The Falklands: case study

We bring you case studies of treatment outcomes from PTSD Resolution counselling: This client presented with long-standing trauma dating back to the time of the Falklands war. At initial assessment expressed feelings of anxiety, low mood (said rarely smiles), failure to cope in general and specifically at work (was currently signed off sick with acute stress for 2 weeks), constantly thinking about the past and sleeping poorly, all of which were confirmed by psychometric assessment.

Treatment proposed and completed included: teaching deep relaxation and anxiety management; desensitisation to the traumatic events, using deep relaxation with focused attention and guided imagery, (rewind); rehearsal of future plans.

Following therapy psychometric reassessment indicated that the effect of the trauma was substantially reduced and now at a normal acceptable level. In keeping with this low anxiety, good mood, and well-being overall were all indicated, and the client reported that:

“I feel so different now, calmer, nowhere near as anxious, relaxed; everything is massively improved. The event will never go away but it doesn’t get me upset anymore, even when talking about it. I think I’m a different person now – I was panicked and not knowing what was happening to me. But not now, I’ve even been giving tips to colleagues at work on how to deal with sleep problems!”

Note: PTSD Resolution is a charity (No. 1133188) that offers counselling, with an 78% success rate, to UK armed forces’ veterans, TA, reservists and dependants, to relieve mental health problems resulting from military service, to ease reintegration into a normal work & family life.