At the root of PTSD is the trauma imprint.

This trauma imprint leaves an impact on our intuitive and reasoned map of the world.

This altered intuitive map can cause people to see neutral stimuli as threatening. The individual may disconnect themselves from those close to them, their emotions, and even their sensations in order to avoid the impact of the trauma. They may adopt behaviors so that they can avoid flashbacks. Being disconnected in these ways can cause an individual with PTSD to resort to risk taking behavior to feel more alive. The impact of the trauma branches out to negatively affect many areas of the person’s life.

To put it another way, trauma can be like a bunker buster that breaks through many levels of our internal reality map and causes catastrophic damage, or (in the case of complex PTSD) a constant series of earthquakes that over time turns it into rubble. It effects our perceptions, cognitions, and behaviors. It seems to me that most of a person’s symptoms are rooted in an altered internal reality map.

What can individuals in therapy do to heal PTSD?

In my opinion, the focus of therapy should be (depending on the persons unique symptoms and coping behaviors):

1. Integrate the trauma fragments that are causing distortion to the persons internal map of the world.
2. Further aid readjustments to their reality map by reconnecting the individual to their bodies, emotions, and to the close people in their lives.
3. Work to fix any maladaptive thoughts that lead to a distorted navigation of the world, or “bad behaviors”.

Reference

[1]: The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk