So many of the people I see in practice think they can't have PTSD because their trauma wasn't "bad enough".
This type of thinking prevents many folks who are suffering from getting adequate treatment.
What I find myself teaching my patients multiple times per week is that
PTSD has nothing to do with the severity of your trauma.
It's got everything to do with if you recover or not.
Doctors think of PTSD as ptsD.
The Disorder part of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is what we consider when we're thinking about a diagnosis.
We determine
Is the client having symptoms like the ones listed here? https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml
Are these symptoms interrupting the client's life?
Please visit the link above from the NIH and look at the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Tell me - do you see anything in the criteria that asks
"Was the trauma severe enough to take seriously?"
"Do other people have it worse than this client?"
"Is what happened to them as bad as going to war?"
NO.
You don't see those questions because they have nothing to do with a PTSD diagnosis.
Instead, you see criteria like
"To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month:
At least one re-experiencing symptom
At least one avoidance symptom
At least two arousal and reactivity symptoms
At least two cognition and mood symptoms
Re-experiencing symptoms include:
Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
Bad dreams
Frightening thoughts
Avoidance symptoms include:
Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience
Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
Arousal and reactivity symptoms include:
Being easily startled
Feeling tense or “on edge”
Having difficulty sleeping
Having angry outbursts
Cognition and mood symptoms include:
Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
Loss of interest in enjoyable activities"
So please, stop focusing on the T (Trauma) part of PTSD and wondering - "was my trauma big enough to warrant treatment?"
It's just not a clinical or accurate way to think of this disorder.
It's not an intelligent approach to determining if you need help.
Instead, focus on your symptoms and the degree to which they're in the way of you moving on from the stress and living the life of your dreams. Because the truth is,
Your symptoms - not your story - determine if you need treatment.
If you're starting to think you need help, I'm here for you.
PTSD can have health consequences that make moving on from traumatic stress difficult. Being in fight-or-flight, for example, impairs your ability to digest foods, absorb nutrients, get adequate sleep, and recover from injury and stress. Often, we can help your body heal your brain and your spirit by giving it the right forms of nourishment it needs to truly heal.
Schedule your Discovery Call today and we'll get to work on getting you healthy.
Warm hugs,
Dr. Kate
Dr. Kate Henry uses nutrition, lifestyle modifications and preventative medicine to help people live their most vibrant, healthy lives. Her medical training allows her to expertly identify and successfully treat the hidden, underlying causes of chronic health issues including autoimmune disease, metabolic disturbances (fatigue and weight gain), hormone imbalances, gastrointestinal disorders and more. She uses advanced, comprehensive laboratory work to find the true root cause of ill health; her pledge is to always do the medical detective work that allows her to find and fix the root cause of illness rather than medicating symptoms. She uses the safest, most natural methods (botanical and herbal medicine, nutrition, counseling and physical medicine) first, so you can be confident in getting the best care without side effects. Most importantly, Dr. Kate believes in you and your story. Her clinic is designed around connection; every new client visit is 120 minutes to allow the time to really get to know each other and for you to be truly listened to. She is also committed to her clinic being a safe space for people of all ages, races, gender identities and sexual orientations. She is a trauma-informed clinician who regularly pursues continuing education that allows her to care for people on a wide array of spectrums — whether that be of neurodevelopment, identity, ability, etc.