Is something from the past keeping you from living in the present?
Let's change that.
Psychologists specialised in PTSD in Valencia and online.
Looks like a peaceful beach, doesn't it?
The same image, smell, sound or touch can evoke very different feelings depending on who experiences them.
This, or something like it, could be the soundtrack to the life of someone living with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Where some see an idyllic beach and a moment to relax, or simply an ordinary everyday situation, others perceive constant, imminent danger.
Someone who perceives that danger and reacts to it is not crazy, not exaggerating, not an alarmist, and shouldn't just “move on” as soon as possible.
They are a person who, through no fault of their own, went through one or more very painful and difficult events, which have left an alarm switched on almost constantly to protect them, and who only wants to regain control and feel safe.
If that “shark music” keeping you on alert plays very loudly in your head, know that there are ways to find the remote again and turn the volume down until the music stays in the background, and you can once more appreciate and enjoy the many shades of life.
Are you in a similar situation?
Stress can be very positive: it puts us on alert when we need to fight, protect ourselves or flee from something that could be dangerous.
The problem comes when, after a traumatic event, stress stops being temporary and shows up every day, stops being useful and becomes very limiting.
People who live with it often describe feeling something like this:
- “I have many memories, flashbacks and nightmares related to the trauma.”
- “I tend to avoid places, people or activities that remind me of the trauma, even when they have no obvious connection.”
- “I avoid talking about what happened.”
- “I feel constantly on alert, hypervigilant.”
- “I have trouble falling asleep.”
- “I feel very irritable, startle easily or overreact.”
- “My mood has got worse; I feel negativity, guilt and shame.”
- “I feel as if it happened to someone else, I see myself from the outside or find it hard to remember details.”
Did you recognise yourself?
In therapy we will try to understand where all this comes from and draw up the plan needed to change it.
Hi! I'm Álvaro, a general health psychologist.
In therapy I like to create a warm space where we can properly understand what is happening, and also take action when we're ready. I work from an integrative approach, adapting the tools and the pace of the process to each person.
Would you like to get to know me a little more?
About meGet in touch easily
If you have any questions, you can use this form. We'll reply as soon as possible.