Remember the time you almost had a scary accident? Most of us have experienced any number of near misses, but these experiences take time to sink in. And then the next time we see a serious accident, it really hits us: our body reacts physically to what we see and experience — sometimes months or even years later.

Trauma isn’t just an isolated incident that occurs once and is over. The threat of PTSD lingers long after that event, but when you reach out for help immediately after, you can make an impact on your long-term recovery, learning to live alongside your trauma or PTSD symptoms and not only cope with them but also accept them. Trauma survivors must learn to accept their new narrative while acknowledging their trauma and, if or when it develops, their PTSD.

Having PTSD and acknowledging it are two different things, and the earlier you start working on this, the shorter your treatment time will be. With early intervention, it’s not just the individual who’s working through their trauma. Friends, loved ones, and the community get involved too.

In most cases, PTSD symptoms begin within the first few months of the traumatic event, although they may sometimes appear later. We can never know where or when our bodies will respond to trauma. It’s always unexpected. But there’s a window of opportunity between when the trauma happens and when symptoms set in.

Studies like this one have shown that the most successful interventions following a traumatic event occur within two and four weeks........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)