Trauma or stress

When exposed to terrifying or catastrophic events, you might not be able to get the images and thoughts out of your mind, or you might suffer from nightmares that disturb your sleep. You feel a need to avoid any situations that reminds you of the event. Much of this is a common response to severe stress. If these symptoms persist, or worsen, the avoidance and anxiety can begin to dominate your life.

Every person reacts to trauma in their own way. It’s not uncommon for trauma to lead to the experience of personal growth. However, trauma early in life can predispose to difficulties as an adult.

It’s also common for seemingly everyday stresses to throw us for a loop. You may be experiencing anxiety, sadness and anger that is exaggerated. You may find that you are having difficulty coping, and that you are unable to come up with concrete steps to cope more skillfully to make your situation better.


Blog posts on this topic

Sexual Assault, Abuse and Mental Health

What Is Sexual Abuse & Assault?  Shame, guilt, embarrassment, sadness, disgust, fear, mistrust, anger, powerlessness and anxiety are only a few of the countless emotions that sexually abused and assaulted survivors are made to live with.  Sexual abuse and assault … Continue reading →

Expressive Arts Therapy & Complex Mental Health

Today, we have a guest post from our PMVC member Lydia Charak. In this post, Lydia discusses Expressive Arts Therapy and complex mental health. We would like to thank Lydia for her thoughtful discussion of Expressive Arts Therapy and for … Continue reading →

Trauma and its Inevitable Effect on our Lives

Today, we have a guest post from our PMVC member Natasha Huff. In this post, Natasha discusses trauma and its impact on our lives. We would like to thank Natasha for her thoughtful discussion of trauma and PTSD and for … Continue reading →

Psychotherapy for Trauma or Stress

After exposure to terrifying or catastrophic events, most people, about 70-80%, eventually recover and resume a normal life with little or no professional intervention.  A large number of people, about 20-30%, experience prolonged psychological distress that may interfere with their … Continue reading →