An opportunity for healing after trauma.
If you’re struggling to cope after a tragedy, you’re not alone. Trauma can take many forms, and if left unaddressed, it can develop into a complex mental disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a serious condition that requires clinically advanced care. If you need support during a vulnerable time, Serene Behavioral Health can help.
Trauma and Its Effects
Trauma results from extremely stressful events that impact your feelings of safety and security. Whether these things occurred randomly or repeatedly, it’s natural to find yourself strongly affected by them. Psychological trauma can make you feel distrustful, disconnected, and directionless. You might think that the anxiety, increased reactivity, and flashbacks will never stop, or you may find yourself feeling numb and uncertain of where to turn.
Traumatic events are categorized as follows:
- Random events that happen once, like sudden injuries or attacks.
- Long-term stress caused by living in unsafe conditions or experiencing ongoing abuse.
- Uncommon or overlooked causes, which may include invasive surgery, the end of a significant relationship, or public humiliation.
Trauma can change your life in moments or years, and it’s important to know that everyone is affected differently. If you and your spouse are in a car accident, for example, they may walk away without any issues, while you find yourself suffering from complex PTSD. This is normal, but how do you know if your symptoms require clinical intervention?
Do I Have PTSD?
Many people talk themselves out of seeking treatment for their traumatic experience because they believe what happened to them was not bad enough when comparing their experience to someone else’s. When determining if you need treatment, first consider the effect your symptoms have had on your daily life. While not a comprehensive list, or a replacement for an official diagnosis, the questions below can guide your thinking on a decision to seek treatment.
In the past month, how often have you experienced…
- Disturbing, unwanted, and repeated memories, images, or thoughts of a stressful experience?
- A strong emotional response when something reminded you of a stressful event?
- Avoiding situations because they remind you of that experience?
- Feeling distant from, cut off from, or misunderstood by others?
- Irritability and angry outbursts?
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, and making decisions?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these, it might be time to consider treatment for your traumatic life event.
Find freedom from your past.
Treatment for Trauma and PTSD
Trauma requires in-depth mental health care. At Serene Behavioral Health, we understand what it takes to uncover and address past trauma. Our clinicians are sensitive to your situation and strive to create a recovery environment that is safe, reassuring, and positive.
We use evidence-based therapy interventions in our practice, including cognitive-behavioral therapy: the gold standard of talk therapy. Our one-on-one sessions empower you to unpack your trauma and break free of its hold on your life. We also offer motivational interviewing. This technique empowers you to move forward and enact positive change, one small step at a time.
You deserve to live a life free from the effects of trauma. Contact Serene Behavioral Health for more information about our proven therapeutic models and compassionate trauma therapists.
