Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- First Responders
- Victims of Assault / Abuse
- Victims of a Traumatic Event
- PTSD and Intimacy
PTSD is much more common in society than most people are aware of. It can affect anyone experiencing a trauma, where there was intense fear of being hurt or dying, or even witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can also be the result of a serious car accident, regardless of whether you were the driver, the passenger, or a witness. Witnessing or being involved in an Industrial Accident can result in PTSD. PTSD is also a likely outcome when one is violently attacked. At one time, PTSD was thought to be unique to war veterans; we now know that veterans are only one small segment of the population experiencing PTSD.
The symptoms of PTSD, regardless of the cause, are somewhat consistent from one person to the next. While suicide is the most extreme outcome of PTSD, individuals suffering from PTSD can also experience depression, sexual addiction, gambling, alcohol and drug addiction, over-eating, impulsive spending, disastrous relationships and/or relationship breakdowns, divorce, and/or an inability to work. PTSD is complicated. Everyone who has PTSD has different causes, symptoms, and reactions, therefore treatment varies depending on the person. It is important for anyone with PTSD to be treated by a psychotherapist who has extensive training and experience in treating the disorder. Harbourfront Psychotherapy treats individuals who have experienced a wide range of traumatic events that resulted in PTSD.
Our psychotherapy office utilizes and combines many types of therapy when treating PTSD, including:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Exposure Therapy
- Cognitive Restructuring
- Attachment Therapy
- Adlerian Psychotherapy
PTSD is a disorder that does not go away without psychotherapy; many people suffer with it throughout their lives, and they don’t need to. It is curable. Treatment to overcome PTSD is long-term and requires patience, willingness to do assigned “homework” and a commitment to attending therapy on a regular basis (weekly to start). “Hit and miss” sessions will not address the problem.
First responders (police, firefighters and paramedics) have a high rate of PTSD. According to McLean’s magazine (the Canadian Press, July 27, 2014), 10% of first responders at any given time are suffering from PTSD. PTSD is often the consequence of industrial accidents, especially when coworkers administer first-aid or try to perform life-saving maneuvers. Harbourfront Psychotherapy has worked with a lot of first responders who are suffering from PTSD.
For those who have sustained traumatic injuries less socially discussed, such as from the situations listed in the title, the processing of the psychological injury tends to occur at the time. This is because these events are rarely talked about. Most families cherish their good image in their community, and for a family member to tarnish it would be rising their place in their family and community. Moreover, when bad things happen to children, children believe it is because they are bad. This is usually reinforced by their perpetrators, who frighten them into keeping their mouth shut. Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that PTSD is often the result.
Harbourfront Psychotherapy has worked with many sexual and emotional victims of PTSD, many of whom don’t know they have PTSD, but are experiencing intimacy issues in a current relationship, even if the assault was over a decade ago.
Emotional intimacy is one of the most common triggers for PTSD. For example, one may have had lots of one-night stands or brief affairs and have no trouble with sex. But as soon as a good relationship comes along, problems start to develop. One may begin having panic attacks, or simply shutting down during sex. Usually, this is due to the fact that the original trauma took place within the context of an intimate relationship. Thus, the emotional intimacy unlocks traumatic injuries.