Understanding PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a natural response after enduring or witnessing a deeply distressing event and struggling to process it in a useful way after-the-fact. It’s your mind’s way of trying to process something overwhelming, but struggling to do so. You might also struggle to process trauma that you hear about from others, which can fall into categories known as 'secondary trauma' or 'vicarious trauma'. Symptoms can also be passed down on a group level through generations of collective trauma, and this is known as 'intergenerational trauma'. No matter where your PTSD symptoms stem from, we offer a safe space to validate your experience, process your trauma, and support your long-term recovery coming out the other side.
Main Symptoms of PTSD
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks.
- Nightmares and disturbed sleep.
- Avoidance of reminders of the trauma, or of reminders of internal feelings/sensations.
- Feeling constantly on edge, irritable, or anxious.
- Negative changes in mood or thinking.
- Blaming yourself or others for what happened.
- Having cynical, bitter, hopeless, defeated, despairing, or distressing thoughts about the present or future.
Experiences & Impact
- Relationship strain & isolation.
- Work or study difficulties.
- Shame or self-blame.
- Changes in physical health or ability to relax.
- Increased use of substances, self-harming, or other unhelpful coping mechanisms.
- Day-to-day struggles in areas of safety, trust, intimacy, control, or self-esteem.
How Isaacs Psychology Helps You
We specialize in evidence-based and trauma-informed care to help you move beyond your trauma and reclaim a fulfilling life.
Trauma-Informed Assessment
We get to know you and your history in a manner that is focused on safety, pacing, and understanding the specific ways trauma has been impacting you and your life.
Evidence-Based Therapies
We utilize tried and trusted trauma therapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help process your experience and to update the narratives, thoughts, and feelings that keep you stuck.
Practical Coping Strategies
Developing safety, trust, and a general sense of calm are underpinnings of most trauma therapies. We hone in on these areas to help you build and practice immediate tools to return to a place of safety and trust, ground yourself, manage intense emotions, and restore your quality of life.