Have you recently experienced an injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence? Life is unpredictable, and sometimes unfortunate accidents can leave us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Whether it’s a slip and fall, a car accident, or any other type of injury, physical pain is only one part of the equation. Dealing with anxiety in the aftermath of an injury is an all too common experience. Continue reading
A variety of therapeutic interventions have been applied in the treatment of PTSD, including psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, family therapy and group therapy. Regardless of the orientation used, two factors appear to be critical for the success of psychotherapy with PTSD clients: 1) therapy should start soon after the traumatic experience, and 2) therapy should be brief and focused (Schawz & Prout, 1991). Continue reading
The link between trauma and mental illness has been known for many decades. As early as 1896, Freud hypothesized that sexual trauma resulted in hysterical illness (Chu, 1991). He later adjusted his theory to suggest that intra-psychic conflict and not the external trauma causes many illness and several aspects of this later theory have been applied to the understanding of PTSD and its main presenting symptoms. Continue reading
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder which develops following exposure to a terrifying event involving death, injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of onself or of another person. The symptoms characteristic of PTSD can develop out of personal experience with traumatic events or from witnessing or hearing about such events being experienced by others. Distressing events leading to this disorder include wars, natural disasters, imprisonment, violent personal assaults, serious automobile accidents, and being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Continue reading
