Introduction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects people who have experienced or seen a traumatic event. Trauma does not affect everyone equally. Some people have high susceptibility to developing PTSD, while some people are resistant to developing the condition.

Symptoms of PTSD are pretty disturbing and tremendously affect a person’s life. These include flashbacks, fear, nightmares, anxiety, and escaping triggers that remind you about the trauma. The symptoms greatly impact a person’s everyday life and ability to function. Therapy, medicine, and self-care methods are among the treatment alternatives.

Homeopathy is known for management of mental health disorders, including PTSD. As the homeopathic approach considers detailed history it reduces painful memories, improves optimistic thoughts, and helps with improved physical and emotional responses.

Role of Homeopathy in PTSD

The benefit of using homeopathy for PTSD is that it will not make you dependent on medicines. These medicines cure you without any adverse effects. The best part is these natural medicines do not slow down your natural physiological processes and make you dull.

Top five medicines for PTSD

Ignatia amara (Ign.)

Common name: St. Ignatius bean

Ignatia is one of the best homeopathic medicines for PTSD where the person broods over past incidents. The thoughts of past traumatic events keep crossing his mind. Sadness, changeable mood, depressing feelings, and weeping spells are keynote symptoms of Ignatia.

Ignatia is a very good remedy for PTSD after the unexpected death of a loved one. This homeopathic remedy is given to people who often desire to be alone and have an aversion to talking. Marked hopelessness with anxiety, and fear are indications of this remedy. Ignatia treats PTSD with aversion to amusement, and sleeplessness.

Natrum muriaticum ( Nat-m.)

Common name: Chloride of sodium

Natrum muriaticum is a homeopathic remedy for PTSD with depression. These people often brood and recall past painful events or isolate themselves after a stressful, disappointing event. There is indifference towards mental and physical work.

Nat. mur. constitution is irritable, hasty, and weeps alone after PTSD. These people get angry when someone tries to console them. This remedy is indicated for disappointments in love, after which a person feels afraid to trust others and form new relationships.

Sepia officinalis (Sep.)

Common name: Inky juice of cuttlefish

Sepia officinalis is a good homeopathic remedy for PTSD. It is suited for people who show an aversion to family and friends after traumatic events. This is indicated for women who develop an aversion to sympathy. These women become indifferent towards their appearance, kids, and household chores.

Sepia acts well on people who feel helpless after a traumatic event and experience frequent weeping episodes. There is tremendous anxiety with fear, irritability, and flushes of heat in the evening.

Aurum metallicum (Aur.)

Common name: Metallic gold

Aurum metallicum is one of the excellent treatments for PTSD with suicidal thoughts. These people often feel self-condemnation and worthlessness. Aurum met. is indicated in the case of intense depression with hopelessness and disgust for life. These people feel their future is dark and don’t find any desire to live; hence, there is a desire for death.

However, there is a great fear of death in these people. Aurum met. treats PTSD with sensitivity to noise, excitement, and confusion.

Staphysagria (Staph.)

Common name: Stavesacre

Staphysagria is a homeopathic medicine for PTSD after some sexual or physical abuse. This is indicated for people who dwell on past unpleasant sexual events. These people prefer to be alone after a traumatic event. There is a history of suppressed anger; when the patient expresses anger, they tend to throw or break things.

Staphysagria helps those people with PTSD, where a person feels guilt, self-pity and worthlessness with depression. This remedy is for people who are sensitive to other’s opinions about them. It makes them sad and hypochondriacal.

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Causes of PTSD

A person develops post-traumatic stress disorder after going through, seeing, or learning about an incident like a near-death experience, serious injury, or sexual violation. Although there is not a fixed reason for developing PTSD, it’s probably a complex mix of:

  • Stressful experiences, such as the amount and degree of trauma the person has experienced in his life.
  • Inherited mental health risk factors, including a family history of anxiety, phobia, depression, and other mental health disorders.
  • A person’s inherited personality traits, often known as temperament.
  • How a person’s brain controls the chemicals and hormones produced by his body in response to stress.

Symptoms of PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may appear within one month after a stressful experience, or they can manifest after years. These symptoms impact a person’s social, professional, and romantic relationships. They may also make routine activities challenging. The severity of PTSD symptoms can change with time or from one person to another.

The symptoms of PTSD appear in four types:

1.   Intrusive memories

  • Frequent, repeated, and unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic incident.
  • Flashbacks of traumatic events. The horrific experience is relieved as though it is happening again.
  • Disturbing nightmares or dreams about the traumatic incident.
  • Severe mental distress or adverse physical responses to things that remind of terrible traumatic incidents.

2.   Avoidance

  • Trying to avoid recalling or discussing the painful incident.
  • Avoiding things, people, places, or situations that make the person think about the traumatic event.

3.   Negative changes in mood and thinking

  • Pessimistic thoughts about self, or surrounding people.
  • Feeling hopeless about the future.
  • Memory troubles like not being able to remember details of traumatic events.
  • Difficulty in having intimate relationships, especially after sexual violation events.
  • The feeling of detachment from family and loved ones.
  • Indifference towards activities, the person once enjoyed.
  • Difficulty in thinking good and positive about life.
  • Feeling emotionally numb.

4.   Changes in physical and emotional response

  • Getting started or frightened easily
  • Fear of unknown danger
  • Self-destructive traits like too much smoking, drinking, or driving fast
  • Insomnia
  • Difficulty in concentration
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Anger outbursts
  • Irritability
  • Feeling guilty or shame

Treatment of PTSD

Treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder helps a person regain control over life. Psychotherapy is the main form of treatment. However, it may also involve medicines.

Psychotherapy

  • Cognitive therapy

This therapy helps identify the cognitive patterns (ways of thinking) that keep a person stuck, such as negative self-perceptions and the fear of recurring traumatic events. It helps the person evaluate and change the disturbing thoughts reminding of traumatic events. Cognitive therapy is often used with exposure therapy for PTSD.

  • Exposure therapy

This behavioral therapy supports a person in safely confronting memories and events that make a person feel uncomfortable so they can develop appropriate coping mechanisms. Particularly flashbacks and nightmares respond well to exposure therapy. One such method involves using virtual reality applications that let a person reenter the setting of the trauma he experienced.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

One can process painful memories and alter how to respond to them using EMDR. It combines exposure therapy and a series of guided eye movements.

Conclusion

Several people experience trauma every day across the globe. Some can overcome trauma, while others are stuck with traumatic memories.  One incident cannot define your existence. Everyone deserves a happy and thriving life.

So why give a chance to past trauma to traumatize you further? Take control of your emotions and mind with homeopathy before you hit rock bottom.

References

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