When people feel stuck after trauma(s), they are experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a relentless back and forth cycle of reliving what happened and trying desperately not to think about what happened.
They relive the trauma through:
- nightmares
- flashbacks
- anything that reminds them of the trauma
At the same time, they try to block out the trauma by:
- avoiding certain people, places, or things that remind them of the trauma,
- not being able to recall certain aspects of the trauma
- numbing the pain (eg substance use, self harm, other high risk behaviors)
They are also in a constant state of fear and anxiety, meaning they:
- startle easily
- are hypervigilante
- can be irritable or aggressive
- have trouble sleeping
- have trouble concentrating
Experiencing a death of a loved one may be a natural part of life, yet sometimes those deaths may feel traumatic, especially if those deaths occur unexpectedly or in a tragic way. Individuals dealing with traumatic grief may have the same symptoms as those struggling with PTSD.