Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric condition that results from a sudden traumatic event. After the triggering event, trauma survivors may experience difficulty trusting or communicating with others. These issues can accompany other symptoms that can make close relationships extremely challenging. Scroll down to find out more about PTSD and relationships, and ways you and your partner can move forward.
PTSD and Relationships
What Is PTSD?
PTSD may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a sudden traumatic event. These events can vary widely, including a natural disaster, a serious accident or injury, sexual violence, or an act of war, combat, or terrorism. And while you may know PTSD in military terms – it’s sometimes referred to as “shell shock” or “combat fatigue” – PTSD doesn’t just apply to veterans. The American Psychiatric Association reports that PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, with an estimated 1 in 11 people diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. PTSD can affect people of all ages, cultures, and genders, creating a range of relationship difficulties.
What Does PTSD Feel Like?
To understand PTSD and relationships, it’s crucial for partners to understand how PTSD affects others. Medical News Today explains that people with PTSD may have intense, disturbing thoughts related to their traumatic experience. Some PTSD sufferers may feel sad, angry, or fearful; others may experience deeply troubling flashbacks or nightmares. People with PTSD may also create “rules” for themselves, avoiding certain scenarios that may elicit a strong negative reaction. These scenarios could range from physical touch to something as seemingly simple as a trip to the grocery store.
How Does PTSD Affect Relationships?
Trauma survivors with PTSD may have a hard time relaxing or being intimate with others. This can stem from a feeling of detachment or numbness, as well as feelings of fear or guilt around the traumatic event. People with PTSD often express reduced interest in things that used to bring them joy, which can mean reduced social or sexual contact with romantic partners. Additionally, the trauma survivor may have trauma memories or flashbacks, which can be particularly disruptive for traumatized sexual assault survivors. Finally, survivors may have trouble with everyday activities like sleeping, getting out of bed, or keeping up with personal hygiene. Overall, these emotional and social regulation issues can fracture a previously harmonious relationship, leading partners to feel guilty, overwhelmed, or neglected.
Supporting a Partner with PTSD
While PTSD can have a challenging impact on relationships, there are measures a partner can take to support their traumatized loved one. That might look like giving your partner addition space for recovery, or simply being there for them when they need extra comfort and support. There are a few other things individuals should keep in mind when navigating their partner’s trauma:
- Avoid minimizing the partner’s trauma or telling them to “snap out of it” or “get back to normal.”
- Avoid giving unsolicited advice.
- Ask the partner about their triggers, and work to minimize them. For example, if a partner is triggered by loud noises, turning the television volume down is a good option.
- Non-traumatized partners can consult a behavioral health expert to process their own feelings around a partner’s trauma, which can be complex.
- Encourage the traumatized partner to seek treatment from a behavioral health expert as they heal.
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PTSD can have a daunting effect on relationships. As your partner heals, you might miss the way things used to be. Fortunately, working with a behavioral health expert can help you and your partner navigate their trauma and make your relationship stronger than ever before.
Are you ready to further explore PTSD and relationships? Reed Behavioral Health offers highly individualized solutions for individuals and families who have been impacted by behavioral health problems. Our approach is different. It starts with a comprehensive and individualized assessment process so we can determine how to best help you. This includes a firm understanding of your value system and what you want out of life. Ultimately, we offer individualized care using an integrative model, working with our clients to resolve the lingering issues beyond their disorders so they can have a full life. For more information, please call us at 763-292-2368, email us at [email protected], or send us a message online. We look forward to working with you!