Trauma & PTSD
What is trauma?
Traumatic events are often very upsetting, shocking, or dangerous experiences. After these types of experiences, people can find it difficult to cope. Common examples include things like:
Physical or sexual abuse
Medical trauma (e.g., traumatic birth)
Serious accident
Life-threatening illness
Sudden or violent deaths
Natural disasters
Chronic and repetitive behaviors that invalidate a person’s identity, autonomy, safety, or rights can also be traumatic. These types of experiences are often referred to as traumatic invalidation. Examples can include things like:
Identity-based discrimination
Bullying
Being repeatedly criticized, belittled, or blamed for things outside your control
Emotional abuse or neglect
This list is not comprehensive. There is no singular definition of a traumatic event. In fact, many definitions focus on the impact of the event and whether the person had access to the resources they needed to cope with what happened.
So then, what is PTSD?
When someone experiences, witnesses, or learns about a traumatic event, it can trigger a range of symptoms. In the immediate aftermath of a trauma, it is common to experience to experience:
Emotional changes
Anxiety, fear, and sadness
Irritability or agitation
Guilt, shame, or disgust
Numbness or overwhelm
Cognitive changes
Intrusive memories of what happened
Difficulty concentrating
Struggling with daily decisions
Physical changes
Feeling jumpy or easily startled
Difficult sleeping
Increase in physical pain or health problems
For many people, these symptoms resolve in the days to weeks after a traumatic event. For others–especially those with insufficient support, repeated trauma exposure, or other risk factors–these symptoms can persist and worsen over time. This can lead to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, substance use problems, disordered eating, suicidal thoughts, and risky behaviors.
Evidence-Based Treatments
Evidence-based psychological treatments are interventions that are backed by science. The treatments with strong research support for treating PTSD include [1]:
Frontline Treatments
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Secondline Treatments
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
Psychiatric Medications
Newer Treatments
While these treatments have support, recommendations can vary depending on the individual clients’s goals, preferences, and presenting problems.
Readings & Workbooks
Check out our bookshelf on trauma & PTSD.
Relevant Organizations
National Center for PTSD [Here]
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC)
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
For crisis situations: Find more resources here.
Find a Provider
I know how important it is to find the right provider.
I offer evidence-based treatments for trauma/PTSD, including PE, CPT, DBT PE, and ACT. If you think we might be a good fit, learn more about me and my practice, or get in touch to schedule a free, 15-minute consult call.
Looking for something else? There are many ways to find a provider. These directories can help locate providers who focus on trauma and/or PTSD and meet different criteria (e.g., insurance coverage, location, therapies offered):