When a person is in danger, their central nervous system kicks into gear and triggers the fight or flight response. In the face of traumatic events, their system can become completely overwhelmed. This could result in a chronically overactive fight or flight response or a chronic sense of reliving the traumatic events. The nervous system becomes stuck in a defensive physiological state.
What counts as a traumatic event varies from person to person. However, a common misconception is that only violent or long-term stressful experiences can be considered trauma. The truth is anything that causes a stress reaction can be traumatic, and any traumatic events can cause lingering mental health effects.
Whether you or a loved one has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) or has been negatively impacted by trauma, we can help through our PTSD treatment. Contact Harmony’s compassionate intake team today at 304.410.0082 to learn about our mental health treatment options and how our expert mental health providers can support your healing process.
Does Trauma Have an Impact on Your Mental Well-Being?
Research on the effects and treatment of trauma has revealed that traumatic experiences often have a long-lasting physiological and psychological impact which may, depending upon the nature of the traumatic events, include:
- Altered sense of meaning in life
- Disruption in the functioning of the centers of the brain that involve higher order, abstract thinking (including planning and prioritizing) and that regulate attention and concentration
- Sense of disconnection or dissociation from others or the environment
- Heightened activity in the part of the brain that interprets threat and danger
- Sympathetic nervous system dominance, which can lead to hyper-vigilance with a sensitive startle response, agitation, anxiety, reduction in heart rate variability, heart palpitations, or difficulty sleeping
- Social withdrawal, including significant difficulty trusting others, even a spouse or partner
- Sense of disconnection from one’s self and one’s own body, including poor self-care
- Tendency to relive (flashbacks) or reenact traumatic events and distress upon exposure to anything that serves as a reminder of the events
- Nightmares
- Trouble controlling emotions
- Aggressive impulses based on an overactive sense of needing to defend oneself
- Confusion or inhibition in the area of sexuality
Discover the Benefits of a Comprehensive PTSD Treatment
Our PTSD treatment employs a comprehensive approach to help you in your journey of healing and recovery from trauma. We tailor therapy to the specific needs of each client’s situation using some combination of the following strategies:
- Body-awareness exercises to facilitate the effective processing of emotions and reconnection with one’s own body
- Development of effective coping skills for regulating emotional states and physiology and for improving lifestyle habits
- Processing the emotional impact of the traumatic events to make greater sense of experiences that have produced significant pain and confusion
- Referral, if necessary, for a medication evaluation (available at our practice)
We work with trauma survivors holistically to restore healthy mind and body functioning so our clients can release the past and feel more genuinely alive in the present.
Contact Harmony to Learn More About Our Trauma-Informed PTSD Treatment
If you believe you or someone you care about is experiencing the lingering effects of trauma, contact Harmony today at 304.410.0082 or reach out online to learn how our PTSD treatment in West Virginia can help you or a loved one.