Throughout their lifetime, at least half of all people will experience a traumatic event of one kind or another. For some, trauma begins early in life with the devastation of childhood abuse and other maltreatment, including neglect.

Beyond this, there are many other types of events that are inherently traumatic, such as military combat, sexual violence or other physical assaults, serious injury, motor vehicle accidents, being stalked or in a natural disaster as well as surviving a mass shooting or living in a war zone.

Essentially, any event during which a person experiences the fear of actual or threatened death can trigger PTSD symptoms. Some mental health experts suggest that living through the COVID-19 pandemic was yet another event that triggered trauma in some people.

It’s normal for anyone who has endured or witnessed experiences like these to have a strong emotional response that could last for days or weeks.

However, some people have a delayed and/or prolonged reaction to the traumatic event which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a serious mental health condition.

This blog will explore what happens during a PTSD episode, offering insights and coping strategies to help you deal with it.

Prevalence and Symptoms of PTSD

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD—the mental health services administration for veterans—approximately 7-8% of people in the U.S. will develop PTSD during their life—10% of women and 4% of men.

To be diagnosed with this condition, a person will have some specific PTSD symptoms, including several of these:

• Recurrent and distressing memories or dreams of the traumatic event that cause severe anxiety

• Prolonged or noticeable psychological and/or physical reactions, such as extreme fear, to cues resembling the experience

• Flashbacks of the event or emotional/psychological dissociation during PTSD episodes

• Avoidance of thoughts, feelings, people, places, or any reminders of what happened, often referred to as avoidance symptoms

• Difficulty remembering details of the event

• Changes in memory or thinking patterns or the development of mood symptoms and difficulty experiencing positive emotions and possibly feeling emotionally numb

• Hypervigilance, trouble sleeping, anger outbursts, trouble concentrating, and suicidal thoughts as well as unhealthy coping strategies such as substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors

While all these post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms can cause significant impairment, some are more challenging to manage than others.

PTSD AND THE BRAIN

Studies show that PTSD symptoms are largely related to the amygdala, a structure deep in the brain that is best known for our fight-or-flight response.

When in danger, the amygdala assigns an emotional tag to any experience that could be life-threatening. Its function is automatically prioritized over other areas of the brain, including those that govern reasoning and memory.

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic incident will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, but for those who do, seeking treatment with a licensed mental health professional to help you reduce or manage PTSD symptoms can make a world of difference.

Fortunately treating PTSD is possible and mental health services that do this are widely available.

PTSD Episodes: Flashbacks and Dissociation

The amygdala doesn’t forget anything that it has deemed as dangerous and doesn’t discern whether the threat is real or imagined. This plays a big role in untreated post-traumatic stress disorder, especially when these symptoms occur:

• Flashbacks are a nightmarish and intense reliving of traumatic events. Whether it is momentary or lasts a few minutes, hours, or even days, someone going through a flashback is unable to distinguish intrusive memories from reality.

  Flashbacks are uncontrollable and very vivid, likely evoking strong sensory memories associated with the trauma that was endured and the environment in which it happened.

  Someone experiencing a PTSD trigger and flashback might have heightened anxiety and other reactivity symptoms.

• Dissociation occurs when a person feels separate or disconnected from their body and surroundings as though they are observing things from outside of themselves.

  This tends to occur automatically as a coping mechanism to manage traumatic memories and the emotions and sensations associated with them in those who develop PTSD. Like flashbacks, dissociative episodes can be fleeting or last for a long time.

The amygdala (the brain’s fear center) doesn’t forget anything that it has deemed as dangerous and doesn’t discern whether the threat is real or imagined. This plays a big role in untreated PTSD. Share on X

Flashbacks and dissociation are often unpredictable and are caused by triggers in the environment that are reminders of the traumatic event. Such cues can be sights, sounds, odors, objects, people, places, or any number of things that are somehow associated—even unconsciously—with the fearful experience and lead to traumatic stress reactions.

During PTSD episodes, the brain responds by activating the amygdala as though real danger is imminent. This in turn causes an increase in heart rate, shallow rapid breathing, perspiration, and panic as the fight or flight system kicks in.

For Steven, an Amen Clinics patient who witnessed a horrific accident that killed 10 people, his hands would start shaking.

“Grounding” to Offset a PTSD Episode

Although they come on quickly, a person will usually have a little bit of warning prior to a flashback or dissociation. For example, they may feel they are losing their connection to reality or things may start to look blurry.

One method for managing PTSD symptoms and not completely losing touch with reality is through a technique known as “grounding,” which is similar to mindfulness.

Just as it sounds, grounding can help a person stay present so that they recognize their oncoming PTSD symptoms for what they are. This technique involves strategies such as these:

• Engaging each of the senses by identifying things in the immediate environment they can see, smell, touch, taste, and hear

• Moving around—whether by walking, running, or jumping—to help disrupt the body’s stress response

• Breathing deeply and slowly to help calm themselves

Mental Health Treatment for PTSD

It is possible to recover from PTSD symptoms, and there are many PTSD treatment options that can be beneficial, including:

1.Talk therapy: Some mental health professionals offer talk therapy treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which addresses ongoing negative emotions and negative thought patterns.

2.Exposure therapy: Another type of treatment, known as exposure therapy, incorporates present-moment relaxation techniques to help reduce symptoms of PTSD in the presence of a trigger.

Another form of this technique is called prolonged exposure therapy. This allows people to gradually face their feelings related to past traumatic events.

3.EMDR: According to research, one of the most effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder is called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This type of psychotherapy is done with a licensed mental health professional or other healthcare provider who is trained and certified in it.

After some sessions for EMDR preparation during which a client will identify triggers, accompanying physical sensations and distressing symptoms, a process called bilateral stimulation (BLS) is used. This involves having clients move their eyes side-to-side as they follow the therapist’s finger, having the client hold a small device in each hand that alternately vibrates.

At the same time, a traumatic memory and associated bodily sensations are recalled simultaneously with the BLS. The distraction of the BLS along with emotional support from the healthcare professional makes thinking and talking about the experience less terrifying or overwhelming.

This method helps the memories of traumatic events get “unstuck” so they can be more fully processed in the brain. This in turn opens the door to greater coping skills and emotional management and fewer negative thoughts related to the trauma or oneself.

4.Antidepressant medications: Mental health professionals may also recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to help reduce day-to-day symptoms. It’s important to understand that antidepressant medication alone is unlikely to fully treat PTSD symptoms.

In general, doing therapy in conjunction with medication is usually recommended to overcome symptoms of PTSD.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNTREATED PTSD

Sadly, without treatment, many people won’t fully recover from PTSD. In this case, PTSD episodes are likely to continue or worsen with time. For some people, this can aggravate symptoms and may even lead to suicidal thoughts.

The stigma attached to mental disorders holds some individuals back from seeking help. Because of this, it’s important to know that reaching out to a mental health professional for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Understand that the road to recovery from PTSD and other types of trauma may not be a linear one. You may experience setbacks on your healing journey.

However, continued progress can lead to an improvement in mood symptoms, healthier coping strategies, and a greater ability to manage symptoms. Overall, this fosters a greater sense of well-being and more fulfillment in life.

Reviewed by Amen Clinics Inc. Clinicians