Traumatic Stress
Traumatic stress is where there has been an accumulation of traumatic experiences – such as in cases of bullying or other emotional or physical abuse where each incident is a trauma in itself. Or there may have been multiple traumas of different kinds.
Common indications are:
Issues around sleep:
Nightmares
Waking up more tired than when you went to bed
Not wanting to go to bed even though you are tired
Exhaustion and listlessness throughout the day – despite having slept all night
Feeling ‘spaced out’
Memory problems
An inability to concentrate
Problems with personal boundaries
Inexplicable aches, pains or symptoms
Feeling worse when you relax
Over-reacting to problems
Feeling very stressed, but not knowing why
Confusing fear and excitement
Signs of an exaggerated startle response – jittery movements, awkwardness.
Showing signs of a strong emotion e.g. anger without seeming to be aware of it – tone of voice, facial expression, choice of words…
Flashbacks or panic attacks
A feeling of living in the past.
“I could burn the house down and he wouldn’t say a word….”
“I could burn the house down and he wouldn't say a word, but if he makes a mistake, he can never forgive me for it” “I always know when my elder brother has messed up because he sits me down and spends a pleasant afternoon shouting at me for being a failure. He blames...
Why is Bereavement so difficult?
Here is an article Nayna has written on Bereavement: Click to view the PDF here.
The Enemy Within
The Enemy Within This blog post was first published by Women Empowered in their blog post GRIT. For their edited version please click here http://www.womenempowered.co.uk/november2017-no-one-ever-talks-about/ For the original - please read on: We’ve got a bully in our...
Book Recommendation – Living with the Dominator
Here is a book I would recommend to anybody. It was written by Pat Craven who as a probation officer ran workshops for male 'perpetrators' of violence against women and children She categorises different types of controlling behaviour and explains how to spot, avoid...
The Psychotherapy of Reflexology
In this downloadable article, I would like to explore how the body responds to issues which we haven’t been able to resolve and how understanding the way the nervous system holds these issues can help us better serve our clients. Click the post to Download (PDF)
Boundaries
You have to say no to bullies early on - Don't wait until they've got their hooks into you. Having to constantly put up with toxic behaviour can undermine your confidence ...
Where is the school bully now?
Most of us have witnessed or experienced bullying at some point in our adult lives and we know it isn't pleasant, but when we talk about bullying, most of us immediately think about our schooldays. But, What happens when that...
How Impala have Helped Us To Understand Our Anger
This article was first published by Women Empowered in GRIT their online blog. For their edited version please click here: https://www.womenempowered.co.uk/grit-july-2014-mind-body-and-soul-2/ For the original article, please read on: Have you ever wondered why...
Referring a client for psychotherapy
This article first appeared in the September 2012 on-line edition of Reflexions Extra published by The Association of Reflexologists. Stress comes in many guises and most clients who seek out reflexology come with the kinds of stresses which we are well able to...
Some people regard truth as “an eyesore spoiling an otherwise beautiful view” – Steve Biko*
Some People Regard Truth as “an eyesore spoiling an otherwise beautiful view” – Steve Biko* Isn’t it interesting how some people who have behaved badly, immediately set about pretending to themselves and to everybody else that they haven’t? And of course the first...