Monday, March 25, 2024

Can You Have Ptsd From Someone Else’s Trauma

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Finding Yourself In Circles Of Repetition

4 TIPS on HOW TO HELP someone with PTSD

Although you may not see it at first, according to Shapiro, repetition is a big, yet unexpected sign that you’re suffering from PTSD from your past relationship.

“Finding yourself in another unhealthy relationship, feeling like you deserve to be treated badly that was learned from your previous traumatic relationship ,” says Shapiro. “Even in friendships, or family relations, finding yourself in uncomfortable situations where you feel badly about yourself and you have a decrease sense of self-worth.”

If there’s anyplace where you shouldn’t feel badly or uncomfortable is amongst family, but PTSD makes the opposite true.

An Evolving Understanding Of Secondary Ptsd

While evidence of PTSD in soldiers dates back to ancient Greek and Roman texts, the idea of secondhand trauma is more recent. Therapists treating Holocaust survivors and veterans of the Vietnam War were among the first to show signs. They found that, like their clients, they were experiencing the nightmares, avoidance, and hyperarousal associated with traumatic stress.

Subsequently, a 1989 study found PTSD in workers after an industrial explosion occurred at their workplaceeven though they had not been present. Years later, researchers studied the reactions of people indirectly exposed to the 9/11 attack. Hence, they found that the more hours of television coverage individuals watched, the more likely they were to experience symptoms of secondary PTSD. Furthermore, youth who watched extensive coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing were more likely to have PTSD symptoms.

With the proliferation of mass shootings, researchers are looking at the psychological effects on those who do not experience the shootings themselves. A review study of 49 articles on such incidents concluded that they lead to at least short-term increases in fears and declines in perceived safety among indirectly exposed populations. In those who are most vulnerable, these short-term symptoms may develop into secondary PTSD.

Psychotic Symptoms In Ptsd

Researchers at the University of Manitoba, Columbia University, and the University of Regina examined data on 5,877 people from across the United States with the goal of determining the rates with which people with PTSD experience different psychotic symptoms.

The researchers found that the experience of positive psychotic symptoms was most common among people with PTSD. Approximately 52% of people who reported having PTSD at some point in their lifetime also reported experiencing a positive psychotic symptom.

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Your Stress Is My Stress

The collected research suggests that 10 to 20 percent of people closely involved with those who have PTSD catch the condition themselveswith the numbers varying depending on the study and the group being investigated . In 2013, for instance, a team led by Roman Cieslak of the Trauma, Health, and Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Medical Campus found that almost one in five of more than 200 health care providers helping military personnel with PTSD met the criteria for secondary trauma, one name that researchers apply to the phenomenon.

A follow-up analysis concluded that the providers had about as many symptoms, such as intrusions, as rescue personnel or social workers who had been at the scene at the time. And according to psychologist Tamara Thomsen of the University of Hildesheim in Germany and her colleagues, one in five of approximately 300 trauma therapists who responded to an online questionnaire could be diagnosed with moderate secondary traumaand one in 10 with severe secondary trauma.

Myth: Living With Ptsd Makes A Person Weak

PTSD Isn

PTSD is not a sign of emotional weakness. Anyone, regardless of background and personal characteristics, can develop PTSD given certain circumstances and exposure to trauma.

I tell my clients that, rather than weakness, PTSD is a very normal reaction to very abnormal events. Trauma survivors are often actually emotionally stronger and more resilient than many people who havent experienced any trauma at all, explained Kristin Anderson, a psychotherapist atNYC Therapy + Wellness Practice in New York.

She added that PTSD isnt an emotional or moral failing, and seeking treatment isnt an admission of defeat. Rather, it shows understanding that PTSD is an illness outside an individuals control and that it can be treated, Anderson explained.

Living With is a guide to navigating conditions that affect your mind and body. Each month, HuffPost Life will tackle very real issues people live with by offering different stories, advice and ways to connect with others who understand what its like. In June, were covering trauma and PTSD. Got an experience youd like to share? Email wellness@huffpost.com.

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When Youre In A Relationship With Someone With Ptsd

When someone you love lives with PTSD, their symptoms can also affect your mental health and well-being.

The first step you can take is understanding the condition and its symptoms, so you know what to expect.

Managing symptoms of PTSD is possible, so you dont have to feel stuck. For you, becoming aware of how the condition might affect you and your relationship can be helpful.

It can feel hurtful to see someone you love behaving differently. Having an emotional reaction to what your loved one is going through is both common and natural.

You might experience:

  • sleep problems

Beyond Anxiety: Do You Have Secondary Traumatic Stress

Are you experiencing increased anxiety, depression, or other concerning symptoms in response to someone elses trauma?

Are you feeling a sense of despair or hopelessness about the state of the world?

