Beyond trauma: Healing from PTSD

With the right coaching, survivors can turn their traumatic experiences into personal strength, encouraging resilience and empowering them to continue their healing journey, says Dr Inga Mgaleli who manages the #Keready clinics in Sedibeng and Ekurhuleni regions of Gauteng.

The impact of a traumatic event can stay with someone for a long time, as we’ve seen in the previous article. Whether you have experienced it firsthand or have witnessed a traumatic event or accident, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can create an ongoing loop of fear, anxiety, and unwanted memories, making recovery more difficult.

Mgaleli highlights that avoidance is a significant symptom of PTSD. This behaviour alone can prevent people from acknowledging and disclosing traumatic events, leading to avoidance of health services, she explains.

She also points out that there is a stigma attached to mental illness, which comes with a lack of acknowledgement and negative attitudes towards people who have PTSD, resulting in poor health-seeking behaviours.

Dr Inga Mgaleli works with the #Keready in ekurhuleni, Gauteng. Photo: Dr James-Menyah-Artivor

Mgaleli says, “We need to transform our ways and challenge the stigma attached to mental illness so that survivors do not feel isolated.”

She acknowledges that PTSD can be challenging to treat, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, she advises, “The most important piece of advice I have is for one to collaborate with their mental health practitioner to find a treatment strategy that works for them.”

“One may need support from someone they trust to help them navigate the symptoms that may prevent them from getting help.”
Dr Inga Mgaleli

Recognising symptoms of PTSD

Mgaleli says some of the symptoms to identify someone living with PTSD are:

Intrusion may include repeated and involuntary memories, flashbacks and nightmares. These can be so vivid that one may feel like they are re-experiencing the traumatic event or watching it play out in front of their eyes.
Avoidance of triggers that may remind them of the traumatic event. These triggers include people, objects, surroundings, situations and even sounds.
Changes in mood and cognition: This may include vague memory of the traumatic event, negative thoughts such as fear and horror, distorted beliefs which manifest as guilt and shame, as well as feelings of detachment from self and others.
Changes in arousal and reactivity which includes irritability, outbursts, reckless behaviour, insomnia, difficulty with concentration and being suspicious of and anxious about surroundings.

She says, “Many people can experience similar symptoms after experiencing a traumatic event but for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, these symptoms need to persist for more than one month and must cause significant distress or impair function.”

Haunted by trauma: The unseen scars of PTSD

Counselling never goes out of fashion

KwaZulu Natal-based clinical psychologist Andile Mkhize acknowledges that while people may have unique experiences with PTSD, there are common manifestations that survivors often share.

Andile Mkhize, a clinical psychologist based in KZN, says PTSD will depend on the individual’s unique strengths, preferences, and treatment goals. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

These manifestations include:

Intrusive memories: Survivors may experience recurrent and distressing memories of the traumatic event, which can intrude into their thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks, causing significant distress and emotional arousal.

Avoidance behaviours: Individuals with PTSD often try to avoid reminders of the traumatic event, including places, people, activities, or situations that may trigger distressing memories or emotions. They may also avoid talking about the trauma altogether.

Negative changes in thinking and mood: PTSD can lead to negative changes in the survivor’s beliefs about themselves, others, or the world around them. They may experience persistent negative emotions such as fear, guilt, shame, or anger.

Hyperarousal symptoms: Survivors may experience heightened arousal and reactivity, including hypervigilance, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and exaggerated startle response.

Emotional numbing: Some individuals with PTSD may experience emotional numbing or detachment from others, feeling emotionally disconnected or detached from their surroundings.

Survivor’s guilt: In cases where others were harmed or did not survive the traumatic event, survivors may experience feelings of guilt or self-blame.

Physical symptoms: PTSD can manifest in physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach-aches, or other unexplained aches and pains.

“It’s important to note that not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, and individuals may vary in their response to traumatic events.”
Clinical psychologist Andile Mkhize

Mkhize notes that PTSD symptoms can vary in severity and may fluctuate over time, significantly impacting various aspects of a person’s life, including work, academics, relationships, physical health, emotional well-being, sleep, interpersonal conflicts, and quality of life.

“In my clinical experience as an educational psychologist, I’ve found that a combination of therapeutic approaches and interventions tailored to the individual’s unique needs can be effective in helping survivors cope with and manage symptoms of PTSD.”