Sanderson (2013) lists the four categories of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PT
Sanderson (2013) lists the four categories of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): active avoidance, intrusive symptoms, adverse modifications in thinking, mood, arousal and how one reacts. I believe reexperiencing traumatic encounters through intrusive thoughts would be the most difficult for a person to handle. However, people tend to experience PTSD symptoms differently (Sanderson, 2013). Bryant (2019) asserted that one might reexperience intrusive memories, re-occurring dreams, reacting dissociatively, or severe distress long after exposure to trauma reminders. In trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, a core element involves prolonged exposure to the trauma memory, which I feel can be challenging for the person to handle (Bryant, 2019).
Bar-Haim et al. (2021) asserted that reexperiencing traumatic encounters can lead to fear, horror, and fear of losing control when reliving the trauma. When intrusive symptoms persist, they can also lead to distress or impairment in various ways. At a relatively low extreme, intrusiveness can manifest as vivid and intrusive memories, while at high extreme, they may appear as flashbacks or trauma-related nightmares (Bar-Haim et al., 2021). Mann and Marwaha (2022) noted that intrusion symptoms may be accompanied by reacting physiologically through increased heartbeat or blood pressure upon experiencing trauma reminders. Some also encounter dissociative reactions as a progressive form ranging from brief responses to completely unaware of themselves or their settings.
