Traumatic Stress (also known as acute stress) “is the development of characteristic anxiety, dissociative and other symptoms that occurs within 1 month after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor.” American Psychiatric Association 2000.
It is a NORMAL reaction to an ABNORMAL event.
Common reactions can include :
- Feeling tearful, anxious, angry or numb.
- Continuing thoughts and images about the incident.
- Sleep disturbances including nightmares.
- Sweats, dry mouth.
- Poor concentration, headaches.
- Digestive complaints and skin rashes.
- Avoiding anything to do with the event.
- Withdrawing from relationships.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
However, sometimes, when something traumatic happens, the picture, sounds, thoughts and feelings seem to get locked in the nervous system. The experience continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up and can cause negative emotions, such as fear and helplessness as well as intrusive images, thoughts and other sensations.
PTSD may be diagnosed when these symptoms have not subsided after a month and when a person is suffering from :
- Continued intrusive images, thoughts or “flashbacks” – a sense of reliving the event.
- Symptoms of increased arousal such as sleep disturbances, irritability, anger, rage, or being “jumpy” and “on edge”.
- Avoidance of things that are associated with the event. There may also be an ongoing feeling of numbness.
- In the majority of cases, this reaction will subside over time as we gradually come to terms with the experience and its effects.
- If you think you may have PTSD, then it is important to get advice and support, initially from your GP or community health unit.
An effective treatment for PTSD
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed in 1989 as a clinical treatment for trauma. It has been tested in clinical trials and found to be an effective treatment for PTSD.
The eye movements used in EMDR seem to unlock the nervous system and allow the person’s brain to process the experience. That may be similar to what is happening in Rapid Eye Movement (REM), or dream sleep. The eye movements are involved in processing the unconscious material. EMDR is a very powerful method and should only be used by properly trained practitioners.