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Written by Brian Thompson, PhD
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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is used to describe a group of symptoms that may develop after someone is exposed to a traumatic experience, although many people may have multiple traumatic experiences. Of the three main groups of symptoms associated with PTSD, research suggests that avoidance of reminders and memories of the trauma is the most characteristic. Examples of avoidance include efforts to avoid experiences related to the trauma, having little interest in things that someone may have previously enjoyed, feeling detached, and feeling flat and unemotional. Research has found that avoidance is a better predictor of PTSD symptoms than trauma severity (Plumb, Orsillo, & Luterek, 2004).
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Written by Roni Weisberg-Ross LMFT
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Sticks and stones may break my bones but … bullying and name-calling can emotionally scar me forever. Not the original ending to the classic verse, but probably the more accurate one. It seems that broken bones will heal far more quickly than a battered soul. Does this sound overly dramatic?
Not according to a study conducted by Florida State University and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. It states that verbal abuse has been shown to produce 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety among adults as those who have not been verbally abused. And those adults were twice as likely to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder over their lifetime.
Verbal abuse is only one aspect of emotional abuse - the most common form of abuse, and perhaps the least clearly understood. That’s because emotional abuse is not a single or quantifiable act. It is difficult to chronicle or identify. It is both pervasive and can be very subtle – deeply affecting but harder to prove than sexual or physical abuse.
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Written by Barbara Heffernan
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Article by Barbara Heffernan, LCSW, LADC, Psychotherapist. www.barbaraheffernan.com
Racing thoughts, rapid heart beat, an overwhelming feeling of fear. These are some of the cognitive, physical and emotional manifestations of anxiety. The three aspects weave a trap for the individual who can not see their way out. Anxiety is more than just the anticipation of what may go wrong; anxiety causes the person to experience the worst almost as if it were actually happening.
Some people feel their anxiety cognitively: a continuous stream of worries which keep the person out of touch with the present moment. Other people experience their anxiety on a more somatic level, with stomach aches, headaches, high blood pressure, an elevated pulse rate, sweating, heart palpitations and/or panic attacks. These symptoms may be tied to a particular thought or activity, or they may seemingly arise out of nowhere.
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Written by Tom Linde
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I'm occasionally asked, why are patients with post-traumatic stress instructed to revisit the upsetting event or scene?
And I can start my answer with another question: Can you imagine a cowboy getting over a fear of horses by talking about it in an office?
When we’re in the midst of the horror of a traumatic event, our bodies are thrown into a high state of overdrive. This fight-or-flight response instantly puts the body into just the right mode for survival - battle-or-bolt. We need this arousal reaction - it’s very handy for self-preservation, not to mention the survival of the species. But, it has some disadvantages.
For one, it is easy to get too trigger-sensitive. That is, the merest hint of danger may ignite you. Say, a combat vet hearing a sudden noise, or a rape victim approached by a gentle man just a little too close and quickly. Both of these otherwise calm and poised individuals are instantly pitched into the same dreaded state.
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Written by Administrator
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Where do you begin when searching for anxiety help? Do you look for a therapists? Do you look for a self-help book in your local bookstore? Or what about one of the hundreds of online self-help programs? The possibilities are endless, and so are the internet scams looking for a quick buck.
In searching for anxiety help you may find that you respond to one treatment better than another. You may find inspiration in a "curing your anxiety" book from your local bookstore, while someone else may find a jog around the block to be a far better release.
Current views hold that your level of anxiety should dictate the level of treatment necessary. For example, a person dealing with mild anxiety may find relief from deep breathing, meditation, diet, and exercise; while a person dealing with severe anxiety should be engaging in anxiety relief techniques while also regularly seeing a therapist, and possibly anxiety medication if their symptoms still do not subside.
Seeing a therapist is always the best option for mild, moderate, and severe anxiety. Therapists are typically highly trained and can offer a wide variety of techniques to alleviate anxiety. More importantly they can devise a plan that is tailored to your specific situation. A good therapist will be an interactive self-help book, an expert, and a friend. |
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Written by Administrator
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Research has consistently shown that an exercise program in combination with therapy aids in reducing anxiety levels. The exact mechanism is unclear, but it is thought that physically engaging the fight-or-flight mechanism through exercise provides a productive release for the stress hormones created by anxiety.
When people think about exercising they may be thinking about long hours in the gym; however, studies have found that even a 10 minute walk has beneficial effects on anxiety levels. |
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