What Is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event something that threatened your life, safety, or sense of self, or that involved serious injury, violence, or death. PTSD isn't about the event itself, but about how your nervous system responded to it and continues to respond.
Here's what's important to understand: PTSD can affect anyone. It's not limited to combat veterans or first responders, though they're certainly at risk. Survivors of accidents, assault, abuse, medical trauma, natural disasters, sudden loss, or any deeply distressing event can develop PTSD. And it's not about being "strong enough" to cope. Trauma affects the brain in ways that aren't about willpower or character.
Here's how PTSD typically affects people:
Intrusive Memories: The trauma doesn't stay in the past where it belongs. It intrudes into the present through flashbacks, nightmares, or sudden vivid memories that feel like you're reliving the event. These intrusions can be triggered by reminders that come in the form of sounds, smells, places, dates or can seem to come out of nowhere.
Avoidance: To escape the pain of remembering, you might go to great lengths to avoid anything associated with the trauma. This could mean avoiding certain places, people, conversations, or activities. You might avoid thinking or talking about what happened at all. Avoidance provides temporary relief but keeps you stuck in the long run.
Hypervigilance: Your nervous system remains on high alert, constantly scanning for danger. You might startle easily, have trouble sleeping, feel irritable or on edge, or struggle to concentrate. It's exhausting, your body is running a threat-detection program that never switches off.
Emotional Changes: PTSD often brings persistent negative changes in how you think and feel. You might feel detached from others, struggle to experience positive emotions, or feel emotionally numb. You might carry shame, guilt, or blame, even when the trauma wasn't your fault. Your view of yourself, others, or the world may have fundamentally shifted.
Physical Symptoms: Trauma lives in the body as well as the mind. You might experience chronic tension, pain, fatigue, or physical health problems that seem unconnected to the trauma but are actually part of your body's ongoing stress response.
It is important to understand that PTSD is a recognised medical condition with evidence‑based treatments available. What you're experiencing isn't "all in your head", it's a real change in how your brain and nervous system function. And it can genuinely improve with the right care.
Are You Struggling With Trauma That Won't Heal?
If you've been living with the aftermath of trauma, you've probably heard things that weren't helpful. Maybe people have told you that you should be "over it by now." Perhaps they've suggested you just need to move on, think positive, or focus on the future. As if you haven't tried. As if letting go were that simple.
You might have been told that what you experienced "wasn't that bad" by others, or by the voice in your own head that minimises your pain. You might compare yourself to people who've been through "worse" and feel like you don't have the right to struggle. But trauma isn't a competition, and your nervous system doesn't care about comparisons.
Perhaps you've tried to get help before and it didn't work. Maybe you saw a counsellor who wasn't trained in trauma, and talking about it just made you feel worse. Or maybe the thought of treatment specifically of having to revisit what happened, feels too overwhelming to even consider.
You might be functioning reasonably well on the surface, going to work, maintaining relationships, and appearing fine to others. But inside, you're spending enormous energy managing symptoms, avoiding triggers, and keeping yourself together. That's not sustainable, and you don't have to keep white-knuckling your way through life.
Here's what you need to know: trauma‑focused treatments have developed over time, and some approaches aim to minimise distress during treatment. If previous attempts at treatment didn't help, that doesn't mean treatment can't work, it may mean you need a different approach.
Dr Husayn Aly provides comprehensive psychiatric care that takes trauma seriously and offers evidence-based treatments tailored to your specific needs and readiness.
Comprehensive Psychiatric Care vs Traditional PTSD Treatment
Some trauma treatment approaches may be less suitable without specialised training. Well-meaning therapists without specialised trauma training might encourage you to "talk about it" in ways that retraumatise rather than heal. Or you might receive medication to manage symptoms without ever addressing the underlying trauma.
A comprehensive psychiatric approach takes a broader clinical perspective.
A comprehensive approach recognises that trauma affects the whole person, mind, body, and nervous system. Treatment focuses on addressing symptoms and supporting trauma processing in a clinically appropriate manner. This requires evidence-based trauma therapies delivered by professionals who understand how trauma works.
A comprehensive approach recognises that trauma is stored in the body and incorporates strategies for nervous system regulation alongside psychological treatment. We also screen for and address co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders that commonly accompany PTSD.
