Diagnosis & Treatment
What is Trauma?
Trauma occurs when we go through extremely stressful, frightening, or distressing experiences. While most people encounter such events at some point in their lives, our responses are deeply personal and unique.
What one person experiences as trauma may not cause distress in someone else. For some, however, the impact of trauma can linger, making it difficult to move forward and live a full life.
With proper treatment, healing and recovery from trauma are possible.
PTSD is a Response to Significant Trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder, often called PTSD, can occur in people who continue to be severely impacted following a traumatic event or series of events. Individuals with PTSD are often depressed and anxious for months or even years following an event. PTSD is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event, though in some cases symptoms may not appear until several months or even years later.
Among other things, PTSD can appear in response to:
- military combat
- natural disasters, including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires
- serious accidents
- sexual assault or domestic violence
- chronic abuse from a parent or partner
- loss of a loved one
- experiencing or witnessing violence
- stressful conditions in childhood like bullying or ongoing verbal abuse
- living with a family member with alcoholism or addiction
- job loss or income loss
- miscarriage and fertility issues
- severe illness
The Symptoms of PTSD Can Impact
your Ability to Live a Normal Life
Most patients who suffer from PTSD experience the following types of symptoms:
Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares
Avoidance of places, people, activities, thoughts, and feelings that are reminders of the trauma
Feeling emotionally numb and/or having very intense negative feelings associated with the trauma. Having strong negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world because of what happened during the trauma
Increased arousal that results in difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, irritability, anxiety, or panic attacks
“Little T” Traumas Can be as Impactful as “Big T” Traumas
Events such as job loss, divorce or a difficult breakup, moving away from friends or family, or a stressful corporate job don’t typically cause PTSD by themselves, but for some individuals, these experiences may be result in significant emotional and psychological distress, especially when they occur cumulatively. These types of events are often informally referred to as “little t” trauma, as they may not meet the full clinical criteria for PTSD, but still deeply affect the person’s emotional well-being.
In contrast, “big T” trauma typically involves events like physical assault or life-threatening situations that have a more severe and lasting impact. How one perceives and processes these events can vary, and trauma-focused interventions can be helpful for both “big T” and “little t” traumas.”
Effective Treatment for Recovery
At the Ross Center, your empathetic clinical team has experience in helping many patients live successfully after a traumatic or stressful experience. We offer trauma-focused evidence-based treatments for adults and children, including:
Prolonged
Exposure:
In which you learn to face your memories and real life reminders of the trauma, until they no longer cause significant anxiety.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)):
A structured cognitive behavioral treatment that helps you change thoughts and beliefs about the trauma that might be keeping you “stuck” in PTSD.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR):
A simple but effective therapy using bilateral stimulation (BLS) that accelerates the brain’s capacity to process and heal a troubling memory or distressing experience.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT):
A brief, structured treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma, as well as their family members.
Trauma-Informed Therapy Tailored to Your Needs
Those who have been through trauma or extreme stress often experience difficulties in multiple areas of life.
In addition to the classic symptoms of PTSD, some people may struggle with:
- relationship problems, such as “trust issues” or frequent conflict
- low self-worth
- urges to engage in risky behaviors such as substance use or self-harm
- dissociative symptoms including feeling “unreal”, detached, or disconnected from reality
These additional problems are especially likely if the trauma occurred repeatedly during the course of childhood, and sometimes result in a diagnosis of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). We offer a variety of other trauma-informed treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), to address these complex problems and their relationship to trauma.
There is Hope
No matter what you have been through or where you are in your journey, our expert clinicians will work with you to find the best path forward to healing from trauma. We understand that trauma is personal, and are sensitive to how trauma is showing up in your life.
With proper treatment, you’ll be able to rebuild self-confidence and minimize symptoms, including sleeplessness and anxiety. We’ll help you to find new ways to cope, and provide support as you build resilience and regain a sense of balance and hope.
