On The Vagaries of Post Traumatic Stress

There’s the obvious and the insidious response when it comes to post traumatic stress.

Traumatic experiences, even imperceptible ones, create an effect that is commonly known to last for many days, sometimes a lifetime.

We all know that during a crisis, our amagdyla signals danger and we respond to the threat radar with a flight, fight or freeze response.

What may not be so commonly obvious is the emotional disenfranchisement or dysregulation that comes with it and plays out afterwards, without obvious reason at unpredictable times during the processing phase.

When the body experiences a rise in adrenaline or cortisol in response to threat, the mind looks for rational reasoning. It needs to make sense of it. Which is why good news isn’t always easily celebrated by the traumatised or may even feel like a set up to be lured into a false sense of security.

The mind, when flooded with stress hormones seeks to protect itself against further shock. It prepares itself for the next unpredictable manoeuvre.

Therefore once you’re in what most would recognise as the safe zone, the mind and the stress hormones it issues forth in preparing to flee may not be necessarily responsive to the idea of safety. Particularly if the exposure to threat has been prolonged or protracted.

As the realistic, perceptible threat diminishes, the mind may stay on guard.

We call this hyper-vigilance.

The important thing to remember when you’ve been under complex, long or short term distress, punctuated by moments of eustress (momentary relief) is that you will have dysregulated emotions and overworked adrenal glands.

Trauma processing takes time.

You may :

⭕️ Experience broken sleep or insomnia.
⭕️ Find yourself repetitively mulling over best and worst case scenarios. (Obsessive rumination).
⭕️ Become socially withdrawn.
⭕️ Demonstrate a noticeable lack of motivation or self care.
⭕️ Desire rest (day and night).

This is not “doing it the wrong way” this is just allowing your psyche and your body and mind come to turns with what just happened or has been happening for some time below the radar.

It’s often at this junctures that people seek therapy.

In the mean time:

+ Allow time for the cortisone and adrenaline to come down.

+ Utilise the 4 by 4 ratio breathing technique.

+ Chat to family, friends and loved ones to get the full load off your shoulders and gain validation. You don’t need to share your entire story or relive every detail, this can serve to re-traumatise. Just offer clues and bit-parts of your story. Allow their responses to validate your experience.
(Importantly: Don’t absorb the frustration of those who respond with impatience or suggest it’s time you moved on. This can signal their own self defence mechanisms to triggering reminders. Their denial is not your problem).

+ Invest in your own self care. Start small. Every bit helps.

+ Explain to your loved ones and colleagues that you’re having a rough week but will back on deck when things calm down.

+ The brain can’t ascertain the difference between emotion and thought. Be aware of this.

+ Train yourself to be more conscientious of what thought preceded the emotion or which emotion precedes the thought in reaction.

We have sessions available over Zoom or phone during lockdowns

⭕️ Full Fircle Counseling
Founder Paul Medew

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