Since WW1 we have come a long way in the treatment of trauma
On the eve of ANZAC day I saw a TV interview during which a man spoke about his grandfather’s traumatic experience during WW1. The man said his grandfather had spent the rest of his life in an institution because of the aftereffects of shell shock. The story reminded me of how far we’ve come with helping people overcome the effects of traumatic experiences.
Shell shock was a term first coined in WW1 to describe traumatised soldiers. The condition got its name because it was thought to be caused by being exposed to exploding shells. The name stuck even thought people who had never fought anywhere near shelling also suffered the same symptoms.
The term ‘Shell Shock’ is no longer used today, having been replaced by the more accurate descriptor – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is the name given to a range of symptoms an individual may develop in response to experiencing a traumatic event (or events), which is (are) outside of their normal everyday experience.
Psychological Trauma
Trauma can (and does) happen to anyone of us at any time. Simply explained it is a normal reaction to an abnormal experience.
Research indicates that five in a hundred men and ten in a hundred women will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime and up to 30% of people exposed to a stressful event or situation of a threatening nature will go on to develop PTSD. Why?
Typical Causes
Typical events that can cause PTSD include:
- Accident
- Domestic Violence
- Workplace and Domestic Bullying
- Physical and Verbal Assaults
- Sexual Abuse
- Fire, Plane or Rail Crash
- Combat and Terrorism Experience
Consequences
The effects of PTSD can be overwhelming and have long lasting consequences, disrupting and disabling people’s lives. People can suffer terror on a daily basis from events that sometimes happened years before. The symptoms can limit a person’s ability to work, maintain relationships and stay healthy.
Healing Haunted Minds
The good news is that recent advances in the psychological treatment of PTSD means that there are a number of effective treatments available today, to help free people from PTSD. Treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and the REWIND Technique.
The REWIND Technique
The REWIND Technique is the method I use in my coaching practice. As a certified REWIND practitioner I've used the technique to help dozens of people recover from trauma and phobias and to get back to leading full and fulfilling lives without their own brain terrorising them. It’s such a joy to see the change that the REWIND Technique can bring to people.
The technique works by allowing the traumatised individual, whilst in a safe and relaxed state to reprocess the traumatic memory in question so that it becomes stored as an ordinary, albeit unpleasant, and non-threatening memory, rather than one that continually activates a terror response. The individual is asked to revisit the traumatic event(s), but, most importantly from a detached and safe distance, watching the events unfold mentally through a television screen providing an emotional distance between themselves and the event in question.
I choose to use the Rewind Technique because not only is it effective, it's:
- totally safe and painless. No harm can come to people by using this technique.
- non voyeuristic. I do not need to hear or know any of the details of the traumatic experience in order to guide an individual through the process.
- fast. Relief can be experienced after just one REWIND session.
Learn More about the REWIND technique ...
The UK's Human Givens Institute is just one of many organisations around the world that now use the REWIND technique extensively and you can read more about the technique and the evidence in support of the technique's effectiveness here.
What Next?
If you are suffering with trauma, PTSD or an unwanted phobia then the Rewind Technique could provide the solution and relief you've been looking for. You can contact me on 021 056 8389, email tony@tycoaching.nz or use the Book Now button to schedule your REWIND session.
Wishing you a safe, relaxing week.
Go well
Tony
REMEMBER - "When you change your mind you change your life."
Tony helps individuals to harness the power of their mind to achieve success and well-being in life, work and business. Tony's particular area of expertise lies in helping people to 'change their minds' so they overcome limiting beliefs and unhelpful habits and gain freedom from worry, anxiety and stress. Tony’s solution focused approach to coaching uses a range of techniques drawn from the fields of co-active coaching, hypnosis, positive psychology and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
