Written by: Mia Manic, Registered Associate Social Worker #125241.                       Supervised by: Dr. Hubbis Fabian, LMFT #135664  

What comes to mind when you hear the words Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? It is often associated with individuals who have been in the military and have had first-hand experience with war; however, the definition is actually much broader. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines PTSD as having the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more traumatic events. It includes emotional reactions to the traumatic event (e.g., fear, helplessness, horror), but the symptoms can vary.  

What does that mean, plainly put? And how are women, specifically, impacted differently? Let’s explore. 

We know that PTSD can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. Trauma or a traumatic event can include sexual or physical assault, intimate partner violence, childhood abuse, serious accidents, natural disasters, combat, or other experiences involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Research shows that women not only experience PTSD at higher rates than men, the lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is 10% to 12%, compared to 5% to 6% for men (Novotney, 2023). Several factors may contribute to this, including differences in the types of traumatic experiences women are more likely to encounter. For example, women are more likely to experience sexual assault and certain forms of interpersonal violence, which can be associated with an increased risk of PTSD.

Additionally, PTSD can affect sleep, concentration, physical tension, relationships, intimacy, mood, and everyday functioning (Schenker et al., 2023). Some trauma survivors may also experience changes in how they relate to their bodies, themselves, and other people. This is one reason trauma-informed care is so important. Healing is not necessarily about forgetting what happened or pretending that it did not affect you.

Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to navigate and understand your experience, recognize how it may still be affecting you, and develop healthier ways of responding to potential triggers in your environment.

What Does Healing from PTSD Look Like? 

There is no single path to healing. For some women, healing may mean learning ways to manage anxiety and regulate the nervous system. For another, it may mean gradually processing a traumatic experience that she has avoided discussing for a long time.

For someone else, healing may involve developing boundaries, rebuilding self-esteem, improving relationships, or reconnecting with parts of herself that feel lost.

Evidence-based treatments, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), can help reduce PTSD symptoms and improve quality of life (Watkins, Sprang, Rothbaum, 2018). Treatment should be individualized based on each person's specific history, needs, safety, and treatment goals.

There are several different types of coping strategies to help with PTSD, and part of our work together is building a toolbox of strategies you can turn to when symptoms show up. 

Here are two coping tools to try today.

Grounding (the 3-3-3 Rule): Name three things you can see, three things you can hear, and touch three parts of your body or objects nearby (Rethink Mental Illness, n.d.) . This quick exercise can pull your mind out of a flashback and back into the present moment.

Box Breathing (Four-Square Breathing): Inhale for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, exhale slowly for 4 counts, and hold again at the bottom for 4 counts (Acclaim Health, n.d.). Repeat a few rounds. Slow, structured breathing like this can help reduce stress and anxiety by calming the body’s fight-or-flight response and lowering stress hormones like cortisol.

These are just a few of many tools, alongside guided meditation and movement like a brisk walk, that we can practice together so you feel more equipped to regulate your nervous system day to day. A compassionate, trauma-informed approach can help create a therapeutic space where you don’t have to feel rushed or judged as you find what works for you.

You Don’t Have to Carry It Alone 

Trauma can make the world feel unsafe, and it can convince you that you have to hold everything together by yourself. Many women learn early to push through, stay strong for everyone else, and keep their pain private. Silence can feel safer than speaking up, especially when we were raised to put family first or taught that what happens at home stays at home. I know how insular cultures can influence your experience, especially growing up in an Eastern European country myself. But healing doesn’t have to happen in isolation, and you don’t need everything figured out before you ask for help.

Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a meaningful step toward feeling safer, more connected, and more like yourself again. Whatever brought you here, you're not alone.

If you recognize yourself in this blog and are ready to take that next step, I invite you to reach out for a free 15-minute phone consultation at (916) 205-0064 or miapcft@gmail.com. 

Reference: 

Acclaim Health. (n.d.). Four square breathing technique (also known as box breathing). https://acclaimhealth.ca/four-square-breathing-technique           Healthline. (n.d.). Box breathing.https://www.healthline.com/health/copd/box-breathing.  Novotney, A. (2023, April 13). Women who experience trauma are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Here’s why. Apa.Org; American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/women-girls/women-Trauma Rethink Mental Illness. (n.d.). What is the 3 3 3 rule for anxiety? https://rethink.org/news-and-stories/commonly-asked-mental-health-questions/what/what-is-the-3-3-3-rule-for-anxiety/ Schenker, M. T., Theoswin, P. M., Qian, H., Jordan, A. S., Nicholas, C. L., & Felmingham, K. L. (2023). Sleep and day-to-day PTSD symptom variability: an ecological momentary assessment and actigraphy monitored study in trauma-exposed young adults. In European journal of psychotraumatology (Vol. 14, Issue 2, p. 2202058). PubMed Central. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2023.2202058Watkins, L. E., Sprang, K. R., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2018). Treating PTSD: A review of evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12(258), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00258