A post-traumatic stress disorder can develop following the experience of an extreme incident such as accidents, catastrophes or an extraordinary threat, e.g. due to violence. In the event of insufficient processing of what has happened, the consequences of the protective mechanisms operating during the traumatic event (e.g. mentally "splitting off" from reality in order to reduce the intensity of the experience) can over time lead to various symptoms that impair the quality of life of those affected and cause recurring suffering. The following symptoms may appear days, weeks, months, or even years after the event:

Reliving

Unwanted imposing of memories or impressions of the trauma (also in the form of nightmares), which leads to emotional flooding and helplessness

Hyperarousal

The experience of extreme vigilance, restlessness and nervousness as if the danger had not passed.

Avoidance

In order to reduce the degree of exposure to triggers as much as possible, any circumstances that could remind of the event are being avoided. For the purpose of evading reliving the event, dissociation (a reduced or altered state of consciousness) may occur. Avoidance is usually helpful in the short term, yet in the long term prevents the processing of what has happened, which massively restricts the scope of action of those affected and is necessary for healing.

More complaints

The type and duration of an extreme stress experienced as well as one's own stress processing style can lead to different complaints. For example, in the case of a complex post-traumatic stress disorder after several or continuous extreme stresses, strong feelings of guilt and shame as well as physical impairments are often added. Depression, anxiety disorders and substance addictions can also be the result of unprocessed extreme stress.

Time plays a role in acute trauma - short term appointments available in this case

In order to counteract the possible development of serious illness and chronification, professional help is recommended as soon as possible after experiencing acute extreme stress with subsequent recurring symptoms from the abovementioned list. With adequate treatment, the prognosis is more favorable, so that the natural stress reaction often subsides within a few weeks and does not turn into full-scale PTSD. In case you suspect you are affected, you are welcome to contact me and depending on the urgency, receive a short-term appointment ( usually within a few days ) in the sense of first aid for stabilization, trauma-specific anamnesis and clarification about the necessity and possibilities of trauma-centered psychotherapy.

Tip: under certain conditions, the costs for the initial consultation will be paid by the Weißer Ring. You can get more Further information on the financial modalities can be found here.

Due to the action of protective instincts during the experience of trauma, severely stressful events are sometimes stored in an unconnected manner in the brain, as if they were an isolated capsule. As a result, access to the memory content associated with the traumatic event is restricted, so that deliberate remembering is hardly possible and certain triggers such as images, sounds or smells that are similar to those of the trauma unleash the same extremely painful impressions from the time of the event. In an EMDR treatment, after adequate stabilization, this capsule is gently opened with the aid of bilateral stimulation (e.g. left-right eye movements), which enables the reassociation and integration of the isolated memory contents and finally the storage as a past event in the brain. Accordingly, these contents lose their typical triggering character, which, prior to therapy has a “here-and-now quality” in favor of a “there-and-then quality” and the symptoms decrease noticeably.