One of the primary keys to healing the wounds of PTSD is the removal of stressors. Stressors, as I define them are people, places, things and even memories that contribute to our "stress bank." Our personal "stress banks" contain above average amounts of stress if we are truly suffering from PTSD. Most of us would do nearly anything to try and reduce the intake of more stress. This is why it is so easy to isolate ourselves. Stressors come in every shape and form in the course of every day living.
A person not suffering from PTSD might hear a child suddenly burst out in loud laughter. This is normal to them and should bring joy and satisfaction because of the happiness associated with a child's laughter. For someone suffering PTSD, hearing the very same outburst of laughter, this may cause a "startle response" and be an irritant. Perhaps the sufferers trauma is associated with sudden loud noises such as the crash of impact in an automobile accident or gunfire.
Heightened stress levels affect every aspect of daily living for anyone. They can be, and often are, debilitating for someone suffering PTSD. Therefore, the first measure to be considered in caring for someone with PTSD should be to eliminate as many stressors as possible and help the sufferer create an environment conducive to his or her healing process.
This should be done carefully with full participation of the sufferer. Specific stressors should be defined and removed from the sufferers environment. No environment can be totally stress free, but to eliminate as much stress as possible is paramount. If those who are closest to them, their caretakers and family, do not defuse the stressors in his or her environment, the person suffering from PTSD will often take matters into their own hands and remove themselves from an unhealthy environment.
By the time a sufferer has reached the "end of their rope" to the point of taking matters into their own hands they are more than likely acting out of impulse as a matter of self survival, an animal instinct. Their choices are not often based on wisdom but rather a need to be in control of at least some aspect of their recovery. This is often referred to as the "fight or flight" response.
Those who care for them often see this as rebellion, even hostility. What follows is often a breakdown in commitment. The sufferer is finding some solace in the control he/she is wielding in defining their own environment while the carer is finding peace at not taking the brunt of the mood swings of the sufferer. The merry go round slows down for both of them and if not reconciled often leads to separation.
A person not suffering from PTSD might hear a child suddenly burst out in loud laughter. This is normal to them and should bring joy and satisfaction because of the happiness associated with a child's laughter. For someone suffering PTSD, hearing the very same outburst of laughter, this may cause a "startle response" and be an irritant. Perhaps the sufferers trauma is associated with sudden loud noises such as the crash of impact in an automobile accident or gunfire.
Heightened stress levels affect every aspect of daily living for anyone. They can be, and often are, debilitating for someone suffering PTSD. Therefore, the first measure to be considered in caring for someone with PTSD should be to eliminate as many stressors as possible and help the sufferer create an environment conducive to his or her healing process.
This should be done carefully with full participation of the sufferer. Specific stressors should be defined and removed from the sufferers environment. No environment can be totally stress free, but to eliminate as much stress as possible is paramount. If those who are closest to them, their caretakers and family, do not defuse the stressors in his or her environment, the person suffering from PTSD will often take matters into their own hands and remove themselves from an unhealthy environment.
By the time a sufferer has reached the "end of their rope" to the point of taking matters into their own hands they are more than likely acting out of impulse as a matter of self survival, an animal instinct. Their choices are not often based on wisdom but rather a need to be in control of at least some aspect of their recovery. This is often referred to as the "fight or flight" response.
Those who care for them often see this as rebellion, even hostility. What follows is often a breakdown in commitment. The sufferer is finding some solace in the control he/she is wielding in defining their own environment while the carer is finding peace at not taking the brunt of the mood swings of the sufferer. The merry go round slows down for both of them and if not reconciled often leads to separation.
