Areas of Practice

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying or traumatic event, such as an accident, violence, or combat.
It causes symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and emotional distress, that can impede on your overall health & well-being.
PTSD can affect individuals differently, with varying levels of severity and emotional response.
PTSD can be caused by witnessing or experiencing traumatic events such as: child abuse, violence, accidents, life-threatening medical issues, and the loss of a loved one.
The degree to which PTSD may impact your every day life often depends on a variety of factors, such as: individual resilience, past mental health issues, support from others, current coping skills, as well as the intensity of the trauma itself.
Spear Wellness Centre offers a range of trauma-informed therapy approaches that are tailored to supporting individuals experiencing PTSD.
Such approaches include but are not limited to Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Ketamine & Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, Brainspotting, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

Common Symptoms of PTSD

Re-Experiencing Traumatic Events

Can include flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts related to the traumatic event(s)
Avoidance

People with PTSD may attempt to avoid reminders of the traumatic event such as places, people, topics of conversation
Increased Arousal

Increased arousal can include: physiological symptoms, anxiety, irritability, hyper-vigilance (always being “on the lookout”, difficulty sleeping or concentrating
Changes in Thinking & Mood

Changes may include:
- Negative thoughts about yourself, others, and/or the world
- Increased negative emotions such as guilt, shame, fear, or anger
- Cognitive impairments/ memory issues
- Feeling detached from others
- Feeling emotionally numb
Changes in Physical and Emotional Reactions

Changes may include: Becoming easily startled + frightened, always feeling “on guard” or on the lookout for danger, self-destructive behaviour (e.g. substance abuse), becoming easily angered or aggressive

Three Phases of Trauma Recovery

Therapists Who Treat PTSD