Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that affects around five million Americans per year. Though many male military combatants develop PTSD after deployment, it can be caused by a number of traumas and women are twice as likely to experience the condition at some point in their lifetime. It is also a condition that affects the individual’s loved ones and can cause serious problems for their romantic relationship. In an effort to help both partners cope with the effects of PTSD, couples counseling can both repair the damage to the relationship as well as offer coping strategies for the future. While individualized therapy may or may not be beneficial to the partner who directly suffers from PTSD, couples counseling offers a form of social support that can greatly encourage recovery for the primary sufferer.
Understanding the Effects of PTSD
For those who do not experience PTSD, it can be very difficult to understand what it is like to suffer from it, and how helpless or out of control it can make the individual feel. Likewise, feelings of shame by the sufferer can arise because they realize their partner does not and cannot understand why this condition can be so debilitating. When one suffers from PTSD, the effects can be many-fold and the triggers cannot always be anticipated. The emotional looping that the PTSD sufferer experiences can make them feel as if they are experiencing the initial trauma all over again. This can go on for a long duration and repeat itself erratically or with consistency. As a result, it can affect their sleeping patterns which in turn can affect their partner’s ability to get the quality rest that they need in order to maintain optimum health and productivity. The individual with PTSD may be prone to feelings of anxiety, irritability, depression, shame, or anger. These feelings and experiences can be corrosive to a relationship, and both partners may feel as if they have nowhere to turn. Thankfully, couples counseling can aid in their healing, and teach them the coping mechanisms they need to deal with the PTSD and how to avoid the scenarios that may trigger it.
As mentioned above, there are many types of instances that can cause a person to develop PTSD. They include:
· Military or law enforcement service during which the individual experiences severe trauma.
· Experiencing a natural disaster such as an earthquake, fire, or tornado.
· Being involved in a serious car accident.
· Witnessing an act of violence against another individual.
· Being the victim of a sexual or a physical assault.
Affording Couples Counseling
Though couples counseling rates are competitive with other clinics, most clinics recognize that not everyone may have the funds to afford therapy with a therapist, like a trauma therapist in Palatine, IL from Lotus Wellness Center. If you or your partner are suffering from PTSD, if there is an individual or company that is liable for causing the condition, you may be able to hold them responsible for paying your couples counseling fees. In cases such as car accidents, if another driver is at-fault for the accident which resulted in PTSD as an injury, the victim’s claim can include the costs of therapy. Consult a personal injury lawyer to see if such compensation is available to you.
