Trauma and PTSD

Articles, Films and practical Guides on trauma and ptsd, part of Psyche’s coverage of disorders and difficulties.
An older couple sitting on a bench in a park with a historical building and fountain in the background.
TRAUMA AND PTSD
9

How to date again after an abusive relationship

You might feel unlovable or find dating daunting, but you deserve connection – and you can find it safely at your own pace

by Charlotte Jarvis

Illustration of a man in glasses with a yellow starburst background mosque sketch and abstract patterns
HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE

‘Each of us has a song’

Burhan Sönmez, now the president of PEN International, was a rising human rights lawyer in Turkey. A brutal assault nearly killed him – and propelled him to a life in literature

by Kaya Genç

Photo of a bullet hole in glass, showing shattered glass patterns on a black background.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Aftershock

A random shooting left me with crippling PTSD. Could magnetic stimulation of my brain quiet the terror?

by Madison Lamb

A silhouetted figure on a foggy street corner with traffic lights and blurred car lights at night.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Trafficked

Cast out by my family as a child, I was groomed by a sex trafficker. I’m finally done with cowering

Jose Alfaro, as told to Larry Lindner

Black and white close-up photo of a person’s arm showing skin texture and pigment and shadows; protruding ribs are visible behind the arm.
EATING DISORDERS

A ghost in limbo

Two decades of anorexia obscured who I was beneath my sickness. Then a stranger saw me

by Miranda Gold

Two people lying on a snowy road in winter clothing with a forested landscape in the background.
GRIEF

Frøydis faces an impossible problem – how to grieve a father she hated and loved

Directed by Frøydis Fossli Moe

A Miami Beach police car with flashing lights surrounded by people and photographers at night.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Gun world

Is it possible to feel grief and survivor’s guilt after a mass shooting that didn’t occur?

by Jess Keefe

Two scuba divers swimming underwater with sunlight filtering through the surface.
FEAR AND PHOBIA

Exposure

Wracked with unknown fear, I’d never been able to sleep through the night. Then I went scuba diving

by Lindsay Lee Wallace

Silhouette of a person next to a glowing orange lamp in a dark room.
FRIENDSHIP

Discarded

The end of a friendship cracked me apart, triggering hidden memories – and helping me heal old wounds

by Antonia Malchik

A monochrome photo of a person with a shaved head looking down in low light, a tattooed teardrop visible near their eye.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Why it matters that trauma affects women and men differently

They are too often ignored, yet sex differences affect the kind of trauma people experience and the effect it has on them

by Klára Hanáková

Shadow of a person on crumpled paper in dark setting photo.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

Sent to boarding school, a boy conjures up a friend to soothe his distress

A film by Tony Gammidge

Photo of a man sitting in a circle on a speckled background, focusing on an object in his hands, with a cosmic effect.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

How small creatures helped James connect with the human-scale world

Directed by Spencer MacDonald

Blurry photo of a vibrant bar scene with a table of drinks, red lighting and indistinct figures moving around.
NEURODIVERSITY
6

Living without mental imagery may shield against trauma’s impact

Discovering I have aphantasia helped me understand my response to being assaulted and why I wasn’t debilitated by PTSD

by J B Smith

A man wearing an eye mask lies on a bed while another person observes; a monitor and lamp are on the nearby table.
EMERGING THERAPIES
2

What does ketamine-assisted therapy look like? Inside one firefighter’s journey

Directed by Brandon Kapelow

A man in winter clothing sits on a wooden boat, eyes half closed, with a snowy mountain landscape and water in the background.
TRAUMA AND PTSD

In the wake of wars, a professor seeks to mend children’s deep traumas

Directed by Daniel Benjamin Wheeler