PTSD Treatment: More Complicated than Just "Letting Go"

Recognizing triggers for what they are takes practice. A lot of practice and awareness. Being alert to what may be a trigger requires additional awareness and practice as well. We may not even be conscious of all triggers. The goal of therapy is to recognize triggers and respond accordingly--breathing, reminding ourselves we are in the present and not the past, looking to objects and identifying them around us to stay present--even to the point of reminding ourselves of what year it is and if we are in a grocery store rather than a basement if a person passes us who is wearing the same cologne as our abuser. Reprogramming our mindfulness takes both time and practice. This process can be exhausting and exhaustive.

To tell a person with PTSD to "let it go" is to misunderstand what the PTSD diagnosis is. The person diagnosed with PTSD is not unwilling to let their experience go; rather, the experience has become trapped inside and that person needs our support as they go through the therapeutic process to integrate the emotional within the contextual event and then recognize what stimuli can trigger a memory of the originating events in order to not have the past alter their present. It is a process of learning; it is a process of understanding how the brain works to protect ourselves in times of terror. The after-effects that require the rewiring of the brain take time, practice and awareness.

If you have PTSD and become annoyed because you can't seem to "shake off" the event or "let it go" this is a response due to lack of complete understanding of how the brain works. "Letting it go" is not a matter of ability. The PTSD response to a traumatic event ensures our survival in the moment the event is occurring. Not allowing the traumatic event to take over present reality requires time, education, therapy and practice. Cutting ourselves some slack as this process ensues is important; it is equally important for those who support us to understand this concept as well.