This repetition of the original trauma does not happen just with poorly trained clinicians in remote settings, but also in the most high-profile training institutions.
They run in the opposite direction to the positive reactions, although there is a sense in which they too are fixations to the original trauma.
Discovering the cause of the original trauma?
"It's like the aftershock of an earthquake - it can happen 20 minutes after the original trauma, 20 hours later, even 20 years later."
People with this disorder typically have terrifying dreams in which they seem to be reliving part of the original trauma.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered controllable but not curable, and often it will flare up years after the original trauma.
A patient is confronted with a situation in which the stimulus that provoked the original trauma is present.
Now the person will usually find that the addiction and the results of the addiction are more painful than the original trauma.
However, over time, other problems related to the original trauma emerge.
Also common is the traumatic nightmare, in which victims relive the event or create similar events that mimic the original trauma.