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A PTSD and Reflexology cute, sustained stress erodes the very fabric of our being, while acute trauma can tear it. Whether prolonged or sudden, traumatic life experiences wound a person in body, emotions, mind, and soul, and can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that affects more than 5.2 million Americans every year.1 Compassionate bodywork, including reflexology, can help heal the body and the person. Everyday life can create sustained stress. An unstable economy can affect our ability to provide necessities, such as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Physical stress (inadequate nutrition, pollution, sleep, and so forth), emotional stress (how one feels about what is happening), and mental stress affect all aspects of our lives. Daily, sustained stress undeniably disrupts physiological and energetic processes at the cellular level, creating stress patterns that have devastating short- and long-term effects. The primary difference between a person experiencing the everyday stresses of living and one experiencing PTSD is that the person suffering from PTSD has been exposed to extreme trauma. Categories of symptoms Events leading to PTSD are wideranging, and the American Psychiatric 72 massage & bodywork march/april 2013 Association groups them into different categories in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). 2 Intentional Human Events (man-made, deliberate, malicious) This includes stress suffered as a result of assault, alcoholism, loss of a body part, physical or emotional abuse, sexual trauma, the suicide of a loved one, torture, or wartime or terrorist situations. The victims of any type of criminal activity can be grouped under this category. Unintentional Human Events (accidents, technological disasters) This category includes vehicle crashes, disasters such as explosions or nuclear catastrophes, structural collapses, and accidental damage caused by a planned surgery or other medical procedure that goes wrong. How to Communicate with PTSD Clients Do say: • ou have Y temporarily lost your sense of security and safety. You will feel better over time. • t is I understandable that you feel this way. • his is your T body's and mind's way of dealing with what has happened to you. Your reactions are normal. • eeling intense F emotions and having thoughts that you never had before is normal. Don't say: • t could have been I worse. You're lucky that … • t's best if you I just stay busy. • ou should count Y your blessings. It will make you feel better. • know just I how you feel. • e/she is in a H better place now. Y • ou need to get on with your life. (Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, Mental Health Response to Mass Violence and Terrorism Field Guide, accessed February 2013, http:// store.samhsa.gov/shin/ content/SMA05-4025/ SMA05-4025.pdf.)