Post-Traumatic Experiences and CBD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a problem that affects those who have suffered a severe traumatic event. Inability to process the negative experience can result in various symptoms. In some cases, these may be temporary, but they can become chronic in others. Symptoms related to PTSD include:
- Unpleasant images, thoughts or perceptions, nightmares, and dreams.
- Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event is recurring.
- Intense psychological distress on being exposed to internal or external triggers that symbolise or resemble some aspect of the traumatic event.
- Physiological reactivity or exposure to internal or external triggers that symbolise or resemble some aspect of the traumatic event.
- Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with trauma and attenuation of general reactivity.
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Irritability or outbursts of anger.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Hypervigilance and exaggerated alarm responses.
Can CBD help post-traumatic stress disorder?
According to research conducted by the New York School of Medicine published in October 2015, cannabidiol could help reduce states of anxiety and therefore may help ease feelings related to fear and stress.
The analyses carried out to date show that cannabidiol may be effective in treating disorders related to post-traumatic stress; however, many more studies are still needed to corroborate CBD's efficacy for this specific pathology.
CBD and threat perception
One of the symptoms that characterise PTSD is the perception of a threat, the memory linked to the traumatic moment that is difficult to process.
An analysis carried out by the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Sao Paulo's School of Medicine and published in November 2012 highlighted how cannabidiol facilitates neurotransmission of the 5HT1A receptor in the brain, resulting in a long-term reduction of the anxiety associated with the feeling of perceived threat.
Therefore, we can conclude that CBD is an excellent option for treating post-traumatic stress for those affected with this disorder, offering improvement for the disease without side effects.
