Many people think of war and natural disasters when they think of PTSD. While these experiences can result in PTSD, PTSD is not limited to these experiences.

PTSD is a mental health condition that can happen when a person is exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation by either:

• • Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s):

Eg.Victim of a sexual or physical assault, experiencing bullying, becoming seriously ill

• • Witnessing, in person, the traumatic event(s) as they occurred to others:

Eg. Witnessing a motor vehicle accident or an assault

• • Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or a close friend:

Eg. Losing a loved one to Covid-19

• • Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s):

Eg. Working as a first responder or a caregiver to someone who has experienced trauma.

Many of these symptoms are a natural response to trauma. If they are persistent, last for more than a month, and impair various areas of your life, it’s possible that you’re experiencing PTSD.

Not everyone experiences all of these symptoms and some people find some symptoms more distressing then others. At your first appointment, we’ll review your symptoms to see how the trauma has affected your life. Then we’ll develop a plan to target these areas specifically.

The reason we love working with PTSD is because it is a highly treatable condition! Much research has been done to find out what therapies are most effective at helping you process and heal from trauma. When research supports the effects of a therapy, it is called evidence-based.

At New Moon Psychotherapy we only offer evidence-based therapies to help you feel better. This includes:

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for PTSD (DBT-PTSD)

Sensorimotor and Somatic Psychotherapy

It may not feel that way now but it IS possible to feel better.