As the winter months close in, many of us experience a low or deflated mood and a sense of loneliness.
The interesting thing about this is that it is quite normal and many of us have our own way of managing the winter blues. However, some of us will experience this in much more disturbing levels and our tolerance for the pain and discomfort caused becomes less and less resilient as the seasons pass.
The issue is not fleeting thoughts or feelings that cause us discomfort for a short spell and eventually dissipate. It is those intrusive and invasive thoughts that make us feel broken, damaged, guilty or ashamed that truly cause the damage in our lives. They have the power to control our happiness, our decisions and even who the people are in our lives and the places we go. The culprit is psychological trauma, and it is indeed a dark and menacing foe.
At Athlone Care Clinic, Clinical Director Siobhán Leijen MIACP, MEMDR, BA, HDip. has had extensive experience specialising in the treatment of psychological trauma in adults and children. Having personal experience of trauma and recovery, Siobhán is a strong believer in and advocate for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing as an exceptional evidence-based treatment for healing trauma.
Common symptoms of trauma are Nightmares, Flashbacks, Intrusive memories that play on your mind day and night, triggers that remind you of the dangerous situation and cause you to freeze, avoid or run away from people, places and events. Anxiety often accompanies trauma and can manifest as shortness of breath or the feeling you cannot breathe, trembling hands or body, light headedness, heart pounding heat rising upwards through the body suddenly causing sweating and discomfort.
If you have been having any of the forgoing symptoms and feel ready to change what controls your life and decisions, contact Siobhán today on 090 645 5302 or by email to [email protected].
