Posts by Stanley Wipfli

PTSD Versus Trauma: How Do They Differ?

Many tend to link trauma directly to post-traumatic stress disorder, especially when both have an overlap in their symptoms and have similar names. Even if someone experiences trauma, it does not always mean they will form PTSD; both have differences in severity, duration, and treatments. Regardless of the traumatic events that have occurred, or if…

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Top Misconceptions About Trauma Busted

Even if it is a common universal experience, trauma isn’t something most want to or care to talk about. As a society, we tend to associate trauma with some kind of physical harm, like domestic violence or sexual abuse, but trauma comes in many different forms that can stay deep within an individual for their…

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How To Know If You Need To See A Therapist

“You should go to therapy” is a phrase that often feels like an insult or some sort of punishment. We might say it angrily in an argument or to someone that upsets us. Viewing therapy negatively, or when used as a weapon, creates a stigma in society instead of looking at the potential of what…

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Things You Should Not Say To Someone With PTSD

Someone who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) deals with an exhausting reality when living on edge and in a hypervigilant state. Triggers like bright lights, crowds, or loud noises can all set off awful flashbacks and cause debilitating symptoms. Over time, exhaustion from constant anxiety may cause someone with PTSD to shut down and…

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Finding And Choosing the Right Therapist For You: A Guide

Finding a therapist can be challenging. Your therapist is someone you’ll need to be comfortable with because you will be working through some uncomfortable topics. When we are feeling our best, we don’t look for counseling, and at our low points, finding a therapist can feel frustrating or hopeless. The bond you form with your…

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What Is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is closely related to the traditional post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many people are familiar with. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder developed after someone has experienced a traumatic event, and it affects nearly 7% of people in the United States. Medical professionals first recognized this anxiety condition as affecting war veterans.…

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What You Need To Know About Trauma

What is trauma? Few people go through life without experiencing it somehow. Trauma is a person’s emotional response to a distressing experience. Unlike ordinary everyday hardships, traumatic events are typically very sudden, unpredictable, or pose a serious threat to someone’s life, and feel beyond a person’s control. Events that are traumatic to the degree they…

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The Biggest Myths About PTSD Debunked

There are plenty of myths and misconceptions surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma comes in multiple forms, and anyone who has witnessed a terrifying, shocking, or life-threatening experience can develop this mental illness. Unfortunately most people will experience trauma to some extent in their lives, but not all trauma leads to developing PTSD. PTSD is…

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How To Support A Loved One Who Has Experienced Trauma

Whether your loved one is a child or an adult, traumatic experiences have lasting effects that can interfere their everyday lives and those around them. Trauma impairs a person’s ability to reason and heightens the brain’s fear and stress responses. Seeing, hearing, or even smelling something can trigger the brain to associate it with a…

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Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) Explained

According to a report from the University of Pennsylvania, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts approximately 8% of the population. However, this complex and challenging disorder can be treated. There are proven long-term treatments that can help individuals who have PTSD get their lives back. Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) is an empirically-validated treatment based on cognitive…

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