Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs when a person experiences or is witness to an event they perceive as life-threatening, shocking or distressing. Not only can it affect a person’s mental state, but it can significantly diminish functioning in the body. Women have unique experiences pertaining to PTSD, because they are more likely to experience child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. 

 

Trauma can both be physical and emotional, and often causes symptoms such as unwanted intrusive thoughts and memories, detachment from the body (dissociation), negative thoughts about the self, hypervigilance, nightmares, sleep disturbance and anger. Many times this disorder will coincide with other disorders such as Major Depression, Anxiety and Substance Use. Being stuck in fight, flight or freeze response may keep you from doing everyday activities, and sometimes it may feel like a surreal experience or like you are outside of yourself watching your life.

 

Jars of Clay specializes in treating women facing the daily challenges of trauma and can support you in feeling safe in your body again. Trauma can be overwhelming to process, but recovery and a return to normal functioning is completely possible. We will use a combination of strategies to help regulate your nervous system, create stability in your mental state, and produce an overall sense of well-being so that scars won’t hurt anymore.