Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as: “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while, but they don’t have PTSD — with time and good self-care, they usually get better. But if the symptoms get worse or last for months or even years and interfere with your functioning, you may have PTSD.
Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reduce symptoms and improve function.”
To me the main factor involved in PTSD is the issue of getting stuck in fight or flight. There are a lot of reasons for this and among them are genetics and social and environmental factors that can predispose us to the situation. It seems to have reached epidemic proportions worldwide and at it’s core it is fueled by fear. When we go into fight or flight and then the autonomic nervous system gets stuck in the sympathetic mode(fight or flight) we experience the fear associated with the survival instinct for extended periods of time. Fight or flight is all about survival and the most effective strategy in survival is to produce extreme fear which then serves as the prime motivator to survive. The body cooperates by shifting into a gear that allows us to mobilize ourselves to increase our chances of survival. The fear is very specific and since it is connected to survival it is the fear of dying. It is a very positive strategy when used temporarily in necessary situations but becomes a problem when the nervous system gets stuck in that mode and continues to generate degrees of the fear and corresponding physical, mental and emotional changes. This can go on for years and symptoms can vary greatly but when the symptoms are extreme as defined by the Mayo Clinic we call it PTSD. The truth is that real or imagined situations can produce this condition.
Mindfulness deals with PTSD in a very specific and effective way. The main coping mechanism for going into fight or flight is our ability to disconnect from the present moment by disconnecting from ourselves…meaning our bodies/emotions/thoughts. It’s a very effective way of protecting ourselves from the anticipated pain and suffering that we assume will be coming our way from a survival situation, real or imagined. The problem arises when due to getting stuck in fight or flight we also get stuck in the disconnection strategy. As long as we are disconnected the body assumes there is danger and remains in fight or flight. When we reconnect the body assumes the danger is over and comes out of fight or flight leaving the fear behind. Mindfulness is the process of reconnecting. In mindfulness practice we pay attention very specifically to our physical sensations, thoughts emotions and breath in the present moment. We actually reverse the very same phenomena that occurs when we disconnect to protect ourselves. In so doing, we sound the all clear message to the mind/body which then proceeds to take us out of fight or flight and back into balance. From there mindfulness affords us the opportunity to more fully appreciate and experience our lives.