Trauma and PTSD

PTSD is considered an anxiety disorder, and results from witnessing, living through, or being otherwise impacted by a traumatic event. After experiencing trauma, individuals may develop PTSD, particularly if they were unable to process the experience in a helpful way or developed avoidance. They may find themselves experiencing that trauma  within their mind and body over and over again, having difficulty moving on from it.

Symptoms of PTSD include 4 domains:

1) Avoidance (of events/places/people that remind you of the trauma and/or thinking about the memory)

2) Hypervigilance (experienced as high anxiety, feeling on edge, scanning, difficulty sleeping)

3) Re-experiencing symptoms (intrusive thoughts, images and sensory experiences, nightmares, and or flashbacks)

4) Changes to beliefs you have about yourself, others, and the world (e.g., mistrust, not feeling safe, discomfort with intimacy, anger towards authority) as well changes in emotions/mood (e.g., more irritability, feelings of guilt or shame, feeling down or numb).

Our therapists have treated many different forms of PTSD,  helping individuals with:

• Childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect
• Combat trauma and other military trauma
• Military sexual assaults, for all genders
• Adult emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
• Domestic violence
• Car accidents
• Work abroad/humanitarian work as part of NGOs
• Work trauma as first responders and disaster responders
• Traumatic exposure in journalists
• Medical trauma
• Near death experiences
• Traumatic death of a loved one (including suicide)

Additionally, Project Yes is trauma informed. This means that even if you do not meet the criteria for having PTSD, we understand and acknowledge how any trauma can impact one’s world and sense of self. We are here to support you and provide you compassionate, quality care. As therapists we are committed to preventing any further traumatization, and will work with you in a way that helps you reclaim power in your life. Read more about how we offer a trauma-informed approach to all our offerings on our FAQ page.