Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as defined in the DSM-V, is characterized by 5 symptoms. The last four must last longer than a month and cause significant distress:
Exposureto trauma: death or threat of death or injury.
Avoidance: trying not to think about the trauma, avoiding places that remind you of it.
Negative alterationsin thought and mood: amnesia, negative beliefs, distorted cognitions, lack of interest, detachment, estrangement from others, inability to experience positive emotions.
At root, PTSD is a survival mechanism, a battlefield mentality, intended to keep us safe. It’s the body’s way of saying, “Never again will I be abused, attacked or in danger.” It becomes a problem when the alarm system goes off in the absence of real danger. It becomes a problem when individuals attempt to suppress “dangerous” thoughts and emotions. Alcohol, hypervigilance, and checking will not make one safer, but they do temporarily silence the alarm. And they all amount to experiential avoidance. An earlier article on this site,Core Beliefs and Assumptions in PTSD
Mr Dylan Kerr
Addictions Counselor
HeDip Health-care (Birmingham)
HeDip Psychology of Addiction (Leeds)
Dip Counselling (Northampton)
CSAT III (Asia)
Dylan Kerr is a Certified Substance Abuse Therapist who is qualified in the Psychology of addiction from Leeds University and Healthcare from Birmingham City University.
Dylan Kerr has been the Lead Therapist at Lanna Rehab in Chiang Mai and Head Counselor of Hope Rehab in Siracha. As well as working in Thailand for nearly 3 years, Dylan has also been the on-tour counsellor for the the Rock band ‘The Libertines’.
Dylan has experience of working within the music industry supporting acts in therapeutic needs.
As well as working around the world Dylan has over 10 years experience delivering substance use disorder treatment at various agencies around the UK. He is skilled in motivational interviewing, CBT, RET and guidance around 12 step philosophies.
Dylan has worked with a broad client base and establish the rapport needed to effect change and sustainable progression.
Dylan wishes to start this blog to help educate people on his observations within this field and debate the nature of work in the addictions field.
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