Intrusive thoughts are those thoughts, memories, and mental images that constantly come back time and again despite us not wanting them to. This could be due to them being distressing or because we’re doing something else and don’t want to think about that right now. Intrusive thoughts don’t have to be about PTSD…when you’re hungry, for example, you might keep thinking about food until you eat something. The thing with hunger is once you eat, your obsessive thoughts on food will likely end. The problem with PTSD is you can’t “feed” the obsessive thought to make it go away.

Intrusive thoughts regarding PTSD often happen because our brain is trying to “heal” a traumatic memory. Our bodies and brains are meant to heal from wounds. However, when something gets stuck, like a splinter, the body doesn’t heal without getting rid of the splinter first. The brain does the same thing – it tries to get rid of whatever is keeping it from healing. Our intrusive thoughts are the brain working on healing and not being able to. It tries again and again to heal. However, an important aspect of intrusive memories is it NORMAL in the first few weeks after a traumatic event happens. Our brain is processing what happened. It becomes more problematic if they continue beyond a few weeks.

Doing something to avoid the memory or distract from the memory often doesn’t seem like enough. The memories are “intrusive” because they intrude on what we are doing, including trying to avoid or distract. The ironic thing is working on intrusive memories includes using distraction techniques.

There are a variety of techniques therapists use to help with intrusive memories including cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients understand and replace negative self talk, dialectical behavioral therapy to help clients learn how to stay in the present (mindfulness) when they start going into past memories or having intrusive thoughts, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) to help clients resolve trauma memories, and many more.

Try staying mindful of what you are doing when you have intrusive thoughts. Don’t beat yourself up over them…your brain is trying to heal. Gently bring your mind and all of your senses back to what you are currently engaged in. Notice your body and any tightness, discomfort, or stored energy. If there is any, release it through muscle relaxation, meditation, exercise, or using sound (singing, making other noises as your body feels is needed). Every time your mind wanders, just gently, without getting angry at yourself, bring it back to what you’re doing.

If you are unable to feel relief by doing this by yourself, you may want to seek out support. There are many support groups: The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a great resource to find support groups near you. There are also many treatment groups, from partial hospitalization day treatment programs to weekly dialectical behavioral therapy groups. There are also so many therapists trained in many different forms of treatment to help you through your difficult time. You are not alone with intrusive thoughts!

For more information, or if you are not sure where to go for help, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will help you find support or therapy, even if you do not live near me. You can reach me at 860-501-9767; 941-462-4807; or heal@fastmail.com. Stay strong! The intrusive thoughts WILL subside!

PTSD affects all areas of life. From sleep to relationships to work to just going out and having fun and more. A big problem people often have is feeling on edge all the time. How can I have fun if I get startled with every noise? Or if I’m worrying that something will happen (again)? Sometimes people aren’t even sure why they feel so on edge. This is ok by the way. It could mean that you can start doing some mindfulness exercises to go inside yourself and identify WHAT the feeling is (remember feelings are one word; if your feeling ends up being two words or more, it is probably a thought), and WHERE you feel the sensation in your body. You can then take a few breaths, close your eyes and let your mind drift back through your history. When else did you have this feeling or have this sensation in the same place in your body? What was happening then? If you still aren’t sure, don’t stress about it, but it could be helpful to see a therapist to work through this.

When you notice the triggers that make you feel on edge (or maybe you’re always feeling on edge), it is very helpful to remember and say to yourself “Am I truly in danger right now?” Remember there is a difference between real and perceived danger. Whether or not you are truly in danger, the feeling of being on edge is likely due to something that caused your fight/flight response to engage or activate. If you are not truly in danger, the activation of the fight/flight response is not helpful to your physical or emotional well-being. Don’t beat yourself up when you end up in the fight/flight response when you don’t need to be. It is your body doing what it is trained to at a cellular/biological level. It is a safety mechanism for us.

A feeling of edginess or being on edge frequently to all the time is very common with PTSD. If you have to go into a triggering environment, it can be very helpful to do some mindfulness and grounding techniques before going in. Remind yourself you are safe and stay present focused. If it comes out of the blue, the same techniques are helpful. To learn specific mindfulness and grounding techniques to help with PTSD, please contact me at 860-501-9767; 941-462-4807 or schedule an appointment with me here.

I wanted to post again about trauma and PTSD. As I said above, June is PTSD awareness month. In light of the events in the news recently – from the Orlando mass shooting to the alligator attack on the two year old at a Disney World resort to the Mountain Lion attack of a 5 year old in Colorado and everything else – I think it is important to remember the difference between real and perceived danger. These events can make it very scary to go out – you might get attacked by an animal or get shot and killed. Is it safe to leave my house? Is it safe to go on vacation? Is it safe to let my child out of my sight? The advent of media has left us feeling so vulnerable. Within minutes of a tragedy, it is heard about all over the globe. The most important thing to remember is you ARE safe. You CAN safely leave your house, go to a club, party, vacation, etc safely and enjoy it. Think about it – how many people go to a club on a daily basis around the country? How many people go on vacation and come home safely daily? With media coverage, we are at risk of feeling afraid and “perceiving” danger where there is none. Remembering the difference of perceived and real danger is so vital to living a happy life. On the other hand, if the events of late (or any time frame) are causing you distress and you are having difficulty living life the way you want to, it is important to regularly use self-regulation strategies and reality based self-conversations with yourself (telling yourself you are safe for example), and if needed, seek help to get past some of the anxieties. Although a diagnosis of PTSD currently is not given just by hearing about a traumatic situation through media, all you have to do is think about a child who sees a scary movie and has nightmares about it, won’t sleep alone, and cries when you leave them alone, sometimes for several days afterwards to understand you don’t have to personally witness or be involved in something traumatic to be affected by it. You do not have to have a diagnosis of PTSD to have debilitating reactions associated by things seen in media. Make sure you listen to yourself – use your self-regulation strategies, get support from others, focus on things you enjoy, and get professional support if needed.

June is Trauma and PTSD awareness month, so I decided it would be a great topic to discuss today. New insights are still being learned about trauma, how it impacts the person and what PTSD is. (PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Somewhere in the vicinity of 7%-8% of Americans will have PTSD sometime in their lives; about 8 million adults have PTSD in any given year. (www.ptsd.va.gov). This is amazing and such a small percentage given the number of people who experience a traumatic event each year. Think about the number of people affected by the floods in Texas…or the number of people affected by hurricanes…or the number of people affected by wild fires each year…or even smaller – the number of people in serious car accidents. Any one of these (and more) could trigger the body to have PTSD reactions. Think about adults and their capacity to cope with things that happen in their lives. We learn coping skills as we grow up; we learn from our environment and those around us how to respond to situations. Think then, about children. They do not have the same coping capacity adults do. Things we may think are so trivial as adults are so meaningful for children. For example, how many of you know an adolescent who became suicidal over a relationship breakup? As adults, we move on, but as adolescents this is traumatizing! For kids, even seeing something scary on television can be traumatic to their sense of safety about the world. This week I hope you will go out there and learn a little more about PTSD. Do some research on it, or talk with someone about it. The VA is a great website to start with. Observe children and teenagers and think about yourself as a kid…what would have been traumatic to you then that seems so trivial now? Open yourself up to understanding what sorts of things, events, etc can be traumatic to a child as well as to an adult.