Witnessing the "unthinkable" Secondary PTSD and Hypnosis
Greetings from Doc Judie
Original post: Seven people have been shot inside of an IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nev., the Reno Gazette-Journal is reporting.
This horrific event caused my peaceful community to stop in their tracks; everyone was heartsick and in shock. The rippling effect of a shooter (suffering from mental illness) also took his own life.
This event had an effect on the immediate families of the victims, but all the witnesses in the restaurant and parking lot. The ripple effect hit an entire community either directly or through secondary post traumatic stress.
According the DSM People who are diagnosed with PosttraumaticStress Disorder (PTSD) survive severely traumatic events such as rape, floods,massive shootings and airplane crashes The person can feel intense fear, horror, or helplessness. they repeatedly relive the events through distressing recollections, repeated distressing dreams,flashbacks or physiological reactions (such as elevated blood pressure or stomach cramps).
The time line is one month after the traumatic event, one day to three weeks it is called Acute Stress Disorder. This is not a complete diagnosis,but it will give you an idea of what people are feeling after an severe event that is out of the ordinary.
I worked with people who were suffering from secondary PTSD in the IHOP shooting. They were not killed, but they were the witnesses, the paramedics, the ones that were close to the victims, they too suffered.
If you are one of many who has been involved in a crash, a shooting, a riot, you too may be suffering and help from a trained mental health therapist who has specific training in trauma hypnosis can be beneficial. The sooner you get help, the sooner you can go back to your life ahead the terrible fear. So don't suffer alone-get help!
How the hypnosis therapy is helpful:
It is important to allow the client to "tell the story" I usually have them relax, and do deep breathing for a few minutes. They are to tell the story as if they are an observer and not part of the event. As a therapist I have learned to not interrupt or make 'comforting comments" they have to tell the story their way. Sometimes there are missing parts as the mind does not want to remember or relive all the events. Learning about their background also helps as it will give me an idea of how clients have responded to stress in their past.
Lisa: One woman had a traumatic childhood, she was in life threatening situations as a child in a drug family. She was sensitive to gun shots and reacted quickly when bullets were flying over her head.She crawled to her car, ducked down and got out of the parking lot. She can't sleep and keeps re-living the event,even though she knows she is safe.
Diego: He had suffered from civil wars in Mexico. The gunshots by the restaurant made him "freeze" and take a quick look around to see what was happening before he could move to safety. For a few minutes, he thought he was back in his home country. He had just exchanged a Sunday newspaper with an elderly woman in the restaurant, he cannot get the images out of his head of her being shot; he feels guilty that he could not help her.
Hank: He was in the restaurant, the gun passed over him, but he heard the shattered glass in the door behind him; he can't get the sound out of his head at night.
The treatment is different for everyone, hypnosis is just one part of the treatment, but it can be very helpful to calm down the on-going repetition of events.
The script: I bring the client to a safe place where they can feel their body walking by a stream, walking through the fall leaves,or smelling beautiful flowers in a meadow. (I let the client pick their peaceful scene). Through the script, they once again re-live the event, but this time as a witness, and not a first hand participant I keep returning them to the peaceful surrounding of their choice where they are now, in the present-SAFE. I keep repeating the phase that THEY ARE SURVIVORS, IT IS OVER.The event is in the past and they have survived it. On a time line,they have walked through the event and they are now in the present and safe.The event will never completely go away, but it will fade to the background. The client will start to feel safe and will reflect on the fragility and meaning of their own life
There is no justification, rhyme or reason on why the event happened, but it was not their time to leave the earth. It is not a matter of "good or bad" it is the random order of the universe and they are on the earth for another day.
It is helpful to change the disaster to a positive approach. People ofen report that they now appreciate the gift of life; often the event is life changing for the better.It is cruel reality that life is a gift and procrastination on working on education, a relationship or finding happiness takes on a new new meaning. It help to do something for others and do something for yourself as well. Some wanted to help with the victims, fund raisers,visit the families. Others wanted to just spend time with their kids,move on with their lives in a positive way. They were all instructed "to move their bodies" when they felt frozen, exercise, go to meditation classes, take walks and breathe.Some only needed a couple of sessions, others required on going sessions for several months and took amino acids to restore their body and mind balance.
If this has happened to you, get help! Especially if the symptoms have lasted for over a month. The quicker you address this deep fear, the sooner you can go back to living in the present.
Please take care of yourself; call me or email me if you think you are suffering from PTSD symptons.
Here is to your mental and physical health
Doc Judie
775 7823889
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