In traditional settings, you might feel rushed or pressured to discuss traumatic material before you're ready. Comprehensive psychiatric care is paced to your needs. Building safety and stability comes first. Trauma processing happens when you're ready, not according to an arbitrary timeline.
How Do We Treat PTSD?
Comprehensive Assessment
PTSD treatment begins with understanding your specific experience including what happened, how it's affecting you now, what symptoms are most distressing, and what you've tried before. We also assess for co-occurring conditions, physical health factors, and your current level of stability and support.
There are real advantages to this thorough approach. We can identify whether depression, anxiety, substance use, or other conditions need to be addressed alongside PTSD. We can understand what type of traumatic exposure you've experienced and tailor treatment accordingly. And we can assess your readiness for different types of trauma-focused work.
An individualised approach is essential. Trauma affects different people differently, and effective treatment needs to meet you where you are.
Once we complete proper assessment, we develop a treatment plan designed for your specific situation, especially if you've been struggling with trauma for years and haven't found an approach that works.
Evidence-Based Trauma Therapies
The most effective treatments for PTSD are trauma-focused psychotherapies that help your brain process traumatic memories so they no longer trigger the same intense responses.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT): This approach helps you understand how trauma has affected your thoughts and beliefs, gradually confront avoided memories and situations, and develop skills for managing distressing symptoms.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (often eye movements) while you briefly focus on traumatic memories. This helps your brain process the trauma without requiring you to talk about it in extensive detail. Many people find EMDR less distressing than traditional talk therapy.
Prolonged Exposure (PE): For those who are ready, gradually approaching avoided memories and situations in a safe, controlled way can help reduce the power trauma holds over you.
We can help connect you with therapists trained in these evidence-based approaches and coordinate your care for optimal outcomes.
Medication Management
Medication isn't always necessary for PTSD, but it can be genuinely helpful, particularly for managing symptoms like sleep disturbance, hyperarousal, and depression while you engage in trauma-focused therapy.
The advantage of working with an experienced psychiatrist is careful medication selection based on your specific symptoms and situation. We understand which medications have evidence for PTSD, what to avoid, and how to use medication as a support for therapy rather than a replacement for it.
Some people find medication helpful for a period of time and then taper off once trauma processing is complete. Others benefit from longer-term medication management. We work with you to find the right approach.
Nervous System Regulation
Trauma dysregulates the nervous system, and learning to regulate it again is often an important part of recovery. This might include breathing techniques, grounding exercises, mindfulness practices, or body-based approaches that help calm an overactive stress response.
These strategies aren't a replacement for trauma processing, but they're valuable tools for managing symptoms and building the stability needed to engage in deeper work.
Addressing Contributing Factors
Several factors can worsen PTSD symptoms or make recovery more difficult:
Sleep: Sleep disturbance is extremely common in PTSD and can maintain other symptoms. Addressing sleep – including nightmares – is often an important part of treatment.
Physical Health: Chronic pain, and other physical conditions often co-occur with PTSD. We consider how physical health might be affecting your symptoms.
Safety and Stability: If you're still in an unsafe situation or dealing with ongoing instability, that needs to be addressed before trauma processing can be effective. We can help connect you with appropriate resources.
Substance Use: Many people use alcohol or other substances to cope with trauma symptoms. We address substance use as part of comprehensive care rather than treating it as a separate problem.
Ongoing Support
Recovery from trauma isn't linear. There may be setbacks, particularly during stressful times or when new triggers emerge. Having ongoing access to psychiatric care means you're not alone when difficulties arise.
The advantage of comprehensive psychiatric care is having a treatment team that knows your history, understands trauma, and can provide support throughout your recovery journey – not just during active treatment.
Many individuals experience meaningful improvement in PTSD symptoms with appropriate treatment. Many people who once felt controlled by their trauma go on to live full, meaningful lives. The symptoms that feel permanent now don't have to be.
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Locations
To better serve our patients and provide accessible, comprehensive care, Dr. Aly consults from Hirondelle Private Hospital and Brisbane Waters Private Hospital. These facilities are staffed with experienced professionals and equipped with the resources needed to deliver the highest standard of mental health services.
Chatswood
CENTRAL COAST
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