This is a topic that is very close to my heart and therefore I would like to share my thoughts with you: It is PTS(D).
There is a reason I put the “D” in brackets and I will elaborate on that:

Post Traumatic Stress is not a disorder!

Let’s look at an excerpt of the symptoms of PTS:

Intrusive memories such as: Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks), Avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the traumatic event,
Feeling detached from family and friends, always being on guard for danger, trouble sleeping, etc.
You can find an extended list of symptoms here

Why is that happening? Because the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) can’t distinguish between an actual threat and something that happened a while ago as long as the actual traumatic experience hasn’t been released from the body.
The ANS is kind of a warning system: Here is an analogy that explains what I mean:

Let’s say you drive your car and suddenly the red light of the oil supply lights up. As soon as possible you will drive to your garage. Will you ask them to remove the lamp? Of course not!
You’ll ask them to check the oil and make sure that the problem was taken care of and the red lamp won’t light up.

So the symptoms of PTS, are the “red lamp” of the ANS signalising that there’s something out of balance that needs to be taken care of….. and that means that the traumatic event needs to be addressed. When it has been resolved which can be a prolonged process depending on the gravity of the problem, the ANS will be rebalanced and the “red light” turned off.

The label “Disorder” makes it much more challenging for a person suffering from Post Traumatic Stress to reach out for help and therefore PTS must be de-stigmatised!

What are your thoughts about this important topic? Please leave a comment below.

Adi Assodri has been helping people release negative emotions, stress and trauma for over 20 years.
She has attended workshops in Europe and Israel to study with the best trainers available.
Through her expertise, experience, and years of studying numerous self-help techniques, Adi has developed her own unique approach to healing the body/mind.
She has also worked with elementary school children teaching them how to let go of negative emotions, and become more centered and joyful.