December 2020 - Western Pa Hypnosis LLC

Understanding PTSD

Understanding PTSD is the first step in recovering from it. PTSD is an acronym for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many people however, prefer not to call it a “disorder” because that’s not really what it is. I don’t consider it a disorder either. Actually, I see it as the emotional after-effects of a highly traumatic experience… often perceived to be life-threatening.

In the United States there are an estimated 8 million people who suffer from PTSD in a given year. That’s about 3.5% of the total population. It can be caused by a number of things such as:

War, Terrorist Attacks, Physical Assault or Violence, Sexual Assault, Witnessing another person get hurt, Community Violence or Domestic Violence. It can also be caused by a Car Accident, Falls, Natural Disasters, Animal Attacks, Near Drowning, Poisoning, Cancer or a Life-threatening illness. As you can see there are quite a number of things that can cause PTSD, so it’s no wonder so many people suffer from it.

None of us know what our emotional limits are. In the same way that some people have a higher tolerance for physical pain, some have a higher tolerance for emotional pain. However, we ALL have a limit to how much pain we can tolerate, whether it be physical or emotional. Unfortunately, the only way to find out what our limits are, is to exceed them. Sad but true.

common ptsd symptoms

When we have an experience that exceeds our emotional limits, we may also experience common symptoms such as:

Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
Frequent distressing memories or feeling like you’re reliving the event
Avoiding things that remind you of that event
Always nervous, on edge, or on guard
Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally numb
Feeling disconnected from or detached from other people

RELATED Side-effects CAN INCLUDE:

Irritability and anger problems
Blaming yourself/guilt
Depression
Anxiety
Work or school issues
Relationship difficulties
Isolation
Drinking or drug use
Feelings of hopelessness, shame, grief or despair
Phobias
Panic Attacks

With such a wide range of potential symptoms and challenges, there is no such thing as a “quick fix” for PTSD. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t be effectively treated. As with many other types of emotional issues, recovery is a process, it takes time. The amount of time varies from person to person.

a CLOSER LOOK

To get a deeper understanding of PTSD we need to take a look at the T part and the S part. The T stands for “traumatic” or trauma. What exactly is a trauma? A trauma is typically something that happens very quickly and catches the person off guard. With no time to mentally prepare for the traumatic event, it exerts a shock or “over-load” to the emotional system. The emotional energy of that shock can linger for weeks, months, or even years.

Traumas come in all shapes and sizes. How they affect a person often depends upon their emotional maturity level. For example, a trauma to a child may be something as simple as losing a beloved pet, or seeing another child get hurt on the playground. As we mature, our awareness expands and our perspectives change. It takes a lot more to traumatize an adult than it does a child. Either way, trauma can happen to anyone at any age, and leave a strong emotional scar.

release the energy

Part of the healing process must include procedures for releasing the emotional energy of the experience. Hypnosis can be quite effective in bringing about this energetic release. Guided Imagery is another effective tool as well. In fact, it is often used in conjunction with hypnosis. Images and pictures are the language of the sub-conscious mind. By using these tools, a person can modify the details of the images of the traumatic event, thus disconnecting the emotional charge from the memory.

Another great tool for accomplishing this job is E.M.D.R., which is also an acronym that stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This method causes the powerful energy associated with the memory of a traumatizing event to be shared with other parts of the brain. So instead of all that energy being concentrated in only one part of the brain, it gets spread out, and becomes less concentrated. It’s like diluting a spoon-full of instant tea in a large glass of water instead of just a small cup of water. It makes it weaker, or less potent. More about EMDR .

the STRESS IS THE PROBLEM

The other part of the PTSD acronym we need to address is the “S” or Stress. Stress is really the essence, or root of the problem. For people with PTSD the stress never completely goes away. But what exactly is stress, and how can we alleviate it? The feeling we call stress is in reality a part of our automatic self-protection program. Our survival is its primary job.

Whenever we experience something that threatens our survival, our sub-conscious mind kicks into gear. It sends a signal to our bodies to prepare us to fight or to run. This is accomplished by triggering the release of two powerful chemicals, Adrenalin and Cortisol. The adrenalin increases our heartrate, breathing and blood pressure. Cortisol is a steroid hormone, also referred to as our “stress hormone”. This hormone increases our glucose (sugar) levels to give us a boost of energy.

