Resetting the Alarm

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not a sign of weakness. It is a real condition rooted in how the nervous system responds to threat, trauma, and prolonged stress. This audiobook offers a clear, compassionate, and evidence-informed explanation of PTSD through the lens of nervous system physiology. Designed for individuals with PTSD, their loved ones, clinicians, veterans, first responders, and anyone seeking understanding, it explains why symptoms such as hyperarousal, intrusive memories, emotional numbing, sleep disturbance, and physical tension can persist long after the original trauma has passed. Drawing on clinical experience and current scientific understanding, the audiobook explores how trauma can lead to persistent activation of the body’s stress response system. These symptoms are described as real, involuntary, and biologically driven — protective in origin, not signs of personal failure or psychological weakness. Current management approaches are discussed, including trauma-focused psychological therapies, medication, lifestyle strategies, and emerging biological interventions aimed at calming the nervous system. One such intervention explored is the stellate ganglion block (SGB), a targeted procedure acting on the sympathetic nervous system that has shown promising results in some individuals with PTSD, particularly in reducing hyperarousal, sleep disruption, and anxiety symptoms. SGB is presented cautiously and responsibly — as a potential adjunct, not a cure. Responses vary between individuals, long-term data are still evolving, and recovery from PTSD is often gradual, non-linear, and multi-faceted. The aim of this audiobook is to reduce shame, provide clarity, set realistic expectations, and support informed conversations with healthcare providers. This audiobook is for educational purposes only and does not replace personalised medical or psychological assessment or treatment.