Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short, can affect anyone at any point in time with varying intensity
Today I will break down PTSD as well as how it can occur to the everyday person, so you can understand it whether you are experiencing it yourself, or be able to recognize signs of it in a loved one
First things first, a post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after a trauma has occurred hence the “post”
Perhaps you might laugh at this statement, but I have to clarify it because I have heard some people throw “PTSD” around as if they have it, when actually, they misunderstood it
They had some anxiety but thought it was PTSD for example
Now, a trauma can be a physical or psychological event, that causes a shock and/or an injury to a person
So someone involved in a car accident might have shock and an injury, while the family of that person in a car accident will just get a shock
There is a reason I simplify this to “shock”, instead of all the possible emotions like fear, panic, anxiety, sadness, grief, etc etc
And I will explain in a moment why
1. An event that shocks you is required to develop a post-traumatic stress disorder
Think of the shock event as an ignition key to start the engine
The reason being is that we have a conscious mind and an unconscious mind
The conscious mind is like a gatekeeper, using logic to protect us
While the unconscious mind is like an emotional sponge, it handles emotions, programs, beliefs, values etc
In a state of shock, unfortunately, the conscious mind or the gatekeeper might be temporarily down
And this allows whatever the event is to enter straight into the unconscious mind to form a new program
Of course, that new program isn’t usually that good for us (sometimes)
Because there are so many possible scenarios that create a shock, and so many possible people with their possible coping mechanisms and ability to learn
Literally create an infinite realm of possibilities
Using the earlier car accident example, while if the driver foresaw the accident and thus, was not in a state of shock upon the accident?
Then he will not have any PTSD
He might still have a physical trauma (medical term after all) but because he wasn’t shocked, it is quite possible he does not develop any PTSD at all
Of course, his loved ones might still be shocked if they didn’t expect it to occur, so they might get their own versions of PTSD
Again, doesn’t matter if it’s hurt, pain, sadness, grief, etc, as long as it has a shock effect to the person, that person could develop a post-traumatic stress disorder specific or unique to that event
Which brings me to my next point
2. PTSD can have specific conditions to trigger
One of my lecturers shared her PTSD of driving
Long story short, she unexpectedly crashed while driving her car with her friend in the passenger seat
So that’s a state of shock, what did her unconscious mind take in as a new program?
That she crashed, and there was someone beside her
So her PTSD is that she might crash when someone is beside her, but when she is driving alone, she is fine
So that is a specific PTSD with mild emotions of fear or anxiety
I had something far more intense
My lung burst in my sleep but I didn’t know and still delivered a presentation, only to realize I couldn’t breathe properly
After which, I went to the hospital for an X-ray and saw my right lung had collapsed to the size of an egg
The doctor said, “You will die…” which shocked me
While he continue to drone on, my life flashed before my eyes and I saw my life regrets
I collapsed to the ground, unable to hold myself, and cried uncontrollably
And unfortunately, this became a post-traumatic stress disorder
My unconscious mind took in the events sequence as, presentation in school and lung burst shown by X-ray thus collapse
And that was my PTSD
After every presentation in school (I had 2.5 years of polytechnic left), I will have to go to the toilet (somewhere private) and everything broke
I’m collapsing onto the sink, shaking badly, my tears, mucus, and saliva just flowing uncontrollably
And at that time, my thought was… since when did I have severe stage fright?
Of course, we can see how the events for my lung bursting recreated itself during my PTSD, and also why I want to share so people can be more aware of their mind and body
What are the effects from dealing with PTSD?
Because of how varied in the forms and intensity that PTSD can take, it can literally affect many things in life
For myself, because I thought my PTSD was severe stage fright, I didn’t know who to talk to
I ended up in depression and became unresponsive, avoiding social events with my classmates if possible, unable to laugh or feel happy when they joke
Could they have spotted the change, given we only know each other in the first term?
I can’t say for sure
Maybe to them, I was just being a guy right?