The downside of cortisol is that it basically shuts down our immune system. People suffering from PTSD sometimes have a compromised immune system because of their higher levels of cortisol. This unfortunately makes them more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Our automatic response system is only meant to be activated on a short-term, as-needed basis. With people who have experienced a serious trauma, the automatic response system gets stuck in the “on” position. When this happens, the adrenalin and cortisol can unfortunately do more harm than good. So how do we get the stress response to shut off and go back to normal?

STRESS REDUCTION AND BEYOND

Fortunately, there are a number of highly effective ways to reduce stress. But when the stress originates inside your own brain by way of thoughts, memories, images, feelings and sounds, common stress-reduction methods can’t do a complete job. The best approach is to use a combination of the stress reduction methods, along with some more advanced, specialized methods… such as Hypnosis, NLP, EMDR and others.

Common stress-reduction methods may include physical exercise, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and breathing exercises. Such methods will address the physical stress in your body, but they can’t get at the TRUE cause of the stress. That cause includes those things mentioned in the paragraph above, that is – thoughts, memories, mental images, feelings and sounds. Modifying these internal triggers is the key to eliminating PTSD. I use a variety of specialized techniques for doing exactly that.

Also, unlike common “desensitization” methods where you are forced to re-experience your traumatic event over and over again, my methods don’t require it. Although those old-school methods can and do work, there are newer, better ways to get the job done. I have several methods for defusing the root cause of PTSD. There is no “one-size-fits-all” method because everyone is different. For this reason, I am trained and certified in multiple methods that have proven to be effective. PTSD does NOT have to be a life sentence.

The bottom line

Understanding PTSD and what it really is, provides a key stepping stone towards recovery. It can also help friends or family members of those who are suffering with PTSD by providing a better understanding of what they are experiencing. Remember, post-traumatic stress is NOT a disorder; it’s the emotional after-effects of a traumatic experience. The bottom line is that PTSD is a stress issue, and as such – it CAN be treated successfully.

Call for a Free Consultation 724-691-3928

understanding anxiety

Understanding anxiety is the first step in learning to control it. In a normal year in the United States, an estimated 40 million adults experience issues with anxiety. That’s roughly 18% of the total population. In other words, it’s more common than most people realize. Unfortunately, it’s so common that many people don’t take it seriously or seek help for it. In this post I will address what anxiety really is, its effects on the body and mind, and what you can do to manage it more effectively.

What is anxiety? The simple truth is that anxiety is a physiological response to a perceived or imagined threat. To simplify it even more, anxiety is a state of fear. It’s a built-in safety program designed to avoid bodily harm or death. This is not something we have to learn, it’s hard-wired into our mind and body. We’re born with it. This automatic, sub-conscious program is there to protect us, and under normal circumstances it does a fine job.

It’s only been in the last few centuries that we humans have lived in relatively safe houses. Generally speaking, we are safe from predators that could do us physical harm… or worse. Prior to that we lived much closer to the land and nature. Unlike today, we were not at the top of the food chain, and death by predator was a distinct possibility. We’re still not entirely safe from predators and never will be, but we’re much safer than our ancestors were.

our stressful world

However, we have other threats in our world today that our ancestors couldn’t even imagine. We are constantly bombarded with information and stressful situations. From television and radio to the internet, we are overloaded with a never-ending flood of information, far more than we can process. Add to that the stresses that come from family, relationships, high-pressure careers, and the fast pace of society. Our world today is the perfect storm environment for developing anxiety. Understanding anxiety is essential for good health.

To find the origins of our anxiety program we have to go back much further, probably many thousands of years or even more. Back then our focus was exclusively upon basic survival; it was a full-time job. With very little in the way of survival tools or weapons, our instincts told us we had only 2 choices: Fight or Run. Actually, there is also a third option which few people talk about, and that is to Freeze. In other words, hold still and hope the predator doesn’t see you.

