AN INTRO TO PTSD AND YOGA
Trauma can be explained as someone who ‘reacts as normal in an abnormal event’. The term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be then taken as later suffering from a past event, stemming from a traumatic experience. PTSD has been around for years and there are an abundant of ways one can suffer. For reference, now familiar term PTSD used to be the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM).
The term PTSD is a newer term for people challenged with a psychological disorder; however, it is not a new phenomenon. Several cases refer to veterans who have suffered ‘shellshock’ from the World Wars. They acted ‘normal’ running to the battle in an ‘abnormal’ situation, seeing bombs etc blow up and going towards. It is not a normal circumstance to run into this but they did and the traumatic situations they found themselves in can later erupt as ‘shellshock’ – this is where the term ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ comes in well.
As mentioned above PTSD can be triggered from an awful event, this can either be from experiencing it first hand or from witnessing the event. Sometimes someone can suffer from nightmares with the event reoccurring, flashbacks and anxiety, and of course uncontrolled thoughts about the traumatic event. As everyone is unique the physical and emotional reactions will be different.
For example, a few years ago I went through a traumatic experience myself, from a car crash. I was hit by an articulated lorry which swung my car resulting in being dragged along the motorway sideways with me and my car attached to the grill of the lorry. I won’t go into much detail here as the point I am trying to explain is that it has taken me years to even consider getting back in a car let alone behind the wheel. I was jumpy and startled at the thought of a car, whoever was driving it or wherever the car was being driven. I was always on guard for danger, and admittedly I still am jumpy in the car when there is something out of my control as a passenger. I had trouble sleeping for weeks that turned into months, but eventually I worked out a good sleeping pattern again where I wasn’t struggling with night terrors of the incident. I understand this is a personal case, but this is what has lead to to teaching yoga and furthermore starting this course. Others who have suffered can go through very similar effects such as being frightened, on guard; or develop self destructive behaviours (sometimes without even realising). Some people develop poor sleeping patterns and concentration, and can develop irrational and/or aggressive outbursts. Others may feel overwhelmed of guilt. It is individual, there is not ever going to be a one example fits all.
Generally most people who experience a trauma within their lives may be in shock, be angry, be fearful, or guilty. However, the difference between people who suffer from PTSD tend to have these symptoms for longer and can go on to one’s long term.
People can also experience anticipatory trauma, this is where one can experience feelings of a trauma before, during or post an event. Nothing prepares someone for a shocking and traumatic experience. And, depending on what one has previously dealt with will affect their outlook on the event.
PTSD is very different from the ‘stress’ that is often spoken about by people in day to day scenarios. Stress about the bills, or at the office can be a stressful situation, however, they do not have the same psychological effects as a PTSD. PTSD arises from a singular event that the mind can trace back to, rather than a series of complicated, busy, stressful situations. It is integral that the two do not get confused.
PTSD has many variables and is heavily dependant on ones background and personal perception of the event. As an active process, each individual will have a slightly or greater difference to how they perceive the event. Perception is generated within the mind and is totally individual, and this perception affects how one reacts after an event; traumatic or not. We have perceptions in all moments throughout the day, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.
In PTSD, what we see can be interpreted entirely differently by the part of the brain that stores information. Different circumstances may create a different reactions to what is actually being perceived by the part of the pain connected to the physical and emotional reactions. For example, if someone you see is on crutches, you think they may have broken their leg from falling down the stairs.. but that might not be the case at all, they may have been abused, they may have fallen off a roof, they may have injured themselves playing football, the scenarios can go on…
The difficulty with finding PTSD is that there is no time limit back to an event, nor any fixed common symptoms of people that suffer. For example, one could feel angry and abusive but have nothing to do with any mental trauma. Again like someone suffering from poor concentration and worry it is very difficult to link directly to PTSD. They may or may not be linked to trauma. Furthermore, to backtrack an event if they are not even aware yet that that is the catalyst to their behaviour. “PTSD is the only clinically diagnosed anxiety disorder which is directly associated with a known cause”.
