The Pitfalls of PTSD and The Path to Recovery
- Brainz Magazine
- Feb 5
- 8 min read
Eszter Noble is an RTT® practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Coach, specializing in anxiety, fears, and depression. Her method utilizes the most effective techniques from CBT, NLP, psychotherapy, and hypnotherapy, with the ability to provide freedom from any issues and deliver permanent, lasting solutions.
Let’s begin by providing some brief context. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It is often characterized by intense, distressing thoughts and feelings related to the traumatic experience that persist long after the event has ended.
Something that most definitions neglect to mention, however, is that it’s not really about what happened but more about how you interpret it. That’s not to point fingers or blame victims; however, it is incredibly important how you understand and perceive a situation. I had the opportunity to help a woman who displayed all the usual signs of PTSD after her parent verbally mistreated her. It doesn’t always have to be a warzone; the battlefield can look different for everyone.
It’s very backward
PTSD patients often experience flashbacks due to a neurological process that occurs during traumatic events. When a person undergoes severe trauma, their brain becomes flooded with cortisol, a stress hormone. This surge of cortisol disrupts normal memory processing by severing the communication between the frontal lobe and the cerebellum. As a result, the traumatic memory is stored incorrectly in the cerebellum instead of the frontal lobe.
This misplaced memory becomes too large to be properly processed through normal pathways, leading to flashbacks. PTSD is essentially a "memory filing error" caused by the brain's protective response during trauma. The brain prioritizes immediate survival functions over memory processing, leading to incomplete integration of the traumatic experience into normal memory systems.
PTSD is, of course, a very complex condition, but it’s even more fascinating once we become aware of what happens in the mind and how the survival mechanisms work during a traumatic event. The intrusive thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks are also there to remind us never to go back to the horrible situation that caused the trauma in the first place. It’s meant as a warning sign, something to keep us safe, all the while it’s causing more anguish and agony, while keeping the sufferer stuck in an unbearable situation. Unfortunately, the mind's number one priority is survival and not personal well-being. Understanding flashbacks as a neurological consequence of trauma rather than a personal failing is crucial for PTSD patients and their recovery.
You can never be sure
With most things in life, but especially with treating PTSD, it’s important to keep an open mind. Very often, clients will come to me claiming they know exactly what caused their PTSD. I listen attentively and subsequently prepare my shovel to dig deeper.
A few years ago, a young lady was referred to me with PTSD. Sure enough, in the first session, she told me that she had been raped, and that is the memory and issue she wants to work through. She was very hesitant initially to revisit the memory, but I could already sense that we would be going way further back in time to a different scene altogether. It turned out that she was neglected as a child, living with her divorced narcissistic mother who was not in tune with her daughter’s needs at all. Often, she was left in dangerous situations alone as a child, leading her to feel incredibly unsafe, vulnerable and unlovable. The scene of the rape did not even come up during the hypnosis session, but rather the repeated neglect and the ongoing emotional abuse she was submitted to for years growing up. Upon further investigation, we understood that the partner in question responsible for the physical abuse bore an astonishing resemblance in character to the mother. My client was drawn to what was familiar to her.
The mind is truly fascinating, and it doesn’t like loose ends or inexplicable circumstances. When we experience something of the sort, something baffling that we can’t explain, we will inadvertently seek out similar situations to finally make sense of it and to put a happy ending to it. Don’t believe me? Have you ever asked yourself: “Oh, why do I keep making the same mistake over and over again?”
Deep down, we all have a somewhat desperate need for understanding and closure; it’s normal.
Labels, more dangerous than events
We go to the specialist, the doctor hoping to get a cure, freedom from the problem or at the very least a treatment plan. The one thing we are guaranteed to walk away with is a big fat label, though. You have complex PTSD, you have severe anxiety, you suffer from developmental trauma, you name it. Some say that it’s good to give the culprit a name, but I have to advise against embracing the label, repeating it and in some cases wearing it like some badge of honour.
PTSD is very real, trauma is truly distressing, and anxiety can be crippling, but it is up to us how we deal with it and how much space we give it in our lives. Sounds harsh? Perhaps, but consider the following. You could have access to the best doctors in the world, have the most amazing specialists available, and provide the best care, but if you are not willing to allow the treatment, you won’t have a chance to recover.
Allow me to bring some nuance into this slightly bleak, black-and-white picture I painted. If someone chooses to ‘hang on’ to a condition or an illness, they are getting something from it. They may feel loved when family and friends empathise, feel significant when doctors say how severe their case is, or perhaps it provides an excuse, a way not to take responsibility. Please understand that this will be an agenda of the subconscious mind trying to meet a need. I appreciate how hard to hear this may be, it’s very complex, that’s why getting help is crucial.
