In addition to a potential decline in listening abilities, people who have experienced a traumatic event often shy away from openly communicating. Open and forthcoming communication may be avoided for two types of reasons: The individual may want to avoid certain internal experiences.
How do you communicate effectively with someone with PTSD?
When talking to your loved one about PTSD, be clear and to the point. Stay positive, and don't forget to be a good listener. When your loved one speaks, repeat what you understand and ask questions when you need more information. Don't interrupt or argue, but instead voice your feelings clearly.
Relax – use relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing or meditation, or do things you enjoy, such as listening to music or gardening. Express your feelings as they arise – talk to someone about your feelings or write them down. When the trauma brings up memories or feelings, try to confront them.
Such an interaction could likely cause stress. And yelling can be a trigger for PTSD. However, if you do not have PTSD, making this comment can be insensitive to those with the condition. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, PTSD is a disorder in the DSM-5.
Vivid Flashbacks. A PTSD flashback is when you relive your traumatic experience, and it feels like it is happening all over again right in that moment. ...
In addition to the difficulty in actually disclosing about trauma, is the reality that many people simply won't relate their own life experiences to this concept of trauma. One type of trauma that is often not disclosed, for example, is the witnessing of harm being done to others, or distress experienced by others.
If someone is already thinking about and ruminating on their traumatic past all the time, without trying to avoid or block it out, doing exposure work of talking about it more will actually make it worse and keep them stuck. So, with rumination, you do the opposite of exposure work.
Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.
Smiling when discussing trauma is a way to minimize the traumatic experience. It communicates the notion that what happened “wasn't so bad.” This is a common strategy that trauma survivors use in an attempt to maintain a connection to caretakers who were their perpetrators.
Victims of chronic trauma often have an overwhelming desire to control their surroundings. Victims can improve their recovery by recognizing any maladaptive control issues they may have developed in response to trauma.
The trauma causes the person to view the world through a distorted lens and negative beliefs, such as 'I can't trust anyone,' or, 'I am unworthy. ' That could sabotage their relationships, with the negative beliefs serving as self-fulfilling prophesies.
A PTSD episode is characterized by feelings of fear and panic, along with flashbacks and sudden, vivid memories of an intense, traumatic event in your past.
Here are some common reactions to trauma: Losing hope for the future. Feeling distant (detached) or losing a sense of concern about others. Being unable to concentrate or make decisions.
“Trauma dumping is the unfiltered sharing of strong emotions or upsetting experiences without permission from the listener.” – Talkspace therapist Dr. Olga Molina, D.S.W., LCSW.
Fawning is a trauma response that uses people-pleasing behavior to appease or supplicate an aggressor, avoid conflict, and ensure safety. This trauma response is exceedingly common, especially in complex trauma survivors, and often gets overlooked.
