A lot of things can trigger the feelings associated with PTSD and this feeling of nervousness or of being on edge is sometimes referred to as hyperarousal. Although you may know rationally that you are safe, there is a deeper part of you that is preparing for danger.

Another aspect of this is a high level of adrenaline. People with chronic PTSD have been shown to have higher levels of adrenaline, the chemical our bodies use to stimulate us and to dull pain. When the body continues to produce this it can lead to that feeling of being on edge, or that you cannot calm down.

Studies have also indicated that our brains can be affected by trauma, specifically our hippocampus, which is the area that regulates emotions and memories. By scanning the brains of PTSD sufferers specialists noticed the hippocampus was smaller than normal.

Those studies indicate the change to the hippocampus might lead to those with PTSD not healthily processing flashbacks, nightmares, and the anxiety they produce.

Hopefully this helps you understand what PTSD is and why it may develop. But what does it feel like? How can you tell if you are experiencing PTSD?

Sometimes called “re-experiencing” or simply just traumatic memories, this is where you are confronted with thoughts about the traumatic event. There are a few specific forms of this, such as experiencing flashbacks or struggling with nightmares.

What exactly is a flashback? It’s when your mind can supply images, sounds, and even physical sensations that might produce the exact feelings you had while experiencing the traumatic event. It can sometimes feel like you are right back in that moment.

Nightmares can work similarly but they don’t always have to be the exact images or experiences that led to your PTSD. Our brains are odd and tricky things so they can occasionally scare us in ways we don’t understand.

Another symptom based in recalling trauma is repetitive, distressing images or sensations. This is somewhat related to flashbacks but—like nightmares—are not limited to just the images or sensations you experienced during the trauma.

Similar to how our brain can supply nightmares that aren’t recreations of the specific traumatic event, the distressing images can be flashes of violence you didn’t witness, and the sensations can be unrelated as well, like feeling as if you are falling.

Another way physical sensations can appear is through random pain, sometimes in joints but not limited to there. Someone may also begin sweating excessively, feel as if they could vomit or just feel sick in general. It’s also possible for someone to begin shaking, almost like they are incredibly cold.

This one may be the hardest to notice because it seems like a natural response to trauma, pain, and hardship. Our minds need to process these things, however, and avoiding that creates more problems rather than allowing us to heal.

When someone is steering clear of anything that may potentially remind them of the traumatic event, this is called avoidance. It can be as simple as not going to certain places that remind them of the trauma, or as complex as making sure to steer conversations in certain directions.

Someone may try to use hobbies or work to draw their mind away from the memories. By keeping themselves busy both physically and mentally they believe they are avoiding the pain and will eventually just forget about it.

Perhaps worse is shutting themselves off from all emotions and ignoring their feelings altogether. Humans need emotions, we are guided by them and use them to balance our lives, sometimes in ways that we don’t even perceive.

Without emotions a person can end up becoming cut off from their friends and family. They can begin losing the connections to things they used to love and their life in general may start to become harder and harder to navigate.

Doctors will sometimes refer to this as hyperarousal but it is easier to understand as feeling “on edge” or not being able to relax. As you read above, PTSD can confuse our bodies and give the wrong signals about what and where is safe.

What can happen when someone experiences persistent anxiety and fear? It can lead to uncharacteristic anger, and especially sudden outbursts. 

Another effect of constant anxiety or fear is being emotionally irritable. Think of this as lacking the ability to calmly deal with small inconveniences, or overreacting to something that would normally not be that big of a deal.

Other possibilities are difficulty sleeping or concentrating and also full insomnia. Some of these symptoms have a layering effect where one will worsen the other.

Those suffering from PTSD can become trapped in a cycle until they seek treatment and help. Although some cases of PTSD do lessen or go away in time, why wait? Why continue to suffer when you can receive professional help to heal?

Let’s look at some ways PTSD can be treated.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has helped with treating PTSD for years. They have studies showing over 50% of those receiving treatment that includes evidence-based, trauma-focused therapy can heal from PTSD.

Similarly, those studies show a little less than half can utilize medication to heal from their PTSD and no longer experience ongoing symptoms. This is why seeking treatment is so important: it works.

One of the most used and researched methods is a form of therapy SUN Behavioral utilizes. Let’s take a look at how it works.

There are three things CBT utilizes to help you get past PTSD, and they are your own feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. All three of these form who we are and are also very closely related; one impacts the other, and so on.

“Cognition” and “cognitive” specifically refers to the feelings (and a lesser extent to thoughts) because it is concerned with how we perceive things. Behavior is obviously referring to how we act and respond to things, which can be a combination of feelings and thoughts.

When going through CBT a patient will be sitting in a one-on-one therapy session with a therapist. The treatment focuses on examining how we think, feel, and behave. Using this structure the therapist helps someone in treatment move away from negative reactions to each factor.

By switching the thought pattern from negative to neutral, or even positive, CBT focuses on re-orienting how your body reacts to stress. Doing this helps re-frame how a thought related to the trauma will affect how the patient feels and behaves.

For instance, if they were involved in a car accident, the patient may be focusing on the negative feelings they experience when getting in a car. During CBT they would learn how to focus on feeling safe and trying to control their physical reactions as well. This is obviously a simplified version of what the therapist would take them through, but does showcase the process of changing thought patterns.

The length of CBT treatment depends on the person struggling with PTSD, just like the length and severity of the PTSD is dependent on that as well. An average length of CBT treatment tends to be three months, however.

Other treatments include Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Both of these are methods that are similar to CBT in that they want to help reframe how your mind and body reacts to negative situations.