Something very important that you can already start to do today is to reframe the meaning of the event and your perception of it. I worked with a veteran who lost a friend on the battlefield. For years he told himself that it was his fault that his friend died. Once we reviewed the scene in hypnosis, he understood that there was nothing he could have done to get a better outcome and carrying around that tremendous amount of guilt would not bring his friend back either. He also understood that his friend wouldn’t want him to live like this and it’s ok to move forward. Moving on doesn’t mean that we forget what happened, but rather not allowing the past to define the future. The way he was living meant that actually two lives were lost that day, instead of one.
Never be invested in your suffering
When we are dealing with a difficult situation in our lives, we have to remember that whatever we are not changing, we are choosing. Now, this will not always be obvious to us, but the fact is that we have a choice much more often than we would like to admit.
Something else to consider is what this situation or problem is doing for you. Some time ago, I nearly worked with a family friend who had chronic pain and insomnia. We spoke a few times, but right before we were due to have our session, she backed out. As she was a family friend, I had a fairly good understanding of what she had been through, but unfortunately, she was not ready to unpack all the issues. More importantly, I realised not long after that all these issues were a massive part of her identity. She was the one to worry about. If she wasn’t in bed with pain, you could most certainly find her in the doctor’s office or picking up pills. Without these problems, she probably couldn’t get her son to drive 8 hours to see her, she wouldn’t get as many concerned phone calls, and her partner wouldn’t make as much time to be around her.
The pain was doing something for her, helping her meet a need and she was not ready to let it go. How could she? Who would she be without all these ailments? That was a question she did not have an answer to, nor was she prepared to explore that mysterious and unfamiliar path.
Do most of us deal with difficult situations throughout our lives? Do we have to deal with trauma and adversity? Absolutely. However, the somewhat harsh truth is that once we are ready to take control of our lives and leave the pity party, we become more accountable for our choices and actions. It can be scary; it can feel like jumping out of a plane without a parashoot, but you can either dwell and live in the past or create a new life for yourself.
The light at the end of the tunnel
PTSD is a very complex condition, but at the end of the day, our healing always starts with us. The reality is that even if we have wonderful people supporting us, we need to do the work ourselves. So, what are some strategies we can implement? What should be addressed first?
The 4 pillars of PTSD recovery are
1. Working on releasing guilt
Practice self-compassion: Treating yourself with kindness and understanding, as you would a friend facing similar emotions, can be a great way to start. Another great technique I love is looking at yourself in the mirror or looking to your left, picturing the much younger, innocent version of you. Would you be able to use the same harsh language you use with yourself?
Challenge negative beliefs: Identify and address negative beliefs that may not be grounded in facts. Challenging a belief is the first step to taking away its power over you.
Focus on what you can control: Redirect your energy towards aspects of your life that you can influence rather than ruminating on things beyond your control. This will take some practice.
2. Putting an end to the shame & blame
Most of the points above are valid here as well, but you can also consider the following.
Reframe your narrative: Work on transforming self-blame into a more compassionate and understanding perspective. Recognize that you were not responsible for the traumatic event.
Share your experiences: Open up about your feelings to trusted friends, family members, or support groups. This can help reduce isolation and provide a sense of connection and safety.
Gradually confront triggers: With the guidance of a therapist, you can work on facing situations or memories that trigger shame or blame and progressively release them.
3. Empower yourself
Your pain and suffering are 100% valid, but after you acknowledge and feel your feelings, realistically, you have to be your own saviour and have the strength to work through it for your own sake. You need to take control and embark on your healing journey.
Engage in physical activity: Regular exercise, like yoga or running, can ease anxiety, depression, and stress while improving sleep and emotional regulation.
Reward yourself: Acknowledge your progress and be kind to yourself as you work through your challenges. We don’t give ourselves enough grace or encouragement. That has to change.
Use positive coping actions: Engage in activities that bring you joy, practice relaxation methods, and focus your attention on positive pursuits. Being creative can be extremely beneficial as well.
4. Have a future-forward attitude
It’s incredibly important to give space to your feelings, to deal with them but not to dwell. There has to be a balance between addressing what happened and then moving on.
Practice specific future thinking: Spend time each day imagining positive future events in detail. This can help combat the tendency to have reduced specificity in future thinking.
Set goals and make plans: Focus on creating short-term and long-term goals, which can help counteract feelings of a limited future often associated with PTSD.
By implementing these strategies, you can take an active role in your healing journey and empower yourself to manage PTSD symptoms more effectively. It starts and ends with you!
Read more from Eszter Noble
Eszter Noble, Clinical Hypnotherapist & Coach
Eszter Noble is an established Clinical Hypnotherapist using the RTT® (Rapid Transformational Therapy) method, trained by world-renowned hypnotherapist Marisa Peer. She is known for dealing with extremely difficult cases and clients who have been stuck for years and who have tried it all. Specializing in anxiety, fears, and depression, she is extremely intuitive and honest, dedicated to empowering her clients to become the best possible versions of themselves. Offering her expertise in English, German, and Hungarian, Eszter’s mission is to take the taboo out of therapy.
