Psychiatrist and PTSD-specialist Shaili Jain, M.D., acknowledges that it can be difficult to talk openly about trauma, for a variety of reasons. However, “traumatic thoughts and memories that remain ‘unspeakable’ or ‘unthinkable’ for too long often impede our brain’s natural process of recovery after trauma,” she explains.
Sharing the experience with others, especially professionally-trained therapists, can help improve PTSD symptoms. Keep in mind, processing this trauma won’t be easy.
“When PTSD sufferers even think about their trauma, it is common for them to experience psychological distress and marked physiological reactions such as sweating, breathing difficulties, or heart palpitations,” Jain says. This is the brain’s natural reaction, but over time and with the proper tools, she says people can learn to regain control over their emotions.