Cuddles and PTSD
This morning I was reading an interesting article about a New Zealand woman who was suffering with PTSD. She said how helpful it was that her husband was willing to be woken up in the night for cuddles if she needed them. This may seem the act of a loving husband, and of course it is. But it also answers one of the most common questions I get asked by friends and families of clients. The question is what can I do to help with their treatment.
Obviously, loved ones want to help where they can, but are ill equipped to deal with the complexity of psychological distress, especially when it comes to trauma. It got me to thinking that the work done in therapy is all well and good. Indeed, for many sufferers of trauma therapy can be the difference between life and death. However, wouldn’t therapy be far more effective if when a sufferer was met with kindness across the board when they are not in therapy. A genuine question of a persons well being a caring hug and a kind word can go a long way in solidifying therapeutic change. Perhaps if we all agreed to do this the world would be a better place.
