#PTSD mental health

[entheogeninstitute]

Understanding PTSD: A Mental Disorder

PTSD, otherwise referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a complicated mental health condition with very strong effects on the victim of the disease. Misconceived and at times overlooked by many people, PTSD is one such mental disorder that proves it to be much more than just a simple reaction to trauma. Instead, it is a serious PTSD mental disorder that requires due treatment and support.

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a kind of mental disorder that normally sets in after one either goes through or witnesses a very dangerous or life-threatening situation. Common examples may include military combat, natural disasters, accidents, or individual assaults. Generally, symptoms can become such a problem that they not only affect an individual's mental health but cause physical problems and interfere with daily life.

Intrusive Thoughts: Most of the time, individuals who suffer from PTSD have flashbacks and nightmares recurrently with intrusive thoughts regarding the event.

Avoidance: Avoiding places, people, or activities that serve as a reminder of the experienced trauma may be one coping mechanism for some.

Hyperarousal: It is evidenced by being on edge always, difficulty sleeping, and intense emotional reactions.

Trauma and Effects on Mental Health

More than just reliving a horrible event, PTSD  mental health can also be affected. This produces intense anxiety, depression, and detachment from the world in a person. In case of no treatment, PTSD can get increasingly worse with time. This finally leads to relentless stress, problems in relationships, and substance abuse.

Depression and Anxiety: When one keeps on reliving the traumatic events, it often triggers feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and fear that feel overwhelming.

Isolation: Most of the PTSD cases isolated themselves from social life, feeling lonely and misunderstood by people.

Physical Health: Stress will also tend to produce more physical symptoms, such as headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and weakened immunity in body systems.

Identifying PTSD as a Psychiatric Disorder

Although it causes a severe impact, PTSD is at times belittled or even misunderstood. Understanding PTSD will go a long way toward ensuring the affected are treated and taken care of accordingly. Understand that PTSD does not mean you are weak or something you can just get over; rather, it's a serious condition that requires professional help.

Misconceptions: Many people believe that PTSD only affects military veterans, but it can, in fact, affect anyone who has experienced trauma.

Stigma: It is this same stigma that prevents an individual from seeking treatment for his or her symptoms, which then continue to worsen over time due to the stigma associated with mental health.

Need for Awareness: This awareness of PTSD reduces the stigma and encourages those affected to seek out the help they need.

PTSD: Seeking to Help a Recovery Path

The good news is that PTSD can be treated. People who get the right treatment can learn to cope with their symptoms and lead productive lives. Treatment for PTSD almost always includes a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and social support.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is one of the most common, very useful ways for treating PTSD, in which one learns how one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected and how to change them.

EMDR Therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of therapy that enables patients to deal with traumatic memories and reduces their effects.

Support Networks: A good support network consisting of friends, family, and support groups is crucial in the road to recovery.

How Entheogen Institute Can Help

At Entheogen Institute, we specialize in offering comprehensive care for individuals suffering from PTSD. That essentially means we at Entheogen Institute understand the complexities of this mental disorder and offer a holistic linking of traditional therapies with innovative practices.

Personalized Treatment Plans: No two journeys across sufferers are alike, and so we take our time in designing our treatment plans according to each client.

Compassionate Care: A group of skilled professionals have undertaken compassionate, non-judgmental care for the creating of a safe space to heal.

Holistic Approach: Other than the traditional approaches of therapy, we have alternative treatments working on the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

Conclusion

PTSD mental illness is a serious issue that needs attention, care, and professional treatment. First of all, the process of recovery from PTSD includes understanding the nature of the disease and the realization of the fact that it is a real mental health problem. Help is within reach for those suffering from PTSD or for a loved one. At  Entheogen Institute, we will stand by you through your path to recovery, equipping you with the tools and means to regain your life.

[loveelizabeths]

love elizabeth s.

[ed-recoverry]

Reminder that caregivers of children are, by definition, supposed to provide shelter, food, and clothing. They did not do you a huge favor by providing this. It was the bare minimum of the job description that they voluntarily signed up for. You are not indebted to your caregivers for giving you the very basics.

[bl0w-m3]

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s her dads fault.

[starfishinthedistance]

I talk to many people who say things like "oh I have trauma but I don't have PTSD", but then when I talk to them a little more I realize that they most likely do, they just can't recognize it as such due to how lacking PTSD awareness is, even beyond the whole "it's not just a veteran's disorder" thing.

