Theories Of Distress

The second cluster of symptoms includes avoidance of anything that is likely to remind the person of the trauma, such as attempting to push the event away, avoidance of thinking about the event, or avoiding anything that could be a reminder of the event or that is similar to the event. According to Foa et al (2005), an important group of symptoms are known as the “emotional numbing symptoms", namely detachment from others; loss of interest in once-favored activities; inability to experience the range of emotions one once had; and a feeling of emotional alienation, especially from spouses or children. The final group of symptoms is classified as hyper arousal symptoms: sleep disturbance, hyper vigilance, startle responses, exaggerated startle