All EMDR sessions are provided remotely by video call. I do not offer face to face sessions.

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD traumatic experience emdr wales

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety type disorder which can develop following traumatic events in a person’s life. This event could be a single event or multiple events over a period of time. Most people have some symptoms following the trauma such as difficulty sleeping and feelings of shock however; these symptoms usually disappear within a few weeks. Such symptoms do not disappear with people with PTSD.

What can cause PTSD?

There are many different events that can lead do a person developing PTSD such as:
PTSD emdr wales

Being physically, emotionally or sexually abused
Raped or sexually assaulted
Being involved in an accident
Witnessing disturbing scenes of your job
Being kidnapped or held hostage
Combat and war
Surviving a terrorist attack
Surviving a natural disaster
Being diagnosed with an illness
Loss from death
Loss of a relationship
Traumatic birth
Traumatic childhood
Traumatic events of those close to you
Any event that has made you fear your life

Common symptoms of PTSD

Reliving the trauma	Hyperarousal	Avoiding feelings	Difficult beliefs and emotions
Flashbacks – feeling like your reliving the trauma.	Feeling Jumpy and on constant alert.	Avoiding anything that reminds you of the trauma.	Unable to feel trusting of others.
Physical sensations such as panic, shaking or nausea.	Panicking when thinking of the trauma.	Unable to relax, having to keep busy.	Feeling unsafe.
Intrusive thoughts.	Easily irritated or quick to anger.	Feeling numb, cut off from emotions.	Intense feelings of anger, guilt, sadness.
Unsettling images.	Unsettling images.	Feeling detached from your body.	Blaming self.
Intense reactions to reminders of the trauma.	Disturbed sleep.	Difficulty showing affection.
	Unable to concentrate.	Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs.
	Behaviour which is self-destructive

Complex trauma

Chronic complex trauma can continue for month or years causing severe psychological harm. People who experience complex trauma often report additional symptoms to PTSD. These changes can include changes in their perception of self and how the individual reacts to stressful events. The trauma is usually experienced over a longer duration and the person is usually held in state of captivity whether physical or emotional. The perpetrator usually controls the victim preventing them from escaping from this danger. Some examples include:

Concentration camps
Prisoner of War camps
Prostitution
Long-term domestic violence
Long-term child physical abuse
Long-term child sexual abuse
Long-term emotional and mental abuse
Organized child exploitation rings

Additional symptoms in Complex PTSD

An individual who experienced a prolonged period (months to years) of chronic victimization and total control by another may also experience the following difficulties:

Emotional Regulation. May include persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive anger, or inhibited anger.
Consciousness. Includes forgetting traumatic events, reliving traumatic events, or having episodes in which one feels detached from one’s mental processes or body (dissociation).
Self-Perception. May include helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, and a sense of being completely different from other human beings.
Distorted Perceptions of the Perpetrator. Examples include attributing total power to the perpetrator, becoming preoccupied with the relationship to the perpetrator, or preoccupied with revenge.
Relations with Others. Examples include isolation, distrust, or a repeated search for a rescuer.
One’s System of Meanings. May include a loss of sustaining faith or a sense of hopelessness and despair.