Description

For part two of our Post Traumatic Stress Disorder episode (make sure to listen to Part One first) we are going to continue our conversation by reviewing what the symptoms are, how this connects to our understanding of trauma, how this coincides with survivors as well as statically what we see for survivors vs the general population.

Topics/Triggers:

• What is PTSD and what does it really look like, as the qualifications for a diagnosis of “trauma” are much more defined than most people realize. Although just because something isn’t clinically diagnosed as trauma use does not mean it is not a hardship or what it is not worthy of getting help to overcome.
• Trauma can be experienced in a number of ways and it can also come on via witnessing someone else’s experience.
• The difference between PTSD and nervous system overwhelm.
• The breadth of research that exists in the psychological world on trauma.
• The intersectionality between survivors of sexual assault and those who suffer PTSD.
• Signs trauma has affected your day-to-day life- flashbacks, intense prolonged distress, avoidance, negative alterations in thoughts and mood, detachment and estrangement from others, inability to experience positive emotions or arousal reactivity, difficulty with concentration and attention, and sleep disturbance.
• The use of drugs and alcohol as a way to “check out” in order to cope and how truly ineffective it can be in the long run.

This is not for the purposes of self-diagnosis but for educational purposes, and if these criteria do pertain to you please consider contacting a mental health professional to aid in your recovery.

Further information: Statistics | RAINN

Links to articles mentioned in Trauma: Part One

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-61041-001

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167702620921341

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3657772/

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/concept-creep/477939/

psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rabble-rouser/202007/are-all-childhoods-traumatic

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If you or anyone you know is suffering through trauma contact the National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online for 24/7 support. (This podcast is not a replacement for psychotherapy or mental health care. You can obtain a referral for mental health care provider from your primary care physician, or search onPsychology Today’s Find a Therapist directory)

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