Secondary traumatic stress can happen to anyone. It impacts helping professionals, like nurses, therapists, or paramedics, who experience and witness the implications of trauma regularly. However, secondary traumatic stress can also affect everyday people. For example, maybe you had a close friend attempt suicide, or you are a foster parent raising a child who has a history of physical abuse.

Lets explore the warning signs and coping skills you can use if you are struggling with secondary traumatic stress.

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Fears That Lead To Avoiding Sleep And Public Places

Avoiding places or people due to your fears is a sign of PTSD. For example, avoiding crowds or places that are noisy is a sign that you associate these places with the traumatic event that brought on the PTSD symptoms. Any environment that resembles the place that the initial trauma took place can trigger severe feelings of anxiety, fear, aggression, panic, sadness, or anger in the person who is experiencing PTSD.

Insomnia is also a sign of those with PTSD because they are avoiding sleep for fear of having dreams or memories of the trauma that might intrude in their mind as they start to drift off to sleep. Sleep is normally a time for our brains to process information received during the day and form memories, but often people with PTSD experience violent or frightening dreams so they fear sleep.

Professional Strategies For Resilience

7 Tips To Help Someone With PTSD | Mental Health 101 | Kati Morton
  • Detachment: Cultivating the ability to detach or disengage from work and specifically from client/patient suffering
  • Setting boundaries: Creating limits around your interactions with clients/patients, coworkers, and/or the organization you work for
  • Peer consultation: Regularly engaging with peers to discuss challenging cases to receive support and other perspectives
  • Sense of satisfaction: Being intentionally mindful of the moments of satisfaction and fulfillment you experience in your work

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How To Get Help For Ptsd And Other Conditions

If youre living with PTSD and substance use disorder or other conditions, dont lose hope. Many resources exist for people experiencing these conditions.

You may want to begin by seeking help from your primary care physician. They can provide referrals to additional resources where necessary. If you already have a trusted counselor or psychiatrist, they would be a safe and helpful person to reach out to.

Its important to be honest and open about all of your symptoms when speaking with any mental health professional you work with. This includes symptoms related to PTSD and those that could be related to other conditions, such as panic disorder or depression. Doing so ensures that you will receive the help that you need to start healing.

There are various evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy .CBT helps people challenge the patterns of behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that are causing distress.
  • Cognitive processing therapy . CPT helps people modify and challenge unhelpful trauma-related beliefs.
  • Prolonged exposure therapy. This type of CBT teaches people to gradually approach memories, feelings, and places related to the trauma to learn that they arent dangerous.

What No One Tells You About Ptsd From Narcissistic Abuse

Abuse can take many forms, from physical violence to coercive control. Narcissistic abuse is something that often gets overlooked. Its a very subtle form of abuse. Many people actually suffer PTSD from narcissistic abuse.

Its something that can happen in romantic relationships, friendships, and families. It can have a lasting impact on its victims.

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Ptsd Can Be Treatedyes Theres Hope

If you are overwhelmed by symptoms or negative thoughts that you suspect are related to PTSD, you should contact your health care team to discuss the possibility of a PTSD diagnosis. You can also contact a local mental health facility, like McLean, to get the help you need. You dont have to struggle on your ownthere is a path to recovery.

If you recognize the symptoms in a friend or loved one, you should always reach out to them and offer support. Whether they accept your help or not, knowing that youve offered can be incredibly helpful to those who are affected by mental illness.

What Is Secondary Or Vicarious Trauma

How Do I Help Someone with PTSD?

Perhaps you, like Rachel, experienced trauma symptoms after witnessing or even hearing about someones elses traumatic event. Whether that person shows signs of trauma or not, witnessing or hearing about their experience can put you at risk of secondary trauma stress or vicarious trauma.

Unlike regular trauma, when the threat comes from the outside such as an injury, near drowning, or assault, the threat in vicarious trauma comes from within. There are several sources of threat when you witness or hear about another persons traumatic event. These include

· your bodys reaction to horror

· your bodys reaction to shock when you learn that something bad happened to someone good or innocent

· your sense of helplessness when you think that what you can do for another is not enough to alleviate their pain

In vicarious trauma your nervous system cannot seem to shake off what you see or hear and move through the threat response. In Rachels case, she was stuck in the flight response and had become overly anxious and hyper vigilant.

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Toolkits Fact Sheets And Brochures

Social worker Stephen Cummings writes in The New Social Worker that these apps encourage meditation:

  • Calm: Helps reduce anxiety, build self-esteem and experience the other benefits of meditation.
  • Headspace: Provides meditations to help with concentration, mood, stress and anxiety.
  • Insight Timer: Provides guided meditation without a subscription fee.

