PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a frightening, stressful or distressing event, which you either witnessed or experienced.

It’s normal for someone to find it hard to cope and adjust after a traumatic event. But if your symptoms are severe and continue for a long time, you could be suffering from PTSD, which can have a big impact on your daily life.

Symptoms of PTSD

You may notice signs of post-traumatic stress disorder within a month of the event. But sometimes the symptoms don’t appear until a long time afterwards.

The symptoms of PTSD vary from person to person, but generally fall into the following four categories:

Intrusive memories: flashbacks; repeated upsetting memories; distressing dreams or nightmares; reacting physically or emotionally when something reminds you of the event.
Avoidance: avoiding places, people or activities that remind you of the trauma; trying to avoid talking or thinking about it.
Mood and thinking changes: feeling hopeless about the future; experiencing negative thoughts; difficulty remembering significant parts of the event; feeling detached; lack of interest in normal activities; feeling emotionally numb.
Hyperarousal: being easily startled; feeling ‘on edge’; self-destructive behaviour (such as drinking too much alcohol); difficulty sleeping; lack of concentration; overwhelming sense of shame or guilt; irritability; angry outbursts.

What causes post-traumatic stress disorder?

While it’s unclear why some people are affected by PTSD and others not, it’s likely there are a mixture of factors, such as:

Experiencing an intense, frightening event, such as sexual violence, physical assault, or being in an accident
Experiencing other traumatic events earlier in your life, for example abuse
A family history of mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety
Being exposed to traumatic events through your job, for example if you work in the emergency services or the armed forces
You already suffer from other mental health problems
Alcohol or drug misuse

Help with PTSD

If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, it’s important to seek help if you’re still having problems about four weeks or more after the event, or if the symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life.

As an experienced psychotherapist and hypnotherapist, I’ll help you to heal by tracing the cause of your trauma and identifying old patterns of beliefs. You can then work towards adopting new, more healthy behaviours, and learn how to respond better to challenges in the future.

“In times of darkest trauma, when everything you believed in and loved turns against you, to be able to speak to someone that can help you look at things from another perspective and help you believe in yourself again is irreplaceable. I have been working with Mia for over two years now, and I feel and look like a totally new person. I’ve learnt that healing is not an overnight thing, it’s a process that takes time, but during the process you can reinvent yourself and become who you really want to be. I want to thank Mia for her vision in helping me become whole again.”

Amanda Burrow, entrepreneur, Cheshire

“I found it very difficult to accept I was suffering from PTSD. I refused for a long time to accept what, for me, was just a label that something was wrong with me, and that made recovery longer because of my resistance. I was the one who always fixed things and the only language I could resonate with was the military language. The way Mia reframed my problems, speaking my ‘language’, empowered me to be in control of my own recovery and participate in fixing ‘my vehicle’. It allowed me to keep my pride and dignity. It allowed me to see I wasn’t the label, the PTSD, but that was something that was happening to me, and I could do something about it. Thank you.”

Paul, ex-soldier

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