All About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & How To Overcome it with CBT, Therapy & Counselling in Wolverhampton & West Midlands

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder “caused” by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.

The type of events that can cause PTSD include:

• Road Traffic Accidents
• Sexual Assaults
• Being Robbed or Mugged
• Violence Against Yourself
• Witnessing Death (violent death)
• Military Combat Experiences – used to be called “shell-shock”
• Experiencing Natural Disasters – Earthquakes, Major Floods etc.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can develop immediately following a disturbing event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later.

PTSD is estimated to affect about 1 in every 3 people who have a traumatic experience, but it’s not clear exactly why some people develop the condition and others don’t, although this may be due to how “resilient” a person is to negative events in general.

However, not everybody who experiences trauma develops negative symptomatology – see Post Traumatic Growth.

Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Someone with PTSD will often re-experience the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may also experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt (often “survivors guilt”)

They may also develop Sleep Disorders, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult.

These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person’s day-to-day life.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Pathology

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in common with many other problems and conditions, is often made worse by unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs (The way we perceive the World around us).

The limiting beliefs associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may have been created by the actual traumatic experience that may have been “blown out of proportion” or indeed may be the result of “imagined experiences” which can lead to the same outcome – the experience of Anxiety related symptoms.

If we can learn how to manage these limiting beliefs or cognitive distortions using the tools and techniques contained in therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, then we can also learn how to control the emotional experiences that we have – ie. manage the symptoms.

It is also possible that people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may have some additional emotional or childhood trauma problems that are indirectly related to the problem itself but still create Anxiety and Stress which make the symptoms worse.

CBT for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

If you’re committed to overcoming your PTSD then we highly recommend following our Tranceformental CBT 10 session programme.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand the psychological aspects of your problem.

It can also help you to identify any unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs that might be reinforcing the issue.

The programme is also available as an online self-help CBT programme. if you prefer not to consult a therapist directly.

CBT is an empirically supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Free Initial Consultations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss your PTSD prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss any therapy treatments BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.