Trauma: How Can Someone Make It Easier For Them To Sleep If They Have PTSD?

If someone has PTSD, it is likely to be a sign that they have experienced something that has overwhelmed their system. Or if it doesn’t relate to one thing in particular, it could show that a number of things had this effect on them.

Either way, due to how overwhelmed they were by what took place, it wouldn’t have been possible for their system to integrate the experience/s. As a result of this, they can continually re-experience what took place or certain parts of it.

It is Futile

It could be said that the reason they continually re-experience it is because their being is trying to integrate the experience. But, due to the impact it had on them and how strong the charge of the experience is, it is not possible for this to take place.

Instead of being able to re-integrate what took place and then to move on, they simply end up being re-traumatised all over again. This is one reason why it is so essential for someone in this position to reach out for external support.

A Vital Element

Due to how fractured they are internally, they are unlikely to have a lot of inner strength at this time in their life. Like a building that is nearly falling down, they will need external support to make up for what they lack internally.

Reaching out for support is not simply going to be good thing for them to do; it will be something that is essential. If they don’t do this and just suffer in silence, their life is unlikely to get any better.

Trapped

The trouble is that even though they are in pain, part of them could associate reaching out to other as something that is a sign of weakness. What they experienced may have caused them to experience a fair amount of shame, with this causing them to feel flawed and as though there is something inherently wrong with them.

This shame could have such a negative effect on their life that it could end up practically paralysing them. Ultimately, this part of them will be nothing more than a parasite - something that will have taken over their system and ended up defining how they see themselves.

Reach Out

The sooner one realises this, the sooner they can allow themselves to get the help that they need. One may need to use every bit of energy that they have to push themselves in this direction.

If they can do this, they will be able to look back in the future and realise that they did the right thing. They are already going to be in a pain, pain that is bound to increase if they don’t do something to change their life.

Protection

If someone is carrying trauma, it doesn’t mean that they will always feel overwhelmed. The reason for this is that they can have a number of ways to manage what is going on within them.

One way this can take place is by avoiding certain environments or by withdrawing altogether. Their greatest need will be to avoid feeling overwhelmed, meaning that a number of their other needs can end up being ignored.

Survival Mode

Having fun and spending time around people who make them laugh, for instance, is then not going to be on their mind. Being in an environment that doesn’t overstimulate them, on the other hand, can be the only thing that matters.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that one will consciously ignore their other needs; this can be something that just happens. What this will illustrate is how much pain they are in and it can be seen as a reflection of how their brain is unable to function in the right way.

A Big Challenge

Withdrawing will allow them to gain a small amount of control, and not having control can be seen as something that would lead to their demise, however, when the time comes for them to sleep, they will need to let go. This can then be a time when they can feel as though they have absolutely no control and once they get to sleep, their unconscious mind can bring this pain to their attention via nightmares.

Getting to sleep will be the first problem and staying asleep with be the second problem. These two challenges, like the other challenges that they experience, can be gradually resolved by working with a therapist tor a healer, for instance.

In The Meantime

If someone is in a lot of pain, the last thing they are going to want to do is to wait until their life changes until they can sleep properly – they will need help now. Fortunately, there are a number of things that they can do to settle themselves down so that they can sleep.

Firstly, a little while before they go to bed, doing some kind of exercise that will more or less exhaust them can help to settle them down. Secondly, taking a good magnesium supplement can settle their nervous system down and thereby, allow them to feel more relaxed and enable them to stay asleep for longer.
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Another Thing

In the same way that a teddy bear can allow small child to sleep more easily, using a few pillows can have the same effect. Through having a pillow on either side of them, it can provide them with additional support and they will give them something to hold onto.

These pillows can allow them to feel more supported and they will give them a greater sense of control. Thanks to the additional support and control that they experience through having these next to them, it can make it easier for them to sleep.

Awareness

If they feel that two pillows are not enough, they could use even more or look into getting two big teddy bears. What is important here is that they do what they need to do deal with what is going on for them.

No matter what they have been through, they don’t deserve to suffer. They can make a commitment to themselves that they will find a way to move forward and to gradually transform their life. 

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk