An individual living with PTSD lives in a state of suspended animation, trapped in a sequence of ever decreasing circles; continually reliving the event or events unable to liberate themselves of the psychological and physiological effects. Reminders of the trauma, environmental or somatic, may appear suddenly, causing fear and panic. As a result, the individual becomes fearful not only of the trauma itself but of their own somatic re-experiencing of the trauma. This causes the individual’s life to become diminished and restricted.
A period of mourning follows the traumatic event whereby the individual grieves the loss of the person or relationship along with the sense of loss of Self. This may cause the individual to lapse into a deep state of depression and hopelessness, struggling to engage with others and failing to maintain commitments to work or home life. The corresponding feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy seeks to fuel the depressive state.
Individuals experiencing a lack of self-worth can adopt a negative and critical internal narrative, diminishing the individual’s self-esteem and self-agency, sabotaging the individual’s potential for recovery.
Dissociation is as an escape mechanism in which the individual is able to distract or block out their distressing feelings. Traumatic dissociation has the effect of splitting off either psychological or physical elements of the event in an attempt to reduce the impact of the event. Individuals may adopt dependent behaviours which have a soothing or numbing effect, such as overeating, alcohol misuse, drug misuse, self-injury or obsessive-compulsive behaviours.
As the individual is unable to adequately process the experience within their working memory, their ability to process and integrate the event into the chronological order of their past is impaired.
Persistent and exaggerated negative self-beliefs or expectations about oneself or others has a corrosive effect on interpersonal relationships.
The continuous re-experiencing of the event compounds the feelings of terror and anxiety associated with the original event. This can cause the individual to exhibit; irritable or aggressive behaviours, reckless or self-destructive behaviours, an exaggerated startle response, problems with concentration and sleep disturbance.
Flashbacks and panic attacks often occur in tandem, triggered by environmental or somatic cues in which the individual feels as if the trauma is continuing or happening all over again.
Feelings of fear and loss of control can become increasingly pervasive leading the individual to experience anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia, social phobia, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Therapy addressing both the psychological and somatic effects of trauma have the potential to be more effective in relieving the pervasive effects of trauma.
Through accurate symbolisation the client can integrate the memory into the correct chronological order of their past allowing them to escape the capture of the pervasive effects of PTSD and move forward in their lives.