Either of these options has the potential to save our life, but they have a down-side. That down-side is that they exert a powerful influence on our bodies. Anxiety was only meant to be a short-term response to a life-threatening situation. Once the threat had passed, our bodies would calm down and go back to normal. However, anxiety is what we feel when our bodies remain in that heightened state of alarm for hours, days, weeks or even longer.

physical effects of anxiety

The physiological effects of long-term anxiety can be quite serious and lead to other serious health problems. Anxiety prepares us to fight or run. It does this by releasing powerful hormones – adrenalin and cortisol to be exact. Adrenalin increases our heartrate, raises our blood pressure and boosts our energy supplies. Cortisol is our main stress hormone. First, it increases the blood sugars (glucose) in our bloodstream to give us more energy. Secondly, cortisol channels our blood to the parts of the body needed to fight or run, primarily to the arms and legs. This activity pulls the blood from our inner organs such as the digestive track, kidneys liver because they are non-essential when you need to fight or run.

Cortisol also suppresses our digestive system, reproductive system and immune system. This is why long-term anxiety makes us more susceptible to infections and auto-immune diseases. With a compromised immune system our bodies can’t fight off infection. And when you add in the high blood pressure and increased heartrate, anxiety can be a recipe for serious illness. Understanding anxiety and its effects on the body can save your life.

I think by now you get the picture that anxiety should be taken seriously. So, let’s take a look at some ways to reduce the anxiety in your world. The number one thing that causes anxiety the most is our own thoughts. Nine times out of ten, anxiety is caused by our thoughts and worries about the future… not an external predator. That future thought or worry can be focused upon something that is anywhere from minutes to hours to days to weeks or even months away. But get this: the future does not exist! It is 100% imagined.

reality vs imagination

Now here’s where things get interesting. Our bodies respond to imagined threats as if they are real! The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between what we imagine, and what is real. It reacts exactly the same way to both! For example, if you imagine you’re going to freeze up when you have to speak in front of a crowd of people next week, your subconscious mind will send the signal to your body to go into fight or flight mode. It can’t NOT do it!

Here’s an interesting fact: The physiological (bodily) effect of fear, and excitement, are identical! They’re exactly the same. So instead of interpreting the feelings you’re having as anxiety (or fear), replace it with excitement! Sure, you might be a little nervous, but it’s an excited kind of nervous. When you do this, your subconscious mind will say “Ok, I’m not anxious, I’m excited!”, and it will NOT trigger the fight or flight response.

This same technique works just as well with relieving stress. When we perceive stress as being our body’s way of preparing us to do a good job at something, the negative effects of stress will be nullified. It can even work to our advantage. At this point I’m going to recommend that you watch a great video on this subject by Kelly McGonigal in a Ted Talk a few years ago. It’s only about 14 minutes long and well worth watching. You’ll get a lot from it.

controlling anxiety

Now, I hope you watched the video. There’s a lot of meat and potatoes in it that can change your body’s response to anxiety and stress – by changing the way you think about it. Anxiety is actually caused by thinking we can control the universe! One of the most important things to learn to reduce anxiety is to determine what you can control, and what you can’t. None of us can control the future, we can only influence it with careful planning, but we cannot control it… so stop trying!

We can no more control the future than we can change the past. The past is what it is, and we can’t change it. The future will be what it will be. We may be able to have some influence on it, but we can’t control it. So, the best option is to remain flexible, and make the best of whatever comes down the road. It’s just as easy to imagine a positive outcome to future events as it is to project a future of doom and gloom. The choice is yours.

stay in the “here and now”

Last but not least, stay in the present as much as possible. Anxiety is caused by imagining and worrying about the future. Anxiety’s dark cousin is depression. People who suffer from depression typically dwell on the past. The only time and place that is real, is now. Now is beyond space and time. It’s always now. The trick is to keep reminding yourself of that. Now is the only “time” you can do anything about anything.

Likewise, the only place you ever really are, is here. Wherever you are on the planet, you’re always “here”. So “here and now” are inseparable, and real. Our thoughts can easily pull us out of here and now, and that’s when the problems begin. So the next time you catch yourself dwelling on the past, or getting worked up by worrying about the future, say to yourself “be here… now”. Repeat it as many times as you have to in order to snap yourself back to the present. It also helps to take 8-10 slow, deep breaths while you’re doing this. These simple techniques will help you with understanding anxiety. Give it a shot.

Remember, here and now are the only place and time that you can do anything about anything. Understanding Anxiety is the first step. Anxiety is not hard to deal with once you know how. Staying present (in the now) is the key. Learning to do this can be a bit challenging at first, but it will be well worth the effort. You can do this! And speaking of now… it’s now time to close this post. I hope you found it helpful.

Call for a Free Consultation 724-691-3928