Programme gets Mari’s life back on track
Many people think of PTSD as a condition which is diagnosed in members of the Armed Forces – but it can affect anyone. Here, a woman reveals how an internet self-help project helped her overcome a very traumatic ordeal
Single mum Mari Thomas survived a violent attack which led to her developing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The 42-year-old said the horrifying ordeal caused her to suffer bouts of anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares.
But thanks to a new treatment being developed at Cardiff University to support people who have had a single traumatic event, Mari was quickly able to get her life back on track.
“I was volunteering at a local church with a homeless charity when I first met the man who would be my attacker,” she said.
“We’d helped a number of people and this individual developed a type of fascination with me while we were supporting him.”
Things escalated when the man began to buy Mari gifts and he turned up at where she worked.
“I attempted to talk to him, to tell him I wasn’t interested. I asked him to stop buying me gifts. I realise now that he couldn’t accept my rejection.”
Later that same week he turned up on Mari’s doorstep. She was there alone with her then three-year-old daughter asleep upstairs.
“I was frightened for my life. He was much bigger than me,” she recalled.
“He kicked and punched me and I remember saying ‘Get off me! Get off me!’ over and over.”
During the attack, Mari shouted that her daughter was in the house in an attempt to get through to her attacker but this only seemed to animate him.
“His response triggered some kind of ‘super-human’ response in me and I managed to push him off me.
“I shouted for my daughter and I heard a little thud as she got out of bed and started making her way down the corridor.
“This seemed to snap him out of it. He ran and I heard his tyres screeching as he sped away.”
Mari’s attacker was arrested. She had to give a statement and was photographed by the police which captured the bruises she’d been left with.
There was still further trauma to endure as months later Mari had to attend the court case where her attacker pleaded not guilty and was subsequently acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Mari believes that it was at this point when her attacker was found not guilty that her PTSD truly took hold.
The condition can be brought on by events such as serious traffic accidents, rape or sexual abuse, domestic violence, traumatic childbirth or virtually any other situation that is exceptionally threatening or catastrophic.
Up to one third of people who have experienced a traumatic event develop some PTSD symptoms.
Studies estimate that around 7% of people will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives.
“I had tried to go back to my life as normal but I now had time for all my fears and worst thoughts to come to the surface.
“I was working from home in the room where the attack took place. I could feel myself falling apart and I’d always considered myself a strong, independent person.
“I felt alien – I couldn’t go out but didn’t want to stay home. I was having vivid dreams and flashbacks. Anxiety took hold of me and I didn’t want to sleep but when I did I didn’t want to wake up.”
A few months after the trial Mari was carrying a tray of food into her living room when she caught sight of something in the garden.
“In that moment, I thought it was him and I dropped everything. It was just my reflection but I was terrified again. After that night, I went to see the GP because I wanted my life back.
“When he told me I had PTSD everything suddenly made sense.”
Within a month of the GP appointment Mari was enrolled in a trial of a new treatment which was in its second phase at Cardiff University.
The RAPID treatment trial is led by Professor Jonathan Bisson at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) and funded by the NIHR HTA programme.
Following the dramatic improvement Mari made in her recovery she has been passionate about sharing her experience and how much the treatment has helped her.
“It was empowering. Embarking on a guided self-help programme gave me the control I needed. I’d had enough of being a victim.”
Mari found the eight-week programme was making a difference almost immediately despite being a frightening thing to face.
“The programme is narrated and you’re guided through it step by step. A key part of the programme was writing a lengthy first-person account of my traumatic incident and reading it over and over again.
“After the added trauma of having explained myself to the police, family and friends multiple times the programme allowed me to become desensitised to what I’d experienced.
“You don’t suppress it but you’re able to step away from the memories and then deal with them.
“It was brilliant because you can do it on any computer in any location. It’s adaptable and it suited me as a full-time working single mum.
“I’ve realised that in the time it would have taken me to be on a therapist’s waiting list I was already back to being me.
“In the wake of the recent Weinstein allegations I believe more and more people are going to come forward with their experiences of sexual assault. I would recommend this programme to anyone in a similar situation.
“Technology is entering a new era, with apps that can actually make a difference to your mental health. The RAPID programme sits perfectly and legitimately within that.”
Dr Catrin Lewis is one of the original developers of the programme and a researcher at NCMH.
Catrin explained: “We know that psychological therapies can be very effective in the treatment of PTSD, but there is a shortage of suitably qualified therapists able to deliver these interventions and waiting lists are often very long.
“Internet-based guided self-help is an alternative that demands less therapist time, which may hopefully reduce waiting times.
“Our earlier work has shown promise and we are now comparing the new treatment to psychological therapy delivered face-to-face, which is currently the most effective way we know of treating PTSD.”
The team is looking for individuals to take part in the next phase of their trial.
To find out more contact RAPID@Cardiff.ac.uk or call 029 2068 8331.