TRAUMA RECOVERY: PART-1

DON’T LET YOU PAST DEFINE

YOUR FUTURE

Dr. Edgar Villarreal, Ph.D

DR. EDGAR VILLARREAL, PHD

 Licensed psychologist
 Staff on Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder Clinical Team
 Texas A&M University graduate
 Trauma Fellow at Brooke Army
Medical Based (BAMC)
WEBINAR GUIDELINES
 Be respectful of other’s thoughts, beliefs, emotions
 Everyone has a right to privacy: “What happens here stays in here.”
 Participate! Opportunity to ask questions, give feedback, support
each other. We can all learn from each other’s experiences.
 If you are experiencing thoughts of hurting yourself or others:
Contact your Betterhelp counselor immediately.
 http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/
 Crisisline: 1-800-273-8255
OVERVIEW OF TODAY’S WEBINAR

What is PTSD?

Trauma reactions

Why do reactions persist?

How do they impact us?

Getting stuck in recovery

 What brings you to
today’s group? What
would you like to
learn more about?
WHAT IS POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER (PTSD)?
• Set of stress responses that develop
as a result of experiencing a
traumatic event.
• A trauma is a seen or experienced
event that the person perceives as
physically and/or psychologically
threatening.
• The event usually makes you think
your life or others' lives are in
danger.
WHAT IS PTSD?-VIDEO
NORMAL REACTIONS TO EXTREME EVENTS
• Everyone exposed to trauma
initially experiences PTSD-like
reactions.
 Symptoms are best understood
as SURVIVAL RESPONSES
 Traumas may lead to PTSD
related symptoms, but then
recover
 Traumas do not always lead to
PTSD
AROUSAL
• Fight or flight response
• You may be jittery, or always alert and
on the lookout for danger.
• Easily startled/ feel on guard or unsafe
• Feeling keyed up/on edge
• You may have a hard time sleeping.
• You might suddenly become angry or
irritable.
• You may have trouble concentrating.
FIGHT/FLIGHT-VIDEO
RE-EXPERIENCING
• You may see, hear, or smell something
that causes you to relive the event. This
is called a trigger.
• Memories of the traumatic event can
come back at any time.
• You may feel the same emotions you felt
when the event took place.
• You may have nightmares.
• You may feel like you are going through
the event again. This is called
a flashback.
AVOIDANCE
• You may avoid certain triggers/reminders that are similar to those
cues you experienced in trauma.
• You may try to avoid situations, people, places, conversations,
things to avoiding talking/thinking about the trauma
• Evolves to generally avoiding ALL people, places, and things that
make you feel nervous or anxious.
• You may keep very busy or avoid seeking help
• Avoidance coping behavior becomes PTSD when it turns into a
lifestyle
 AVOIDANCE IS A TRAP
 It is natural to want to avoid pain/discomfort, but chronic
avoidance:
1. Deprives you of opportunities to process the event(s)
2. Deprives you of opportunities to relearn that triggers
may not be as dangerous as they were during the
trauma
3. Leads to depression and poor quality of life as you
begin to cut things/people out of your life.
4. Number 1 predictor that maintains symptoms in the
long-term
NUMBING
• Difficulty expressing emotions, experiencing positive or
loving feelings toward others
• Feeling disconnected from others
• You might develop a “@$@& it” attitude or begin to feel
that “nothing matters”
• You may lose interest in activities you used to enjoy
• More sensitive to feeling negative emotions such as guilt,
fear, anger, or shame
• Adaptive in short-term to disconnect from threatening
situations. Develops into lifestyle in long-term.
TRAUMA
What impact has
avoidance had on
your life so far?
 What thoughts or
concerns have kept
you from addressing
your trauma?
 HOW TO GET UNSTUCK IN YOUR
RECOVERY?

JOIN US FOR GROUPINAR PART-2:

TRAUMA RECOVERY- GETTING BACK INTO THE DRIVER’S SEAT OF
LIFE
VIDEOS & RESOURCES
 WHAT IS PTSD?
https://youtu.be/YMC2jt_QVEE

 FIGHT/FLIGHT/FREEZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEHwB1PG_-Q

 SELF-HELP TOOLS
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/apps/decisionaid/
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/apps/ptsdcoachonline/default.htm
 THANK YOU!
CONTACT@BETTERHELP.COM