Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health issue that some people who have encountered or seen a horrific event may develop. A single traumatic incident, such as a natural disaster, major accident, physical or sexual assault, or military conflict, may trigger PTSD. Alternatively, PTSD may develop over time, such as in the case of persistent abuse or violence.
In this episode, Kristen Harper discusses PTSD and how to support those who are affected by it.
Key Takeaways
- PTSD is whole-body, not just mental. Kristen walks through the physical signature: fatigue, memory issues, constipation from an overused sympathetic nervous system, thyroid imbalance, upper-back pain, and even concussions referenced by Dr. Eugene Lipov's fMRI research. Treating it as a mood problem misses most of what's happening.
- Women are twice as likely to experience PTSD as men. She cites NAMI research: types of trauma women are disproportionately exposed to — rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse — drive the gap. A material input for any workplace DEI and wellness strategy.
- Many employees have PTSD and don't know it. Kristen lived with it for years undiagnosed until a moment at a border stop when she couldn't recall her own city. The case for workplace PTSD awareness seminars is that detection itself is the first intervention.
- Meditation alone is not enough for PTSD. It helps addictions, she notes, but PTSD's nervous-system dysregulation needs more — she favours sound healing (tuning forks at specific frequency pairings) to bring unconscious trauma into awareness for release.
- Detachment is a practical triggering protocol. For abuse-related PTSD: no re-reading old emails, no scrolling the abuser's social media, no returning to the city of the trauma. Boundaries and removal reduce the cycle.
- Employers can build PTSD-aware programs. Her corporate prescription: awareness seminars (because undiagnosed is the norm), sound healing modalities, and support for multiple holistic interventions — no single modality carries the load.
- Three choices in any hard moment. Borrowing from Eckhart Tolle: change the situation, remove yourself from it, or surrender to it. A simple frame she returns to when intuition itself feels blocked by trauma.
In Kristen's Words
On what PTSD actually does to the body
Every aspect of health is affected. Physically you can experience fatigue, memory issues, attention issues, pain in the upper back, constipation — your sympathetic nervous system is overused, your nervous system is unbalanced. It can affect your thyroid, lead to hair loss, weight gain, even concussions are associated with PTSD.
Going through PTSD is way worse than going through an addiction — I've been through both. It's one of the worst health conditions to have. It can take years, it can take decades.
On the silent, undiagnosed cases
I had PTSD for years but I didn't know it. One day I was driving crossing state lines and they stopped me. A gentleman asked, where are you coming from — and I couldn't tell him what city I lived in. That's how my brain was not functioning properly. That was a sign something was wrong.
Females are twice as likely to experience PTSD than males. Women are subjected to specific types of trauma — rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, domestic violence.
On workplace wellness programs for PTSD
Not one holistic modality will help to overcome PTSD — it's not enough. It's such a complex health condition. You have to combine many together. Each of these can be added into a program, but one is not enough.
Meditation is not enough for PTSD. If you have an addiction, meditation is great. But with PTSD, the nervous system is unbalanced, the heart chakra is closed — they need something more powerful. Sound healing brings the trauma from the unconscious mind up to conscious awareness. If employers started there, it would help tremendously.
Awareness workshops and seminars — bringing awareness, educating people on PTSD, is so important. There are people who have it and don't even know.
On triggers, boundaries, and what helps in the moment
If you've been through abuse, you don't want to be looking at emails the abuser sent you or looking at their picture. You need to detach. That's going to bring back the memory and you'll feel anger and emotional pain again.
It's okay to stop what you're doing and rest. If you're overwhelmed, there's nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. Grounding is good — go out into nature, go barefoot, have your feet connected with the earth.
Eckhart Tolle said when you're going through a difficult situation, you have three choices. You change the situation, you remove yourself from it, or you surrender to it.
About the Speaker
Every day will be chaotic; it's going to be tough. You just have to keep going and push hard. - Kristen Harper
Kristen Harper is a health and wellness speaker. She inspires audiences to keep healthy, happy, and motivated. Kristen founded her company, Perfect Health Consulting Services, LLC in 2009, with the goal of helping people all around the world become healthy.
Connect with Kristen on LinkedIn.
Show Notes
If you have PTSD, it's all about not giving up. - Kristen Harper
(00:39) Can you tell us about your journey in the area of health and wellness?
(02:56) PTSD is a mental health condition, as we know. Can you tell us more about it and the symptoms?
(07:02) How intense is PTSD, and what are its effects?
(13:49) At what age does PTSD trigger the most?
(14:34) Is PTSD mostly seen in women?
(15:30) How do we know it's time to seek a doctor?
(16:55) Are PTSD symptoms grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative thoughts, and changes in physical and emotional reactions?
(19:22) Do you think there are PTSD patients who do not even know they have it?
(21:02) Are there any PTSD-related programs that can be incorporated into wellness programs?
Recommended Podcast: Workplace Stress- Causes and Ways to Combat it
