Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Frozen Memories

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms might arise from one single traumatic experience, or they may result from long periods of cruelty in which one felt helpless. The symptoms of PTSD may appear immediately after the incident, or it may take years before they start disturbing you.

The effects of post traumatic stress differ from person to person. However, it is observed that if you have lived through an extremely stressful childhood you are more likely to get PTSD.

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms can be divided into three main groups –

1. Re-experiencing the trauma,
2. Avoidance of reminders, and,
3. A state of heightened arousal.

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Re-experiencing The Trauma

Memories of the past traumatic experience come to haunt you in the form of nightmares or flashbacks of memories which appear to be as real as the actual experience. You experience the same dread, same helplessness. You vividly remember the sights, sounds and smells of that experience; it seems so real that you feel as if the same event is happening again.

This is the reason that these symptoms of PTSD are also called intrusion: the old memories intrude into your present life.

Sometimes, these symptoms seem to appear out of nowhere, at others, small events, such as the following, can set them off-

1. The smell of gasoline may trigger the memories of an accident,
2. The sound of crackers may evoke memories of life during war conditions,
3. Finding oneself alone with a stranger may cause panic in the mind of a rape victim.

These kind of un-palatable emotions cause the person to avoid getting into such situations which are likely to generate these symptoms: which is the second set of post traumatic stress disorder symptoms, namely - avoidance.

Avoidance of Fearful Situations

It is natural that you tend to avoid situations that cause extreme distress. Anything that acts as a reminder of the past traumatic experience creates such fearful memories in your mind that you prefer not to go near it: be it some place, people, events, or even memories.

Following are some of the avoidance symptoms of PTSD:

1. Avoiding talking about or recalling the traumatic experience,
2. Failing to recall the important aspects of the trauma,
3. Feeling detached and estranged from people, even your close ones,
4. Inability to think or plan for the future: you feel as if you have a very limited scope of life and have such a feeble hold on future that you cannot afford to plan anything in advance.
5. Feeling emotionally numb.
6. Avoiding going to places or events that evoke fearful memories in your mind.

Being on Guard – the State of Nervous Watchfulness

You are perpetually on guard. You never feel relaxed and are always on lookout for some danger that might be lurking around in the vicinity. You are not able to sleep well. You are easily excited and are generally irritable.

You may also suffer from “jumpiness”: you get alarmed at sudden noises, some fast motion, or abrupt changes. These symptoms are characteristic of the fight or flight response of the body under extreme stress. These bodily responses are helpful during emergencies; they prepare us to take appropriate defensive actions: but untimely appearance of such reactions impairs the quality of our daily life, if not destroy it altogether.

Beside these three symptoms of PTSD, you may also develop some other problems.

Other Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

• Physical Symptoms - You may suffer from chronic headaches, stomach ache, muscle cramps, and pain in the lower back.
• Panic Attacks - You may suffer from intense fear, panic attacks, nausea and dizziness.
• Depression - You may develop a feeling of hopelessness for the future. You feel detached from the surroundings and other people. There may be a loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed. Feelings of sadness and emptiness preoccupy your mind.
• Relationship Problems - You may not be able to trust most all people. You never develop intimacy with anybody anymore, and feel detached even from your own family members.

Symptoms of PTSD in Children

In children the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms may be different from those in adults. The children may suffer from the following symptoms.

• They are afraid of leaving their parents.
• They become anxious or aggressive.
• Children tend to act out the scenes of traumatic experience through play, sketches and imaginary stories, etc.
• They may be having difficulty in sleeping. They may have recurring nightmares.
• They develop pains and aches totally unrelated to the trauma.

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Further Reading

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Shackled By Memories

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For PTSD Treatment

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

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