The main reason they think they don't have PTSD usually has to do with flashbacks and nightmares, either they have one but not the other or have neither. But here's the thing, those are only two symptoms out of the 23-odd recognized symptoms. Flashbacks and nightmares are two of the five symptoms under Criterion B (Intrusion), which you only need one of for a diagnosis. The other three symptoms are unwanted upsetting memories, emotional distress after being reminded of trauma and physical reactivity after being reminded of trauma (i.e. shaking, sweating, heart racing, feeling sick, nauseous or faint, etc). Therefore you can have both flashbacks and nightmares, one but not the other, or neither and still have PTSD.

In fact, a lot of the reasons people give me for why they don't think they have PTSD are literally a part of the diagnostic criteria.

"Oh, I can barely remember most parts of my trauma anyway." Criterion D (Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood) includes inability to recall key features of the trauma.

"Oh but I don't get upset about my trauma that often because I avoid thinking of it or being around things that remind me of it most of the time." Criterion C (Avoidance) includes avoiding trauma-related thoughts or feelings and avoiding trauma-related external reminders, and you literally cannot get diagnosed if you don't have at least one of those two symptoms.

"Oh I just have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, but I don't have nightmares." Criterion E (Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity) includes difficulting sleeping outside of nightmares.

"But I didn't have many/any trauma symptoms until a long time after the trauma happened." There's literally an entire specification for that.

Really it just shows how despite being one of the most well-known mental illnesses, people really don't know much about PTSD. If you have trauma, I ask you to at least look at the criteria before you decide you don't have PTSD. Hell, even if you don't have trauma, look at the criteria anyway because there are so many symptoms in there that just are not talked about.

PTSD awareness is not just about flashbacks and nightmares.

[hello-friends9500]

[recoverr]

you're not a monster. you're you. you're flawed, yes, but you're also incredibly alive. just human. real. capable of great things, capable of change and growth, too. don't define yourself by the inner critic lashing out at you. you're not your worst moments.

[madpunks]

poor memory is a huge deal and i wish people wouldn't diminish it by saying "oh yeah i can't remember what i had for breakfast lol."

i can't remember the first 10 years of my life. i can't remember entire days, weeks, months at a time. i can't remember entire people, i can't remember names or faces. i can't remember when things are scheduled for, my calendar app on my phone is booked to the max with reminders and task checklists. i can't remember when i moved into what home when, i can't remember important milestone dates like when i got or lost certain jobs, or when i started a new hobby.

that's what i mean when i say i have poor memory. poor memory is so scary for the person who has it. it's not a quirky thing, everyone forgets small details. memory problems are scary because you can go through entire events or days with no memory, or plan for things in the future that you can't recall ever even looking into or scheduling. it's not a funny haha kind of thing, it's serious, and it affects a lot of people in very unavoidable ways.

not being able to plan for appointments or work schedules, not being able to remember people's names or faces, not being able to recall whether or not you were present for something or whether or not you met someone, not being able to keep track of what's happening on what dates and losing track of items because you can't remember where you put them are all very real problems, and anyone dealing with them deserves to be taken seriously, and not diminished when they choose to speak up about it.

[positivelyqueer]

give love to people with traumatic brain injury, acquired brain injury, stroke, neurological condition, worsening mental health, trauma, PTSD and all other brain based conditions that make you feel conflicted about your identity. About whether or not you’re the ‘same person’ you were before your injury or illness. People constant evolve and change but can be more difficult when changes more sudden, pronounced, and noticed by others. I hope you are doing well and are able to find some peace, support and love.

[dissociativecollective]

Grieving, grieving, constantly grieving. I mourn what could have been, what should have been, what will not be, what I cannot save.

[sleeplessv0id]

"mental health matters!" until your screaming and crying in the early hours of the morning over losing something as miniscule as your phone charger. but the reason your crying isn't actually about the charger, or your favorite pen you can't find.

little things add up.

[thelatestkate]

[blooming-foliage]

apparently theres 5 threat responses documented now!

from a trauma & dissociation workbook page our therapist shared

[ed-recoverry]

To anyone who was suicidal at age 14 or younger, here’s your permission to grieve. Here’s your permission to not joke about it or just flat out ignore it. Here’s your permission to acknowledge that lost child who felt way more pain than any child should ever feel. You’re allowed to cry for that child, whether you healed or are still suffering the same thoughts. Finally allow yourself to grieve for that child filled with undeserved hurt.

[bl0w-m3]

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

anyone else have multiple traumatic memories associated specifically with holidays/family vacations? because that is a topic I never see discussed in all the So You Had A Shitty Childhood, Now What? self-help books i've been reading. but for me, it was a significant thing. and the more i think about it the more it seems like this would be an (unfortunately) common experience. would be grateful to hear if this matches other peoples' experiences...