What is Traumatic Stress?

Traumatic stress is caused by the direct personal experience of distressing life events such as an accident, violence, assault, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, rape, war, torture, disasters etc. If this has happened to you, you may have suffered after-effects which impact upon your sense of safety, wellbeing and control over your life, or which damage your self-esteem and interpersonal relationships.

Many people who have survived traumatic events often find that their views of themselves and/or of other people and the world have changed. They may suffer from irritability, anger and depression or unusual levels of fear and anxiety and often experience difficulty with sleeping. They may also suffer from phobias or panic attacks and have diffiuclty with social or work performance.

Other possible problems include avoiding activities, people and places that have been enjoyed in the past. Sufferers may become jumpier than usual or have an increased urge to drink alcohol or use drugs, and to possibly self-harm. People who have endured chronic abuse often feel guilty, ashamed and responsible for the abuse. Childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault can also contribute to difficulties in sexual relationships.

Treatment may be of benefit to anyone who feels distressed by any of these symptoms or who finds that their life has been changed by overwhelming experiences.

What treatment is available?

The team at The Trauma Centre is highly trained in a wide range of counselling and psychotherapy techniques and are all experienced trauma therapists. There is now very clear evidence to show that newer therapeutic techniques can be especially effective in the treatment of traumatic stress. The best of these is a method called EMDR, (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), and this is the main method of treatment used at The Trauma Centre

What conditions can be treated?