You’ve gone through a scary, traumatic event.
It might’ve been yesterday, or it might’ve been years ago. It might still be happening. You’ve tried to forget about it and move on, thought that “If I don’t think about it, it’ll just go away and I can feel normal again,” but the memories keep playing in your mind over and over again like they’re on a movie reel. The nightmares wake you up in the middle of night and keep you from falling back asleep. Sometimes the reminders seem like they just come out of nowhere.
You find that you’re not able to do the things that used to be easy or fun. You avoid going to places where there might be lots of people. You make sure to check your surroundings and know what’s going on around you, and how to get out if you need to. The smallest things set you off and make you jump. You’re irritable and snappy, and you can’t seem to let things go.
Your friends wonder why you aren’t the same, why you don’t want to be around them anymore. The few who know what’s going on have tried to be supportive, but they may be telling you to let it go and move on. What they don’t get is that you’ve already tried that. It’s not working.
You’ve probably blamed yourself for what happened.
The “if onlys” and “should haves” play on repeat and send you down the rabbit hole. You don’t trust anyone anymore – not other people, not even yourself.
You really do try your best to put on a good face and get through it, because you’ve got stuff to take care of. It’s hard though when you’re feeling scared and anxious most of the time. Some days are good, but there are other days when you are too much on edge and can’t seem to pull it together. You just want to be able to get it out and get over it, but it feels impossible.
You’re not alone. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not going crazy.
These are all normal reactions to going through something scary and traumatic.
If you’re looking for a way back, for things to be different… if you’re looking to unload that suitcase that’s been following you around and getting in the way of living your life, then you’re in the right place. I help people who have had bad things happen to them learn how to deal with what happened and how to heal, so that they can move forward and leave the past in the past.
Learn more about how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) can help you heal and recover from trauma and PTSD. Then schedule your Free Consultation and we can talk about how to get you started today.