Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) is a chronic, sometimes lifelong (but not necessarily when treated with appropriate methods) disorder that has its onset some time after an particularly stressful traumatic event.

Most often, PTSD occurs after a serious threat to one's life or the life of a loved one, or following a sudden and traumatic loss. PTSD can be caused by events which are accompanied by extreme fear, helplessness or horror, for example violent assault, rape, terrorist bombings, military combat, tornadoes, earthquakes, airplane crashes, torture, fires, kidnapping or severe car accidents. In very rare circumstances it can also be caused by a sudden life-threatening illness.

Also, it's not necessary to be the direct victim of one of these traumas to experience post-traumatic stress syndrome. Sometimes, family members or friends of victims are so traumatised by witnessing or learning about the stressful event happening to a loved one, that they develop the symptoms as well.

What are the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

The primary symptoms of PTSD are:

• Intrusion - a reliving of the trauma causing event on a fairly persistent basis such as:
• Recurring and disturbing memories of the event, or
• Distressing dreams of the event, or
• A sudden sense or feeling that one is re-experiencing the event itself, such as illusions, hallucinations and flashbacks, or
• An intense fear of distress during exposure to events or circumstances that resemble or symbolise the past traumatic event


• Avoidance - the individual attempts to avoid situations which are associated with the trauma that may trigger a memory, bad dream, or flashback

• Hyperarousal - the individual has persistent feelings of increased arousal or vigilance that were not present before the trauma occurred, such as:
• Difficulty with sleep, either initial falling asleep or staying asleep, or
• Intense irritability and angry outbursts, or
• Difficulty with concentration, or
• Hypervigilance, and constantly being on guard, or
• An over-exaggerated startle response when surprised, or
• Signs of increased panic and stress response, such as rapid breathing, higher heart rate, sweating etc. when exposed to situations that resemble the earlier trauma

What can be done to cure PTSD? Is it possible to overcome PTSD?

Although in this day and age, more and more people are turning to prescribed drugs to elleviate their problems, it has been recognised that certain treatments are very effective at eliminating the symptoms of PTSD. Some people try to escape post trauma stress syndrome with the use of alcohol or drugs, which unfortunately never eliminate the actual problem.

The following treatments have been found to be very effective at curing post traumatic stress disorder:

• Hypnosis
• Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

If you feel you need more information on how Fast Improvement can help you change your life around, send an email in confidence to ptsd@fastimprovement.co.uk or chat confidentially with one of our practitioners with no obligation on 0700 HYPNOSIS (49766747) (UK only) or +44 1444 411 112.

Alternatively, if you want to book an appointment with one of our PTSD specialists, then you can book your appointment here.