What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD is a serious mental health condition that can develop after someone has experienced a situation in which they feared for their life or the life of someone else. This means that PTSD can occur from firsthand exposure to trauma or from witnessing another person’s trauma. Either way, the symptoms of PTSD can cause extreme disruption to daily life as well as to relationships with others.

After a traumatic event, most people experience some kind of reaction and these effects usually resolve over time. However, in some cases, the symptoms are prolonged and PTSD develops. The effects of trauma can have a profound impact on how a person views themselves and others, posing debilitating challenges with regard to trust and safety. Thoughts and attention often change to surveilling for threat and people can become very anxious in everyday situations, sometimes without even knowing why. While these changes are often attempts of the body and mind to protect from further danger, the efforts and energy to maintain such a level of diligence can make it nearly impossible to function in everyday life.

As a CBT clinician certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), I can offer proper assessment and treatment to develop the skills necessary to manage distressing emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts or beliefs, and promote behavior that is rooted in values, not fear.

But, I don’t have one specific incident to point to.

Often when people think of PTSD, they think of war or some kind of other violent incident, such as being mugged or sexually assaulted. While these experiences can certainly cause PTSD, it can also be caused by circumstances in which a person was exposed to trauma chronically or repeatedly, such as childhood abuse or working as a first responder. It is also possible to have experienced past traumatic events without developing PTSD, but then develop PTSD symptoms from a subsequent trauma later in life.