Trauma has been defined as a threat you’re not prepared to handle, and thus, it is the person’s perception of the event that determines if it is traumatic for them. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when a person is unable to fully process a traumatic memory and is then caught in a cycle of re-experiencing it while attempting to avoid people, places or thoughts that could trigger the memory. Examples of re-experiencing trauma include flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts or images related to the trauma.

Other symptoms of PTSD include:

Being easily startled, feeling tense or on edge, having difficulty sleeping, having difficulty remembering key features of the traumatic event, distorted guilt or blame related to the event, and negative thoughts about oneself of the world.

Examples of traumatic events include:

War, natural disasters, physical or sexual assault, abuse, car accidents, terror attacks, medical procedures, the death of a loved one, or other serious events

EMDR (Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) is an evidenced-based, effective therapy for PTSD. I was trained in EMDR in 2008 and have been a Certified EMDR therapist since 2013.