Trauma Related Therapy | Retreat to Advance

I want to THRIVE not just SURVIVE!

PTSD is caused by being exposed to trauma, including experiencing, witnessing or even learning about a severely traumatic experience.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) can be caused by experiencing recurring or long-term traumatic events, such as childhood abuse or neglect (physical and/or emotional), domestic violence, sexual abuse, torture and war. CPTSD is more likely to develop in people who experience trauma at a young age, who were harmed by someone they trusted and were unable to escape the trauma. Three additional elements for CPTSD are:

1. Emotion regulation difficulties (e.g. problems calming down).

2. Negative self-concept (e.g. beliefs about self as worthless or a failure).

3. Relationship difficulties (e.g. avoidance of relationships).

PTSD and CPTSD sufferers experience four main types of symptoms.

1. Intrusions or Flashbacks - Re-experiencing intrusive, upsetting memories of the traumatic event(s) including:
- Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again).
- Sleep disturbances/Nightmares.
- Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma.
- Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event e.g., pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating.

2. Avoidance - Avoiding any reminders of the trauma(s):

- Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma.

- Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma.

- Loss of interest in activities and life in general.

- Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb.

- Sense of a limited future.

3. Hypervigilance - Increased anxiety and emotional arousal:

- Difficulty falling or staying asleep.

- Irritability or outbursts of anger.

- Difficulty concentrating.

- On constant alert.

- Feeling jumpy and easily startled.

4. Dissociation - disconnection/disruption from thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.

In simple terms, if you think of your brain/memory as a filing cabinet, an event is experienced and a memory is generated which is filed away for later use. However, traumatic experiences can cause the brain to become overwhelmed and unable to 'file' the memories properly. This is when the symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD can occur.

When dealing with trauma, talking therapy is not enough. Trauma focused therapy enables traumas to be processed (including Cognitive Processing Therapy - CPT) so that the memories can be filed properly.

The approach to trauma therapy that I use is a tri-phasic treatment model approved by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the UK Psychological Trauma Society and NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). This phased-based approach has been adopted for trauma focused psychotraumatology therapy:

Phase 1 - safety, stabilisation and emotional regulation. The goal of this phase is greater emotional management to stabilize a client if they become hyper-aroused (such as anger or anxiety), or hypo-aroused (numb, stuck, frozen).

Phase 2 - trauma processing - Trauma-Focused CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) . The focus of the processing is any past events which remain troubling and is likely to include unpleasant memories of being traumatised, what the triggers are, and what mood and behaviour results from the symptoms of trauma.

Phase 3 - post-traumatic growth, and planning for a more fulfilling future.

Each phase of work involves psycho-education, the impact of trauma, the Window of Tolerance and managing emotional vulnerability to give a greater sense of control and ability.

Where required, I can assess with a differential psychological formulation and form a treatment plan, update GPs and psychiatrists and work with multi-disciplinary teams such as support or social workers.