You know PTSD well. And you know you need help to overcome it.
First, realize that there’s no shame in relapse… just an opportunity to reach out, recover, and recommit to your own health and wellbeing during this time. Let’s examine your discomfort, signs, and symptoms, as well as the kinds of treatment options that will help restore your recovery.
What Exactly Is PTSD Relapse?
Generally, relapse is the experience of reliving and reacting to your previous trauma, usually as a result of a trigger.
A person, current incident, or specific environment can spark a cascade of reaction. This can set you back as you return to emotions, upset, and discomfort much like what you experienced when the trauma first occurred.
As this persists, the situation can be startling and discouraging, especially if you’ve made a lot of progress in your recovery. The upheaval can further stress you and exacerbate shame, unproductive rumination, and withdrawal.
What Does PTSD Relapse Look Like?
As with your original PTSD experience, relapse signs and symptoms vary from one person to the next. Still, there are commonalities. Typically, they include one or more of these signs:
Flashbacks and nightmares
Anxiousness or fear
Difficulty concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Fatigue
Social isolation and avoidance
Overall intense negative emotions
Inability to control emotions
Strong physical reactions to triggers
It’s important to realize that trying to power through PTSD relapse has the potential to be damaging for you and your relationships. You will likely endure greater sensitivity, vulnerability, and anxiety related to your traumatic past.
Furthermore, such mental and emotional strain can show up in your body too. You might be coping with new physical maladies or exacerbated pre-existing conditions. Your resurgence of PTSD symptoms might be fostering the following
Cardiovascular problems
Blood pressure issues
Diabetes
Chronic pain
Digestive trouble
Insomnia
Sexual or reproductive problems
In addition, any other comorbid mental or behavioral problems you have, such as substance abuse, eating disorder, or depression may be subject to relapse as well.
What causes PTSD Relapse?
To be clear, the possibility of PTSD relapse can happen anytime. However, challenges to your recovery deserve attention. Stressors must be acknowledged to ensure future treatment is effective and provides lasting stability.
For example, consider these stressors that may trigger you and impact your recovery:
Constant media reports about the political climate and related traumatic events
Ongoing and repetitive discussions with concerned loved ones about the political climate and related problems
Pressure by community, occupation, and government authorities.
The uncertainty of perpetual or imminent danger to your health and body
Disconnect and loneliness due to isolation
Stress brings with it a sense that we’ve lost control. It’s no surprise that these feelings reawaken similar emotions from your past. And there’s no shame in that reality.
The key now is to reclaim your recovery.
How You Can Resume Recovery...Whatever the Circumstances
It’s very likely that you are feeling discouraged or demoralized right now. You may have even returned to old avoidance strategies you used as self-protection before you started PTSD treatment. But don’t give up.
The idea now is to stay forward-focused. To get back on track, recommit to healing in a supportive, safe atmosphere with people who understand. How to do that? Regular and productive online or in person counseling is paramount. A recovery plan is vital as well.
TREATMENT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THREE KEY FACTORS:
Recognition of Relapse Opportunity
Relapse is a stress test for your recovery process. You recognized the return of old problems and the failure of certain coping mechanisms. That's not all bad. Relapse can be viewed as an opportunity to shore up those weak spots and improve your emotional development with skills you may not have known you needed.
Return to Recovery
Deciding to get better again is growth. Releasing shame to reach out for help is maturity. This is how you will mesh what you know works with new approaches for relief and restoration.
This won't be a solo mission. Just as you implemented guidance before, you'll need the support of your therapist. Via online or in person counseling, mindfulness techniques, and guided bodywork, you can begin recovery again.
Resilience Building
Resiliency comes through learning to persevere. Relapse is a lesson. Take heart in the idea of becoming stronger and wiser.
Your treatment process will deepen and support new insights as you reflect on the patterns, thoughts, and sensations that returned and why. With support, you'll be able to recognize and productively respond to old thoughts and reactions. Your new knowledge about yourself will empower you to set goals and continue replacing unhelpful, trauma-based thoughts with productive ones.
PTSD treatment takes twists and turns, it is a rollercoaster you didn’t see coming. Give yourself some grace, realize that relapse is temporary. Then, reach out for some stabilizing support, and accept that your journey to healing is simply your own. Don’t judge it or beat yourself up. Just keep going.
We’re here for you.
If you would like support and are looking for a psychotherapist, please contact us for a free consultation to learn about how we can be of service.
Learn more about our PTSD treatment. Serving Boulder, Longmont and Denver.
