Norfolk
Therapy
Services
Norfolk
Therapy
Services
Do I have PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a specific diagnosis based on a recognised pattern of symptoms. You may have been deeply affected by a traumatic experience without meeting all the criteria for PTSD. This doesn't make what happened or the difficulties you are experiencing any less real or deserving of support. You can still be traumatised without having PTSD.
Think about it like this.
Imagine you receive an unexpected bill through the post. You feel annoyed, frustrated and perhaps a little worried. Over the next few days those feelings begin to fade, and a week later it hardly bothers you at all. Your brain has processed the event, filed it away and moved on.
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Trauma is different. Instead of being filed away like an ordinary memory, the event becomes “stuck”. Rather than fading with time, your nervous system continues to react as though the danger is still present. You may find yourself reliving the event, avoiding reminders of it, or feeling anxious and on edge without fully understanding why.
Think about it like this:
Imagine you receive an unexpected bill through the post. You feel annoyed, frustrated and perhaps a little worried. Over the next few days those feelings begin to fade, and a week later it hardly bothers you at all. Your brain has processed the event, filed it away and moved on.
​
Trauma is different. Instead of being filed away like an ordinary memory, the event becomes “stuck”. Rather than fading with time, your nervous system continues to react as though the danger is still present. You may find yourself reliving the event, avoiding reminders of it, or feeling anxious and on edge without fully understanding why.
Why trauma can feel as if it is happening now
During a traumatic experience, the brain focuses on survival rather than organising the event as an ordinary memory.
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As a result, parts of the experience (such as images, sounds, sensations and emotions) can remain disconnected from their time and place.
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When something later resembles one of those details, the brain may recognise danger without recognising that the danger is over. It activates the same fear and physical alarm response, making the trauma feel as though it is happening now rather than being remembered from the past.
Why trauma can feel as if it is happening now
During a traumatic experience, the brain focuses on survival rather than organising the event as an ordinary memory.
​
As a result, parts of the experience (such as images, sounds, sensations and emotions) can remain disconnected from their time and place.
​
When something later resembles one of those details, the brain may recognise danger without recognising that the danger is over. It activates the same fear and physical alarm response, making the trauma feel as though it is happening now rather than being remembered from the past.
Why trauma can feel as if it is happening now
Why trauma can feel as if it is happening now
During a traumatic experience, the brain focuses on survival rather than organising the event as an ordinary memory.
​
As a result, parts of the experience (such as images, sounds, sensations and emotions) can remain disconnected from their time and place.
​
When something later resembles one of those details, the brain may recognise danger without recognising that the danger is over. It activates the same fear and physical alarm response, making the trauma feel as though it is happening now rather than being remembered from the past.
During a traumatic experience, the brain focuses on survival rather than organising the event as an ordinary memory.
​
Images, sounds, sensations and emotions can remain disconnected from their original time and place.
​
When something later resembles one of these details, the brain may detect danger without recognising that it is over. The same alarm response is activated, making the trauma feel as though it is happening right now.
How Triggers Develop:
• Everyday memory
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Imagine receiving an unexpected bill. You might initially feel worried or frustrated, but as your brain processes what happened, those feelings gradually fade and the event becomes part of the past.
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• A traumatic memory
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After a trauma, such as a road traffic accident, the memory may not feel safely stored away. Sights, sounds or physical sensations connected with the accident can trigger the same fear and bodily reactions—as though it were happening again, right now.
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• Why some triggers seem unexpected
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It may make sense that driving feels frightening afterwards. What can be more confusing is being triggered by a sunny day, a particular song or another detail you barely noticed at the time when you experienced the trauma.
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An everyday memory:
An unexpected bill may initially make you worried or frustrated. As your brain processes what happened, those feelings settle and the event becomes part of the past.
A traumatic memory:
After a road traffic accident, driving may understandably feel frightening. But the details you barely noticed (bright sunshine, a song or a physical sensation) can also become linked with danger. Encountering them later may trigger the same fear and bodily alarm, even though you are safe.