Understand the Physical Side of PTSD
You don’t have to be a veteran coming home from Afghanistan to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can also be the result of unresolved emotional wounds from childhood, surviving a traumatic incident like a car crash, or witnessing horrific spectacles like the Boston Marathon bombings.
It’s not “in your head”
Unexamined trauma can lead to serious physical imbalances. Sudden or prolonged stress makes the endocrine system produce too much cortisol – a “fight or flight” hormone which converts protein into energy. This is normal for short term as a reaction to stress – but when prolonged or buried, it creates a hormonal haze which continually affects your body’s systems.
It’s important to get help
These “fight or flight” hormones are supposed to do their job and go home. When they don’t, it’s a good idea to seek counseling to understand why. Left untreated, there’s a good chance of living life continually in an anxious, edgy, tense place that is vulnerable to emotional storms.
Triggers
The body may handle the continual ‘high alert’ for weeks, or even years, and then boom! A trigger may cause a cascading event like an emotional explosion.
Things like a lack of sleep, stressful work situation, relationship issues, death or illness in the family, improper dieting, or even traffic jams can trigger anxiety attacks, nightmares or flashbacks of a terrifying event.
Treatment
Often people may seek to self-medicate through recreational drugs or alcohol – but this is only a temporary fix with diminishing returns, and is especially dangerous because it can lead to addiction.
Proper counseling is invaluable
Proper medication may be a part of therapy, but figuring it all out first is the first step, and talking to a qualified therapist can be a vital help.
The irony is that many people find it difficult fit one more thing into their busy lives. But that’s where Counseling on Demand offers additional help. Our therapy group meets you where you are – at any location – using online tools such as Skype to blend a face-to-face connection with convenience.
Learn more information about this therapeutic solution by contacting COD today. The first consultation is free of charge – because finding the right solution for you is why we’re here.