David Rebedew, MD, wrote in The American Academy of Physicians journal FPM that these exercise apps support a more active lifestyle among patients:

When Is It Ptsd

As you probably noticed, there are many symptoms of PTSD, and very few people have all of them. Also, it is normal to experience times of greater anxiety in your life, particularly when you are under a lot of stress. Some of the symptoms of PTSD, such as sleep or concentration problems, for example, are also seen in other anxiety disorders. So how do you know if you might have PTSD? Here are two tips that might be helpful:

  • Tip #1: If you have at least one symptom in each of the 3 categories, and your symptoms only started after a traumatic event, then you might have PTSD. If your anxiety symptoms were already present before the trauma, then it is probably not PTSD.

  • Tip #2: It is normal to feel more anxious right after a trauma. But over time, these anxious feelings will settle down. Remember: not everyone who lives through a trauma will develop PTSD. But if your symptoms have been present for over one month, and you find that they are interfering significantly in your life, then you might have PTSD.

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Profoundly Hurt Inner Child

Childhood complex trauma survivors, often have a very hurt inner child that continues on to affect the survivor in adulthood. When a childs emotional needs are not met and a child is repeatedly hurt and abused, this deeply and profoundly affects the childs development. A survivor will often continue on subconsciously wanting those unmet childhood needs in adulthood. Looking for safety, protection, being cherished and loved can often be normal unmet needs in childhood, and the survivor searches for these in other adults. This can be where survivors search for mother and father figures. Transference issues in counseling can occur and this is normal for childhood abuse survivors.

Inner child healing can be healing for childhood abuse survivors. It is where the survivor begins to meet the needs of their hurt and wounded child, themselves. I have further info about this on my website.

How Does Ptsd Affect Relationships

How Trauma and PTSD Change the Brain

Frustration, anxiety, and avoidance due to post-traumatic stress disorder can make all aspects of life challenging, including your relationships.

You care about those close to you, but PTSD can sometimes make it difficult for you to interact with them. You might say things you dont mean, or feel unable to relax and be intimate.

In response, those around you may withdraw or become unreceptive, creating a cycle in the relationship that can be challenging to break.

But living with PTSD doesnt mean you have to give up on connections with other people.

Its possible to manage symptoms of PTSD to improve your social skills and relationships. In turn, those around you can also learn what living with PTSD means and how to best support your healing process.

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Do Children React Differently Than Adults

Children and teens can have extreme reactions to trauma, but some of their symptoms may not be the same as adults. Symptoms sometimes seen in very young children , these symptoms can include:

  • Wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet
  • Forgetting how to or being unable to talk
  • Acting out the scary event during playtime
  • Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult

Older children and teens are more likely to show symptoms similar to those seen in adults. They may also develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge.

Mental Health Care Workers/social Workers

Secondary Traumatic Stress impacts many individuals in the mental health field and as of 2013 the prevalence rates for STS amongst different professions is as follows: 15.2% among social workers, 16.3% in oncology staff, 19% in substance abuse counselors, 32.8% in emergency nurses, 34% in child protective services workers, and 39% in juvenile justice education workers There is a strong correlation between burnout and secondary traumatic stress among mental health care professionals who are indirectly exposed to trauma and there are a multitude of different risk factors that contribute to the likelihood of developing secondary traumatic stress amongst individuals who conduct therapy with trauma victims. Workers who have had a history of trauma are more likely to develop STS. Additionally, individuals who have less work support as well as less social support are at higher risk for developing STS. Lastly, as the number of patients seen by these workers increases, so do the chances of developing STS. Some of the protective factors for mental health care workers include years of experience in the profession, more time spent in self-care activities and high self-efficacy.

Another social work-related profession that is impacted by secondary trauma is librarianship. Public librarians work closely with vulnerable, at-risk populations, and often experience emotional and psychological strain while doing so.

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Repeated Search For A Rescuer

Subconsciously looking for someone to rescue them is something many survivors understandably think about during the ongoing trauma and this can continue on after the trauma has ceased. The survivor can feel helpless and yearn for someone to come and rescue them from the pain they feel and want them to make their lives better. This sadly often leads to the survivor seeking out the wrong types of people and being re-traumatized repeatedly.

Engage In Prolonged Exposure Exercises

PTSD Isn

The fifth step of the cognitive behavioral treatment for PTSD is to engage in prolonged exposure exercises. The purpose of these extended exercises is to help people desensitize themselves to the emotions associated with the traumatic memories and triggering situations. Prolonged exposure is similar to brief exposure in that the person is instructed to imagine memories of the event, the associated self-defeating thoughts, and physical sensations of anxiety, raising the persons distress level to a moderate range. However, instead of using the eye-movement technique and the other relaxation skills, during prolonged exposure the person only uses rational coping thoughts to deal with distress. And as in the previous stage of treatment, after the person has learned to cope with imaginal exposures, he or she can safely begin confronting feared or avoided situations in real life for a prolonged period of time using the same coping skills.

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