Does PTSD Ever Go Away? The Truth About PTSD's Sneaky Symptom of Avoidance

Alright, let's talk PTSD - By now, you probably know the basics. Trauma happens, and then the mind gets stuck replaying those horrific memories on a endless loop of suck.

But here's where it gets really tricky. PTSD symptoms can be incredibly subtle and easy to miss at times. One minute, it seems like someone's doing just fine and has totally moved on from their trauma. Then bam! A trigger hits, and they're right back in that heart pounding, cold sweat nightmare.

So what gives? Why is PTSD so inconsistent and unpredictable? The answer lies in understanding the specific cluster of symptoms that come along with this mental funshow.

Let's start with the obvious ones:

• Intrusive Thoughts/Flashbacks - This is the mind's fun little way of forcing you to relive those terrible moments through vivid, unwanted memories and nightmares. Thanks, brain.

• Hypervigilance - Constantly feeling on-edge, watching for any potential threats. The worried part of the mind is on permanent high alert.

• Heightened Reactions - Intense emotional and physical responses to seemingly small triggers like a loud noise or crowded place.

But then we get to the trickier, more covert symptom - avoidance. And let me tell you, this one's a doozy.

Avoidance is when the brain tries to cope by shutting out anything even remotely related to the traumatic experience. Certain thoughts, places, people - you name it, it gets hardcore avoided like that obnoxious aunt at family reunions.

Now, short-term, avoidance makes sense as a survival strategy. The brain is essentially putting those trauma memories in a mental quarantine to prevent feeling overwhelmed. "Out of sight, out of mind" and all that jazz.

But here's the catch - avoidance can become a brutally effective long-term coping mechanism. The person gets so skilled at dodging triggers and shoving down difficult thoughts/feelings, that they honestly believe they've moved past the trauma. To the outside world, it even seems like they've totally recovered!

Until one day...an unavoidable trigger slips through. Could be a smell, a sound, an anniversary date. Whatever it is, it's a punch to the brain's mental lockbox, releasing all those pent-up emotions in one agonizing tidal wave.

Suddenly, those intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, and heightened reactions come roaring back with the force of a thousand mack trucks. From the outside looking in, it seems like the PTSD appeared out of nowhere. But in reality? The symptoms were buried deep, waiting for an opportunity to resurface.

That's the really twisted part about avoidance with PTSD. It creates this illusion of functioning and recovery, when in fact it's just allowing the symptoms to fester unaddressed beneath the surface.

Here's an example to illustrate the point: Imagine you witness a horrible car accident. In the immediate aftermath, you're a total wreck with vivid flashbacks, anxiety, insomnia - the whole PTSD shebang.

But then you get really good at avoiding cars, roads, even the color red to block out reminders. You replace your car with a bike, move apartments to avoid a certain intersection, quit your job with a long commute, etc.

From an outside perspective? You seem totally fine! No more symptoms because you've eliminated every possible trigger from your life...right? Except one day, a blaring ambulance siren hits you out of nowhere, and bam - all those powerful emotions come smashing back in.

That's the uniquely crappy nature of PTSD's avoidance game. The symptoms don't disappear, they just get insidiously layered under complex avoidance patterns and routines.

So what's the solution? How can people with PTSD break this cycle and actually resolve the root trauma, instead of just taming symptoms with extreme avoidance?

That's where effective, evidence-based PTSD treatment comes in. Through approaches like cognitive processing therapy, EMDR, or Exposure Therapy, people can gradually face their traumas head-on in a safe, controlled environment.

It's no cakewalk, but leaning into triggers (rather than avoiding them) while applying coping strategies is key to defusing their power over time. Only by letting some triggers in, can the brain finally start updating its fear-driven responses to the past trauma.

The path to recovery means getting reacquainted with difficult thoughts and emotions that were shoved into quarantine through avoidance. It's a courageous process of letting a little sunlight into those dark recesses of the mind so that true healing can occur.

For anyone impacted by PTSD - either personally or through a loved one - understanding the double-edged nature of avoidance is huge. On the surface it may seem like textbook "just getting over it" behavior. But below the surface, ignored symptoms can be lurking in insidious ways.

The good news? With patience and the right therapeutic approach, those triggers gradually lose their power to derail and undo progress. YOU CAN HEAL. Getting ambushed by PTSD's nastiest symptoms doesn't have to be a permanent state of affairs. The path is rough, but the choice to do the hard work today can unlock a life of hard-earned peace down the road.

If you’re interested in taking your power (and nervous system) back, check out Trauma Therapy or contact me with any questions.