PTSD And Trauma: What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Of all the weighty-sounding diagnoses in the DSM-V, perhaps Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (commonly referred to as PTSD) is the most weighty. In short, PTSD is an anxiety disorder resulting from exposure to an intensely dramatic event or events. Following exposure to trauma, individuals suffering from PTSD can experience recurrent painful thoughts or dreams, flashbacks, difficulty with sleep and anger, and other intense feelings including anxiety and hopelessness.
The term PTSD came into usage following the Vietnam War as thousands of veterans returned from Vietnam experiencing symptoms clearly related to their exposure to trauma. The diagnosis loosely correlates to the term Shell Shock, which was first used under similar circumstances following World War I. PTSD is quite common among soldiers who served in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan.
Yet it is not only trauma associated with war that is sufficient to cause the kind of suffering captured by the term PTSD. Rape, abuse, assault, natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various other types of trauma, physical and otherwise, can all cause serious, prolonged suffering. In fact, many psychotherapists are rethinking symptoms formerly described as indicative of personality disorders instead as being better classified as part of PTSD.
While we do not always diagnose as part of our practice, we find an understanding of trauma and its consequences to be essential. We, unfortunately, live in a world where trauma and abuse are commonplace, and the suffering that results is profound. At Tribeca Therapy, we choose to define trauma broadly, recognizing that everyone experiences difficult events differently.
Consistent with the non-diagnostic approach of our NYC therapy center in Tribeca and Park Slope, Brooklyn, as well as our online therapy options, there is no set formula that we follow in working with patients who are experiencing suffering related to trauma. Frequently, talking in therapy about the traumatic events, once an environment is created to do so, is tremendously helpful. But not always. Revisiting suffering can also create significant disturbance that results in unnecessary pain. Navigating this is an art. We do not believe in revisiting trauma solely for the sake of revisiting trauma, as an end-in-itself. As with many challenges, we think the most growth often comes from finding ways of building with pain, rather than merely expressing it.
PTSD typically comes with difficult, day-to-day symptoms. While addressing these doesn't define the long-term plan, we offer patients with these difficulties a host of tools for managing the anxiety, painful thoughts, and physical symptoms that interfere with their lives.
