; to become empowered, self-aware and develop resilience. The caring professionals at Reconnect are invested in the long-term recovery of all of our clients. Our aim is to not only provide relief during treatment, but to give you the tools to continue progress and growth long after you complete our program.
Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment is dedicated to helping people overcome mental health challenges, including trauma and learn to manage their conditions. Under the leadership of renowned trauma specialist, Dr. Karol Darsa Psy.D. we provide intensive, transformational treatment for trauma, depression and other disorders.
Relationship Trauma: This includes loss of a loved one or can present as emotional, verbal, or sexual abuse. Living with a narcissistic or borderline partner or family member can also result in symptoms
Medical Trauma: The life-changing impact of a new medical diagnosis or long-term illness can present as trauma.
Physical Trauma: Injuries such as car accidents, falls, or other extreme events can result in flashbacks and additional symptoms.
Natural Disasters: Such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events out of an individual’s control
Acts of Violence: Experiencing crime, rape, assault, robbery, or witnessing such acts
Military Service: Experiencing combat or other traumatic incidents while serving.
There are a variety of trauma symptoms and they present differently in each person.
Some symptoms of trauma include:
Affect Regulation
Difficulty with emotional self-regulation
Feeling overly emotional or out of control
Difficulty describing feelings and internal experiences.
Difficulty saying no.
Relational challenges
Problems with boundaries
Inability to form meaningful relationships
Uncertainty about the reliability and predictability of the world
Distress and suspiciousness
Social isolation
Interpersonal difficulties
Social phobia
Difficulty with perspective taking
Mistrust
Somatic symptoms
Chronic pain with no discernible organic medical cause
Hypersensitivity to physical contact
Body hatred
Trouble sleeping
Disordered eating
Problems with concentration, balance, body tone
Increased medical problems across a wide span, e.g. pelvic pain, asthma, skin problems, autoimmune disorders
Dissociation
Feeling out of body
Amnesia
Depersonalization and Derealization
Two or more distinct states of consciousness, with impaired memory.
Behavioral control
Poor modulation of impulses
Self-destructive behavior
Aggression against others
Sleep disturbances
Eating disorders
Substance abuse
Difficulty understanding and complying with rules.
Cognition
Difficulties in attention regulation and executive functioning
Problems with processing information
Problems focusing on and completing tasks.
Relationship with self
Lack of continuous, predictable sense of self
Poor sense of separateness
Disturbances of body image
Low self-esteem
Shame and guilt
Additional Symptoms
Shock, including numbed emotions or questioning your memory
Denial
Feelings of helplessness
Fear of dying or being abandoned
Confusion and disorientation
Numbness
Panic
Unwanted thoughts, including flashbacks to traumatic memories.
Healing Begins When You Reconnect
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with any of these conditions, or shows symptoms, the team at Reconnect wants to help. No one deserves to live with an untreated or undertreated mental health disorder. Treatment for PTSD and complex trauma disorders is more effective today than ever before. The help you and your loved ones deserve is just a phone call away. Contact us at: (310) 713-6739