Are You Suffering from PTSD without Knowing It

Parvin

Any case examples that I share here are completely anonymised. Names and some case details are altered, disguised or changed to protect my clients’ absolute right to privacy.

You can suffer from PTSD without realising that you have it. Sometimes this is mis-diagnosed as anxiety – this Case example may help you, but it is always advisable to seek appropriate medical assistance.
Please note that most of my case examples are individual and I imply the methodology works for that individual. Research carried out by Benish, Imel and Wampold (2008, Clinical Psycology Review, 28 746-758) concluded that all bona fide psychology treatments are equally effective in PTSD.

Parvin is a 23-year-old student who felt he had a list of anxieties. Social anxiety, emotional anxiety and OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

His triggers all stemmed from reading online about why he might be experiencing palpitations.

The palpitations lead to thoughts about the possibility of him getting sick.

The worldwide spread of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated his panicky feelings dramatically and this led to increased anxiety about going out and meeting people.

Paranoia set in and the constant thought of people judging him activated old childhood fears. This is when he decided to connect with me to seek help as he felt that his childhood fears were the cause of his current sleepless nights.

1. Strategy

At this stage I have a free phone call with a potential client so that we can discuss strategies for healing their issues.

My magical Psychotherapist’s Toolbox is Mary Poppins-like in terms of containing many options depending on the clients’ exact needs.

Options can include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Hypnotherapy
Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) also known as Brief Therapy
Relational Therapy

And of course the fact that I am qualified in a wide range of therapies to assist clients to breakthrough negative thinking patterns.
The sessions took place with Parvin online over Zoom.
He was a little reluctant and was initially unconvinced that online treatment could have the same positive treatment outcome as an in-person treatment would have. But as we will see his fears about the efficacy of online psychotherapy were quickly allayed

2. Treatment

The three online psychotherapy sessions took place with Parvin online over zoom.

We worked through his issues one by one. An unusual amount of troubles from his past kept surfacing during the regression.

Finally Parvin was able to dig deep and bring to the surface a severe incident that had happened in his childhood. Which gave me a diagnosis of childhood trauma.

It transpired that he had been kidnapped and abused as a child and had completely suppressed this for many years.

When it did surface, naturally fear took over and we talked through the ordeal after our session.

As we reviewed it together, I reassured Parvin it was an event that took place in the past and something that happened when he was vulnerable and did not have the ability to defend himself or control it.

Now he can let it go, because it does not define him. He has so much potential.

My goal as a therapist is to help clients move from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) into the wonderful period of growth that can often follow PTSD. This can occur when the client is helped to move forward and they often experience PTG or Post Traumatic Growth.

Over time we left the past where it belonged and worked on Parvin’s Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) with three sessions including talk therapy.

We talked about how he felt more able to realise his desire of becoming a business man. I helped him narrow his ideas to a specific line of business and supported him while he connected to someone who has a similar business.

He did not himself, at first notice the healing that was taking place within him.

But he frequently mentioned how he would fall asleep to the personalised recording I had made for him.

When, building on his renewed interest in beginning his business, he also started discussing that he had met a friend for coffee I could see that he was now focussed far more on his Post Traumatic Growth than the PTSD that he had been experiencing.

She eventually found her own voice and was able to appreciate herself first, even if her parents, work colleagues or friends did not offer praise.

She used the techniques we’d worked on to praise herself. Over some time, learning to see the good in herself, appreciate her self worth, Rebecca was able to recognise her value and uniqueness by being her own best friend.

“Thank you so much Belynder for helping me.

It took me a lot of courage to make that first phone call and as soon as I connected, I knew it was the right thing to do.

Belynder had a session with me and went back to all my childhood memories which have haunted me for years.
Childhood trauma, a lot of verbal, mental and other abuse.

I started listening to her audio every night. I’m in a much better place emotionally and mentally.

I’ve overcome the obstacles and blockages that were holding me back.

Belynder helped me to rewire my mind and change my old belief system. I am now more positive, my fears are going away and I feel so much stronger and know that I will be OK in the future.”

What is Post Traumatic Growth?

Research suggests that a significant number of individuals (30-70%) who experience trauma also report positive changes and growth as they are helped to process the experience. – Joseph and Butler, 2010

Four of the positive symptoms that have been noted include: