Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. While it is normal to feel unsettled or anxious after trauma, most people gradually recover over time. For some, however, distressing memories, heightened alertness, and emotional changes persist for months or even years.PTSD is well-researched, and effective, evidence-based treatments can significantly reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

 

What Is PTSD?

PTSD develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event—such as accidents, natural disasters, violence, or prolonged stress. Symptoms include intrusive memories, flashbacks (intrusive images of the event, almost as if it is happening again in the present), nightmares, hypervigilance, irritability, avoidance of reminders, and emotional numbness.

 

How Does PTSD Affect People?

PTSD can disrupt daily functioning. Sleep may be disturbed by vivid nightmares. Day-to-day life can feel unsafe due to persistent hyperarousal (constant alertness even in calm situations). Relationships may become strained when avoidance or emotional withdrawal becomes habitual. Anxiety, mood swings, and guilt can follow. Without intervention, PTSD can impair work,social life, and wellbeing.

 

What are the Evidence-Based Treatments?

Several approaches effectively reduce PTSD symptoms:

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT): Helps reframe unhelpful beliefs and safely process trauma.

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): Reprocesses traumatic memories through bilateral stimulation to reduce emotional intensity.

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE): Gradually and safely exposes individuals to fear-provoking memories under support.

Therapy starts with assessment, establishing safety, building coping skills, and gradually working through trauma content at a tolerable pace.

 

What to Expect in Treatment

1. Assessment and Safety Building: Clarify symptoms and teach grounding and emotion regulation.

2. Stabilisation: Develop skills to manage distress.

3. Processing Trauma: Through TF-CBT, EMDR, or PE, clients gradually revisit traumatic memories in controlled ways.

4. Integration and Resilience: Strengthen adaptive beliefs and reduce avoidance.

5. Review and Maintenance: Monitor progress, reinforce gains, plan for potential setbacks.

Therapy is collaborative. The clinician guides, supports, and tailors all steps to ensure the process feels contained.

 

Take the Next Step

If trauma continues to affect your life, support is available. At Canopy Clinical Psychology, our clinicians offer tailored, evidence-based PTSD treatment in a safe and empathetic environment. Contact us to learn how recovery can begin.

 

Suggested Resources

1. Book – “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel vander Kolk

2. Website – PTSD tools from Open Arms

3. Self-help Guide – PTSD Information from beyondblue.org.au

 

Disclaimer: This information is educational. Seek professional advice for your situation.

 

Dr Henry Austin

Principal Clinical Psychologist