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Are you Suffering from Post Traumatic Anxiety?
Post Traumatic Anxiety or Post Trauma Stress is a disorder developing after living through a shocking or frightening experience. Symptoms include anxiety, sleep issues and depression. Without help, some sufferers can become isolated, volatile or turn to harmful substances, such as alcohol, for relief.
Signs of Post Traumatic Anxiety
Other symptoms of post traumatic anxiety include intrusive emotions or flashbacks, avoidance of triggering situations, hyper-sensitivity to specific stimuli, negativity and numbness. For the sufferer, these flashbacks or triggered emotions can be just as distressing as the original event. For loved ones, it is upsetting and difficult to see someone suffering with this. As a result, it is important the person is encouraged to seek treatment as soon as possible.
How can hypnotherapy help with post traumatic anxiety?
Through hypnotherapy I help clients dealing with post trauma anxiety in a safe space.
Avoidance
The person may refuse to discuss the event or visit associated places. They may also avoid certain people that remind them of the stressful incident, even if the other person is only trying to help. They may attempt to avoid emotions altogether, displaying a strange distance or numbness. Avoidance is a short-term, ineffective solution. During hypnotherapy a person can be opened up to these emotions or fears gradually, in a safe reassuring space and helped to deal with them effectively.
Hyper-arousal
Hyper-arousal is a term used to describe a constant state-of-being similar to a ‘fight-or-flight’ response. It’s a feeling of being on-edge or over-emotional and may lead to people seeming distracted or jumpy. This is one of the main symptoms that can contribute to disturbed sleep, which leads to tiredness making the symptoms even more difficult to deal with. Relaxation techniques and mindfulness exercises can help.
Safety
Many people don’t feel comfortable talking to friends or family about these type of events for fear of burdening or upsetting them. Therapy helps them process feelings without worrying about the reaction of other people. Sometimes feelings of guilt, shame or anger prevent people talking with anyone but a neutral professional. Hypnotherapy also helps them face their fears in a safe way, knowing at any time they can withdraw and relax.
Restructuring
An experienced therapist helps sufferers take a rational view of their situation. Overly emotional reactions can be hard to control but careful restructuring of thought patterns can encourage a healthier response. Together we question the accuracy of negative thoughts and beliefs and whether fears are helpful to their future well-being.
Closure after trauma
Working through the effects of a trauma is an important step to recovery. Closure comes only after we face up to a situation, how difficult it was for us and how much it may have changed us. Once this is done, then we can begin to realign our beliefs and find happiness again. These events often change us, but they don’t have to mean an end to our happiness.
Book Hypnotherapy for post traumatic anxiety
If you would like to learn more about this issue and how I can help, please do get in touch. Whether it’s in person at my London clinic, or online, we can work together to find you relief.
Further Reading
How to Reduce Anxiety with Online Hypnotherapy
Do you just worry too much or is it an anxiety disorder?
How to get rid of anxiety and panic attacks
Beating anxiety and depression
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