PTSD Therapist in Bournemouth, Dorset

Whilst these days most people recognise or have at least heard the term PTSD, few people actually have much understanding of what it is and more importantly assume it only occurs in battle veterans or perhaps survivors of natural disasters.

NOTHING could be further from the truth!

For example, ANY child who has experienced significant abuse during childhood whether that be physical, emotional, mental, sexual, neglect or a combination of these will most likely be suffering from PTSD, in fact, more accurately Complex PTSD.

There are also other life events besides childhood abuse or neglect which frequently result in complex PTSD.

Complex PTSD

This term has been widely used by the great Bessel van der Kolk an eminent psychiatrist who has spent his entire career working with and investigating PTSD.

In a nutshell, complex PTSD occurs when multiple traumas are experienced in succession over time.

Obviously, children who are unfortunate to grow up in abusive environments and/or families are unlikely to only experience instances of abuse on one occasion.

Why is complex PTSD so important?

In a nutshell, because it explains so many modern mental health issues and unhealthy human behaviours including (but not limited to) inappropriate aggression, depression, most cases of addiction and many relationship issues (repetition compulsion).

Indeed the culmination of Bessel van der Kolk’s life work has shown that if the condition of Complex PTSD were included in the DSM-V (the psychiatrist’s diagnostic manual), it would wipe out or nullify 70%+ of the conditions listed because they are in reality just derivatives, symptoms or subcategories of complex PTSD. For further information on this, you may wish to read Bessel’s book entitled “The Body Keeps the Score”

It is my personal professional belief after 27 years of experience as a therapist, that Bessel is absolutely correct and complex PTSD (or rather the effects of it) are perhaps the greatest mental health factor or threat that humanity faces.

Furthermore, until recently, PTSD, or rather the effects of it was only considered in terms of a psychological issue. More recent research has shown that this is far from the case, trauma has a major effect on the nervous system and the body, not just the mind (hence the title of Bessel’s book).

A skilled PTSD therapist employs techniques to help release trauma stored in the body, heal the nervous system, and restore overall well-being. By addressing the mind-body connection, a PTSD therapist can guide individuals toward lasting recovery and resilience.

Treatments for PTSD

Historically (following the Vietnam War) treatment was confined to techniques such as:-

Exposure Therapy, or Systematic Desensitization, involves revisiting traumatic memories repeatedly to recover gaps in recollection and reduce sensitivity to the event. While this technique aims to help patients desensitize to their trauma, it can often be hit-or-miss. For some, it may force them to repeatedly relive the emotional pain of the experience, which can feel overwhelming.

Prescription of SSRI’s – (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are anti-depressant/anxiety medications such as Prozac. Without a doubt, an effective intervention with Trauma patients and the introduction of their use in such cases undoubtedly eased a lot of suffering but sadly a medication no matter how effective cannot do anything about the underlying issues.

EMDR – (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) The psychologist Francine Shapiro invented EMDR in the 1980s when she noticed that moving her eyes from side to side seemed to reduce the occurrence of her own distressing memories. It has proven very effective and has yielded impressive results in many cases but is in my opinion limited in its ability to remove the emotional charges from the nervous system and body rather than just the psyche.

Pioneers

Fortunately, the last 20 years have seen great advances in our understanding of PTSD and how it can best be treated.

This is thanks to the work of pioneers in the field such as

Bessel Van Der Kolk (The Body Keeps The Score)

Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory)

Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing)

David Berceli (Trauma Release Exercises or TRE)

Bessel leads us to look deeper into the effects of PTSD, Stephen and Peter’s work led us to consider the effect on the nervous system and the body, rather than just the psyche and both Peter and the brilliant David Berceli have come up with techniques to do something about those effects on the nervous system and the body.

In summary, PTSD is a complicated and vital issue that requires an integrated treatment approach to be fully successful, there is no magic cure and no one size that fits all.

PTSD and complex PTSD are areas of special interest of mine and I am involved in the cutting edge of research and interventions. So if you need help in this area please feel free, to contact me for advice and guidance. You can book an initial consultation here just be sure to enter coupon code INITIALAC at checkout to enjoy a 50% discount.,