For many people with PTSD, avoidance is often viewed as way to cope with intrusive thoughts, feelings, emotions and memories. However, avoidance is a symptom of PTSD, not an effective means of coping long-term.  Avoidance maintains the stress disorder.  You have probably noticed that avoidance works temporarily. But we know it prevents the processing of the trauma that is needed for recovery from PTSD.

Trauma refers to a deeply distressing or upsetting experience that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. It’s defined as “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.” There are lots of examples of trauma, from childhood physical and sexual abuse, to natural disasters, to motor vehicle accidents , to combat, to domestic violence and more. Fortunately, for individuals who have experienced trauma, there are many effective treatments that the therapists at Gabriel Counseling Services provide including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for trauma (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

A simple coping skill that brings you back to the here-and-now by using your five senses.