"Corrin was referred to me by her insurance company after she was involved in a road traffic collision. A car had pulled out in front of her and she sustained some physical injuries that required hospital treatment. Fortunately her physical injuries resolved relatively quickly, although she was left with marked anxiety about driving on her own, as well as sleep disturbance characterised by flashbacks and nightmares concerning the accident. Worst of all, she could not shake the thought that the accident had been her fault.
Corrin was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and referred for 12 sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Regular planned sessions enabled Corrin to open up about her experience in a way that she had previously found difficult to do. It turned out that two things were getting in the way of Corrin’s recovery - ever since she had been young, Corrin had always blamed herself for everything that went wrong, and she always believed that she was right. Consequently, Corrin was convinced that the accident was her fault and no-one could tell her otherwise, not her insurance company, the witnesses, or the other driver.
Using evidence-based CBT techniques and strategies specifically designed for treating the symptoms of PTSD, the sessions helped Corrin discover for herself that she might be wrong this time - that the accident might not have been her fault. This in turn helped reduce her nightmares and flashbacks because she was not so plagues with guilt about what had happened. It also enabled her to start taking steps toward driving independently, which she had fully accomplished by the end of the sessions”.
