Emotional Avoidance in PTSD
People who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been found to avoid expressing their emotions, both general emotions and emotions relating to the traumatic event. Avoidance of emotions have also been found to actually make symptoms of PTSD worse and contribute to the development of further symptoms.
It is important to recognise our emotions as they alert us about ourselves and the world around us; experiencing sadness may tell us we need to take some time for ourselves, and fear may be telling us that there is a possible danger. Whilst emotional avoidance may seem effective in the short-term, the emotions you are trying to avoid may grow stronger in the long-term. It’s also not easy to avoid the strong emotions that present in PTSD. The longer these emotions are avoided, the stronger they will be and more and more effort will be required to keep them at bay. Your energy may be drained as a result, leaving you with little energy to do things that are important to you. Additionally, it may become difficult to handle other experiences as your energy has all been distributed elsewhere which could lead to you feeling more ‘on edge’ or angry as a result.
There are things that can be done to help reduce emotional avoidance. It may be difficult to release the emotions you’ve been holding back, and it may feel as though all the emotions you’ve been holding back are pouring out at once. This can make you feel as though your emotions are out of control – there are ways to release your emotions to avoid this.
Therapy can provide you with a safe place to express your emotions. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can be a great way to carefully release your emotions as you are able to express and understand them. CBT can help you to address your thoughts contribute to your emotions and your behaviour. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help you to focus on the breaking down of avoidance and help you to transfer your energy into living a meaningful life. Alongside professional support, seeking support from friends and family can also be beneficial in helping you to express your emotions. If you don’t feel comfortable discussing how you feel with someone else, writing it down can equally offer you a safe and private way to express your emotions.