![A sheltered garden corner behind a high wall, with a gate standing slightly open](https://viacara.com/img/content/trauma-feature-light.webp) # Trauma and PTSD Trauma can keep a frightening event alive long after it ended. PTSD is common and treatable. Find a professional who works with trauma. Something frightening or distressing happened to you, or to someone close to you. It ended, but part of you has not been able to leave it behind. That is what trauma feels like from the inside. When those reactions stay and disrupt life, the NHS calls it post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. It is common. In England, just under one in twenty adults screened positive for PTSD in the month before the national survey. Sources: [NHS: PTSD overview](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-1), [NHS Digital: APMS 2014](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-5) ## What counts as *trauma* There is no test you have to pass. The NHS names serious accidents, assault, abuse, serious health problems, a difficult birth and war among the causes. You may have lived through the event, witnessed it or learnt that it happened to someone you love. Many people we hear from do not use the word trauma at all. They say something happened and they have never been the same since. That is enough. Source: [NHS: PTSD overview](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-1) ## How it shows up Symptoms can start straight after the event, or many months or even years later. The NHS groups them into a few patterns: - Reliving it, through flashbacks, intrusive images or nightmares - Avoiding people, places or conversations that bring it back - Feeling on edge, watching for danger and startling easily - Negative beliefs about yourself, and losing interest in things you used to enjoy - Low mood, irritability or anger that was not there before It reaches the body too. Trouble sleeping, headaches, stomach problems and pain with no clear cause are all part of the picture. Some people describe feeling cut off from themselves or from the world around them. Sources: [NHS: PTSD overview](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-1), [NHS: PTSD symptoms](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-2) ## Complex *PTSD* When the trauma went on for a long time, or was repeated, the NHS calls the result complex PTSD. Childhood abuse or neglect, ongoing domestic abuse and repeatedly witnessing violence are the examples it gives. The symptoms overlap with PTSD. Alongside them, people often describe deep shame, difficulty trusting others and feelings that swing hard and fast. Treatment takes longer, and a professional who knows this will plan for it. Source: [NHS: PTSD overview](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-1) ## When to seek *help* In the first few weeks after a frightening event, strong reactions are normal, and many settle on their own. The NHS advises seeing a GP for possible PTSD symptoms. NICE guidance takes the same view, and treats symptoms lasting more than a month as the point to offer therapy. You do not need to be sure it is PTSD. If it happened years ago and still shapes your days, that counts too. We do not assess anyone and we do not diagnose anyone. We help you find a professional who works with what you have described. Sources: [NHS: PTSD overview](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-1), [NICE NG116](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-4) ![The same gate from inside the garden, open wider, with a path leading out into daylight](https://viacara.com/img/content/trauma-mid-light.webp) Trauma keeps the past close. Treatment helps it settle where it belongs ## How *treatment* helps The NHS names two main talking therapies for PTSD: trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and EMDR. NICE recommends both for adults, with trauma-focused CBT as the first option once symptoms have lasted more than a month. [Trauma-focused CBT](https://viacara.com/approaches/trauma-focused-cbt/) works with the memory directly. You revisit what happened in a steady, planned way, and change the meanings the event left behind. A course is usually eight to twelve sessions, and more after several traumas. [EMDR](https://viacara.com/approaches/emdr/) asks you to hold the memory in mind while following a side-to-side movement or tap. You do not have to describe the event in detail. Many people choose it for that reason. Medication, usually an antidepressant, is also an option through a GP. Therapy and medication can run together. Neither closes the door on the other. The diagrams show [areas of trauma-focused CBT](https://viacara.com/approaches/trauma-focused-cbt/#trauma-focused-cbt-session-map) and the [phases of EMDR](https://viacara.com/approaches/emdr/#emdr-phases). Both include preparation and work with memories. EMDR's framework includes memory work with eye movements, taps or sounds. These are descriptions of work with a therapist, not exercises to follow on your own. Sources: [NHS: PTSD treatment](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-3), [NICE NG116](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/#ref-4) ## Trauma alongside *other* things Trauma rarely comes alone. Anxiety often sits with it, and our [anxiety page](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) covers that side. If the event was a death, [grief](https://viacara.com/support/grief/) may be the better place to start. Intrusive thoughts after trauma can look a lot like obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some people check, repeat or neutralise thoughts to stay safe. For that pattern, [exposure and response prevention](https://viacara.com/approaches/erp/) is the approach built for it. A good professional will help you tell the two apart. ## Who to *look* for Look for a professional who says they work with trauma, and ask which approach they use. Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR both need specific training. A first session is for finding out whether you feel safe enough with this person to begin. You set the pace. Nobody should push you into detail before you are ready, and a trauma specialist will know that. ## If you are not safe tonight Trauma can bring thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or leave you in a situation that is still dangerous. If that is you tonight, skip the professional search. Our [UK crisis page](https://viacara.com/crisis/gb/) lists people you can talk to right now, at any hour. Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Ready to find support after *trauma*? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms) ## References 1. National Health Service (2026). *Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): overview*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/overview/) 2. National Health Service (2022). *Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): symptoms*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/symptoms/) 3. National Health Service (2022). *Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): treatment*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/treatment/) 4. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2018). *Post-traumatic stress disorder (NG116)*. [Link](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116) 5. NHS Digital (2016). *Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014*. [Link](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey-survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2014) ## Related ### [Trauma-Focused CBT](https://viacara.com/approaches/trauma-focused-cbt/) Learn how trauma-focused CBT works, what happens in sessions, how it differs from EMDR and what NICE says about it and its main forms. ### [EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)](https://viacara.com/approaches/emdr/) Learn how EMDR works, what happens in sessions and why it is recommended for trauma and PTSD. ### [Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)](https://viacara.com/approaches/erp/) Learn how ERP works, what sessions involve and where it sits in the NICE guideline for OCD. ### [Understanding Anxiety](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) Learn about anxiety, its symptoms and how therapy can help. Find the right practitioner for anxiety support. ### [Grief Counselling](https://viacara.com/support/grief/) Grief has no timeline. Find a counsellor who can sit with you while you find your way through loss, in your own time and on your own terms. ### [Mental Health Support for Veterans](https://viacara.com/support/veterans/) Free NHS mental health help for veterans, reservists and their families, with the route in each UK nation. Most let you get in touch yourself. ### [Finding the Right Practitioner](https://viacara.com/guides/finding-a-practitioner/) A practical guide to finding a mental health practitioner who fits your needs, preferences and budget. ### [Online Bullying and Harassment](https://viacara.com/support/life-online/online-bullying-and-harassment/) Being targeted online can reach you anywhere your phone goes. What online bullying and harassment can look like, what the law covers and who can help. ### [World Events](https://viacara.com/support/world-events/) War, political upheaval, disasters and news that will not stop. Why world events weigh on you at home, and what can help. ### [After a Psychedelic Experience](https://viacara.com/support/psychedelic-experiences/) A trip that will not settle, a shift you cannot explain, or a question you cannot put down. Find a professional who will talk it through without judgement. ### [Somatic Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/somatic-therapy/) Learn how somatic therapy works with your body as well as your mind, including somatic experiencing, sensorimotor and biodynamic psychotherapy. ### [Dance Movement Psychotherapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/) How dance movement psychotherapy works through movement as well as talk, who keeps its UK register and what the research has and has not found. ### [Anger](https://viacara.com/support/anger/) Anger is a normal feeling. When it comes too fast, too often or too hard, it can be worked on. Find a professional who helps you understand it.