What is PTS? Post-Traumatic Stress is a normal response to an abnormal situation. It is not a mental disorder and is different to PTSD, which is a diagnosable clinical condition. PTSD will be examined in next month’s article. Although some symptoms are the same, there are enormous differences in the symptom strength and duration, as-well as different treatment approaches between PTS and PTSD. With PTS, treatment is not always essential as symptoms usually subside on their own gradually over a few days or months. However, support from a healthcare practitioner can assist in preventing the worsening of symptoms. If symptoms persist or continue to impact the quality of one’s life then it is advisable to seek the professional support of a trauma specialist so that the event doesn’t cause any long-term interference with normal life. Traumatic Events Whether the traumatic event happened yesterday or a long time ago, it is always possible to heal and start living life beyond trauma. Every individual is different and some people ‘bounce back’ reasonably quickly after the most devastating events with hardly any physical or psychological symptoms. Others struggle with physical, emotional and psychological symptoms that can carry on for long lengths of time. Life is made up of many experiences; some positive and some can be extremely negative or challenging to overcome. When shocks or bad things occur, it can take a while for the body and mind to recover from the pain and feel safe and secure again. Recovery from Trauma is a process that can’t be rushed, however, there are many self-help strategies, treatments and professionals that can provide support through that process and aid in a faster recovery. Built In Survival System The human mind and body are amazing machines, they have a built in survival system called the Sympathetic Nervous System to help us cope with stressful or life threatening situations by revving up our whole system to help us survive danger. When in danger, the SNS increases adrenalin into the bloodstream which allows the brain and senses to be on hyper-alert, increased heart rate and blood flow prepare the muscles for action providing the body with a burst of energy so that the mind and body can respond to the circumstances and the perceived danger can be escaped. Unfortunately, with life being at such a fast and high pressured pace, this survival system can get activated from normal day to day stress. What is Trauma? Trauma occurs when a stressful event or build-up of events shatter ones sense of safety and security, causing feelings of confusion, helplessness and vulnerability. Trauma can be described as an event or series of events that cause a person’s response to a stressful situation to exceed their coping abilities. The body’s natural survival system, the SNS is temporarily overloaded beyond the point of being able to contain the impact of the trauma within the mental, emotional or physical boundaries. In a normal stress situation the Amygdala (the fear centre of the brain) which processes emotions and fear gets activated and sends messages to the hypothalamus and adrenal glands to activate the SNS, but when the stress is beyond normal coping abilities, the fear part of the brain cannot switch off its fear signals. This means the brain’s fear trigger stays switched on and then physical and psychological symptoms can start to occur. Causes of Trauma Trauma can be caused from isolated events including accidents, attacks, natural disasters, kidnapping or surgery. Trauma can also occur when someone is continually exposed to ongoing stress such as abuse (mental, physical or emotional), poverty, war, struggling with a life-threatening illness or loss of a loved one. Sometimes events such as breakdowns of a relationships or job loss can cause some symptoms of trauma. Something that devastates one person’s life can be easily overcome by others. There are no set rules where trauma is concerned. A Normal Response to Trauma It is normal after any traumatic event, shock or overwhelming experience for the mind and body to release and discharge the initial surge excess survival fight or flight energy accumulated during the event through various physical reactions such as shaking, trembling, crying and deep breaths. This discharge process allows the mind and body to reset and the autonomic nervous system to return to normal functioning. However, sometimes the mind can disrupt this resetting process through judgments or fear of experiencing the physical symptoms. When the nervous system is unable to reset back to normal function after an overwhelming experience physical, emotional and psychological symptoms can occur, disrupting sleep, digestion and the immune system. Below are some symptoms commonly experienced after a trauma (PTS):
| Physical symptoms | Emotional & Psychological symptoms |
| Racing heartbeat | Bad dreams and flashbacks |
| Sweating and body heat | Feelings of guilt and shame |
| Hands shaking | Anxiety and fear |
| Insomnia | Feelings of sadness and hopelessness |
| Extreme tiredness & fatigue | Feeling vulnerable |
| Difficulty focusing or concentrating | Anger |
| Muscle tension, aches & pains | Irritability and mood swings |
| Hypervigilance | Shock and disbelief |
| Crying | Feeling numb and detached |
| Use of drugs or alcohol to avoid symptoms | Withdrawing from people |
- Share your feelings and talk with someone you trust.
- Don’t isolate yourself from others, socialise and join in with your normal activities.
- Regularly practise activities to relax and calm your mind, such as yoga or meditation
- Exercise helps to release stress from the body, increasing feel good chemicals.
- Get lots of sleep.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol as these aggravate symptoms.
- Allow feelings to be felt and breathe through them as they need to be processed and released
