Post traumatic stress 

Mental trauma

Post-traumatic stress (or post-traumatic shock) is related to a traumatic experience that we have had or witnessed, such as a death, accident or abuse.

People with PTSD often enter treatment for other reasons and consistently avoid discussion and mention of the issue that has been stressing them out.

My patients who have suffered psychological trauma live with emotional numbness that can last months to years, unable to express their feelings. Post-traumatic stress is often manifested by psychosomatic symptoms, such as stomach pain, neck pain, headaches, insomnia, nightmares, etc.

The methodology of art therapy

My goal at the beginning of the treatment is to create an atmosphere of trust and acceptance and to respect the person's pace of emotional release. In the case of trauma, this is a time-consuming process, as my experience has shown that the patient must "open" the window of tolerance in order to be able to relive, feel and accept the traumatic event.

What is interesting with art therapy is that the images play a very important role, that of a more painless non-verbal medium. Creation helps the client to become self-aware and improve their self-confidence in a fluid way so that they can touch the traumatic event at the right time.

In the final phase, I often guide the client through specific topics (the use of metaphors is common), to encourage memory retrieval around the specific incident. My physical presence is important to him in order to be able to manage the strong emotions that may arise.

The end of therapy

To complete the treatment, it is important to honor the client's struggle and help them maintain positive images, images that heal the trauma both literally and figuratively.

Coping with trauma is a delicate process that requires knowledge and experience due to the long-term pain individuals often experience and the risk of 're-traumatization'.

In the case studies (minor boy and 20-year-old girl) that I present, I very briefly describe my work in a British hospital with young people who have had traumatic experiences at a very young age. In the third case, Maria experienced a traumatic event in her adult life, but it took her many years to experience grief that she had avoided.