Posts by Stanley Wipfli

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…

“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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…