But that’s the thing, for I was still acting like a normal human being, even though I had PTSD and depression at that time
Other people might have greater changes, which you might be able to spot if you knew them for years, like friends and family
Unless they know how to act like they are ok
So if we take the extreme end of having severe PTSD, they could be experiencing nightmares about the trauma, or keep having flashbacks in the day
I myself was social avoidant and had depression, some might also have suicidal thoughts like me too back then
Some could be filled with all sorts of negative emotions, might cry everyday or get sensitive and angry often
They might be jumpy, easily startled, to a person or action, or even hallucinate a bit as if the trauma is happening at that instance
Besides their mental health being affected, their social life might also change drastically
Either they avoid totally, or they go out more to seek various forms of distractions
Their physical health may also be affected in some cases, whether real or imagined, as a way to avoid situations or just to remain in bed, to feel safe
How to help someone with PTSD?
If you recognize the possibility that your friend or loved one might have a form of PTSD, then go ahead and talk to them about it
Let them know that you understand what they are going through, and be there for them
So yea, you cannot be saying stuff like, “Aiya its just a car accident, scared of driving for what?”
That’s obviously not the way to help them
The mind is surprisingly a delicate thing
Unless they do not get any shock from the traumatic event, then yea they might be unaffected
Otherwise, even the so-called strong mind can still get a shock from such an event, and thus, might get post-traumatic stress disorder
Now if you yourself think you have PTSD, see if you can identify what is the specific traumatic event that might have started this
That might be the easy part
Then take note what are the details, no matter how small
This is because those small details might be part of the conditions (if any) and if so, helps you to recognize those conditions and avoid if possible
If the emotions are less intense, then finding a friend to talk to, someone who can understand you, might help
With time and some help, some milder PTSD can resolve itself
However, if it is more intense, or quite severe, then you need some professional help
Even if you do not have PTSD, the above structure can be used to help your friends or loved one who might have PTSD
Let them talk it out, and be in a place of patience and kindness with them
Is there a cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Once we understand these simple constructs, that PTSD requires a shock usually, and that sometimes it can have specific conditions to trigger, as well as some of the possible signs to recognize then yes, we can talk about a cure
As mentioned, some milder post-traumatic stress disorder might resolve itself with time
Perhaps my lecturer drove enough times to realize that she is completely safe and her mild PTSD might resolve itself
But something like mine, unfortunately, cannot go away with time
Besides the intensity of the emotions, it is also the frequency of the triggers that might affect
So someone who got a shock as a child when the parents suddenly abused them, might see the frequency happening daily as long as they stay in that house
And it might also spread to being triggered via a text from them, even if they move out
So their PTSD cannot resolve with time
Anyway, that is where we need professional help for such severe post-traumatic stress disorder
Going to conventional counselling might not be enough in this case
For the record, because I thought I had severe stage fright, I ended up learning Basic and Masters NLP, as well as Conversational Hypnotherapy to treat myself and cure my PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc
You see, to properly cure or resolve PTSD, we need to go to its root, the original trauma, and resolve that program from the unconscious mind
It’s like you have a cup of water, and you accidentally added mud to it, it will still have mud in it even if you put a huge amount of sugar
It will taste of sweet mud
You can’t just use positivity to suppress a negative event, and attempt to make that event seem positive
We got to get rid of the mud completely from the water
By clearing that traumatic event, then yes, your mind will be free
That was what I accidentally discovered when I took those courses
I realized that my severe stage fright was actually post-traumatic stress disorder and most importantly, it can be cured!
But I didn’t trust the other course-mates since we are all newbies back then
So I applied my training and techniques to myself and that’s how I resolved all my mental health issues
Now there one thing that is required before anyone can see me and resolve their issues effectively
And that is that they must want to heal
They must want to change
I can’t take any clients nor can I help anyone if they don’t want to change
Now if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me on Facebook or just tap that purple button and drop a message
Until then, take care and chat soon 🙂
