Bad things happen all the time. Unfortunately, sometimes those bad things leave a lasting impact on us. We usually refer to these events as trauma, and they can eventually lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) down the road.

The first thing to recognize is the difference between trauma and PTSD: While the severity of the crisis itself does not necessarily differ between the two definitions, the length and severity of felt symptoms do.

Trauma occurs when an individual experiences a fearful event and has an emotional response. The feelings of fear and anxiety may happen once or a few times afterward.
PTSD causes behavioral, social, and/or emotional problems that interfere with a person’s day to day life following a traumatic event.

Symptoms

Both diagnoses are likely to consist of a combination of the following symptoms: vivid flashbacks, reoccurring nightmares, avoidance of the location at which the trauma occurred, easily startled, sleep disturbances, misplaced guilt, pessimism, and anger. People diagnosed with PTSD are also more likely to engage in destructive behavior such as heavy drinking, drug usage, physical aggression, and/or suicidal ideation.

It’s important to keep an eye out for these signs, because trauma is not as uncommon as some may think. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes that approximately 60% of women and 50% of men will experience a traumatic event at some point in their life. Sexual assault and history of child abuse is more common in women, and physical assault or combat trauma is likely to be experienced by males. They also reported that nearly 8 million adults are diagnosed with PTSD each year.

What is going on in my head?

Dr. Janet Seahorn gave a Ted Talk about the neurological impacts of PTSD. In it, she mentioned that PTSD is less of a disorder, and more of a reorder. In an episode, the brain does the following things:

The prefrontal cortex starts to shut down and information can’t come in fast enough
The hippocampus begins to shrink
The amygdala panics and signals the hypothalamus, pituitary glands, and adrenal glands to release stress hormones necessary for the fight or flight response
The sensory systems are overstimulated, leading to hypervigilance and hyperarousal, nightmares and panic attacks, insomnia, and flashbacks.

These are terrifying feelings and can greatly disrupt your life if you experience trauma or PTSD. Either way, you’re not trapped in this state of fear. No one can completely eradicate the events from your past, but you can learn to cope with the stresses of the event and still live your life.

What can you do?

The techniques that have proven the most effective are mindfulness meditation, a healthy lifestyle inclusive of physical activity and balanced eating, ownership of a pet, and cognitive-based therapy with a licensed counselor.

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