PTSD Awareness Month: Supporting Veterans in Sarasota

PTSD Awareness Month is about more than statistics or ribbons. It is about giving language to those symptoms, helping people see patterns, and making it easier to ask for help. Especially for veterans and first responders who were trained to push through.

As a board-certified emergency physician and Navy veteran, I have seen PTSD and complex PTSD from both sides. The science is clear. These are real medical conditions that affect the brain and body.

In this guide, I will walk through the most common PTSD and complex PTSD symptoms, why they show up the way they do, how stress chemicals like serotonin and epinephrine are involved, and what meaningful support can look like in Sarasota and beyond.

What are the 17 symptoms of PTSD?

The 17 symptoms of PTSD are grouped into re-experiencing, avoidance, negative changes in thoughts and mood, and increased arousal and reactivity. Together, they describe how a traumatic event can keep replaying in your mind, change how you feel about yourself and the world, and keep your body stuck in a constant “on guard” state.

Here is how those 17 symptoms break down in plain language:

Re-experiencing symptoms

1. Intrusive memories of the event that pop up without warning
2. Distressing dreams or nightmares related to the trauma
3. Flashbacks, where it feels as if the event is happening again
4. Strong emotional distress when reminded of the event
5. Physical reactions to reminders, such as racing heart or sweating

Avoidance symptoms

1. Avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations about the trauma
2. Avoiding people, places, or activities that bring up memories

Negative changes in thoughts and mood

1. Trouble remembering key parts of the traumatic event
2. Persistent negative beliefs about yourself, others, or the world
3. Ongoing distorted blame of self or others for what happened
4. Persistent negative emotions such as fear, anger, shame, or guilt
5. Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
6. Feeling detached or estranged from others
7. Difficulty feeling positive emotions such as joy or love

Arousal and reactivity symptoms

1. Irritability or angry outbursts
2. Reckless or self-destructive actions
3. Being overly watchful, jumpy, or easily startled, often with sleep problems or difficulty concentrating

Most people with PTSD do not have all 17 symptoms at once. They often notice a few that are strongest, such as nightmares, avoidance, or feeling constantly on edge. Over time, other symptoms can emerge as life stress increases or as the brain stays in protection mode.

If you see several of these in yourself or someone you care about, it is worth a real conversation with a clinician who understands trauma and takes time to listen.

What are the 17 symptoms of complex PTSD?

Complex PTSD, or C‑PTSD, describes what happens when trauma is ongoing or repeated, rather than a single event. It is more common after chronic combat exposure, childhood abuse, domestic violence, or years of high-risk work without recovery time. The symptoms of complex PTSD include the core PTSD signs plus additional patterns that affect identity, relationships, and how safe you feel in your own skin.

The “17 symptoms of complex PTSD” often refer to this wider picture. Common features include:

1. All of the core PTSD symptoms described above
2. Difficulty controlling emotions, such as sudden anger or numbness
3. Deep feelings of shame, worthlessness, or permanent damage
4. A long-standing sense of emptiness or hopelessness
5. Ongoing problems in relationships, especially with trust and closeness
6. Feeling constantly on guard, even in safe spaces
7. Persistent guilt or responsibility for things that were not actually your fault
8. Trouble knowing what you want or who you are outside of crisis roles
9. Feeling detached from your body or emotions at times

Complex PTSD develops over time when the nervous system has had to stay in survival mode for too long. The brain and body adapt to keep you safe in situations that were not safe. Those adaptations are powerful in the field. They can become exhausting at home.

At Lesh Lifestyle, when I meet a veteran with complex PTSD signs, I am looking at the full pattern: sleep, hormones, inflammation, nutrition, past head injuries, and life stress now. Because healing rarely comes from just naming the diagnosis. It comes from understanding the whole picture.

What is a symptom of secondary traumatic stress and PTSD?

A key symptom of secondary traumatic stress is feeling as if you are reliving someone else’s trauma as your own, with symptoms that look very similar to PTSD. This can show up as intrusive images, emotional numbness, irritability, or sleep problems after hearing detailed stories of trauma, even if you were not physically there when it happened.

Secondary traumatic stress is common among:

• Spouses and family members of veterans
• Nurses, physicians, and first responders
• Therapists, chaplains, and social workers
• Dispatchers and support staff who hear traumatic calls

One example is a partner of a veteran who has never deployed themselves but starts having distressing combat dreams after years of hearing their loved one’s stories. Another is a nurse who cannot stop replaying a particular patient loss and begins to avoid similar cases.

Secondary traumatic stress and PTSD share many symptoms:

• Intrusive memories or images
• Avoiding reminders of the stories or work
• Emotional numbing or feeling “shut down”
• Irritability, hypervigilance, or jumpiness
• Changes in sleep and appetite

The difference is that the trauma exposure is indirect. The brain still lights up as if danger is present. That is why secondary traumatic stress deserves the same level of care and respect. At our Sarasota practice, I often see both the veteran and their partner carrying pieces of the trauma story. Both need support.

Why does increasing serotonin and epinephrine reduce PTSD symptoms?

Shifts in brain chemicals like serotonin and epinephrine can help reduce PTSD symptoms because they influence mood, focus, sleep, and how strongly the body reacts to stress. When these systems are out of balance after trauma, the brain can stay stuck in survival mode, even when real danger has passed.

Here is a simple way to think about it:

• Serotonin is involved in mood, sleep, and emotional stability. Low or poorly regulated serotonin can contribute to anxiety, sadness, irritability, and disrupted sleep, which are all common in PTSD.
• Epinephrine, also called adrenaline, is part of the fight‑or‑flight response. In PTSD, the brain’s alarm system can fire too often or too strongly. That can mean racing heart, sweating, and a constant sense of being on edge.

Medications that influence serotonin signalling, such as certain antidepressants, can help quiet some PTSD symptoms for many people by smoothing out those mood and sleep disruptions. Treatments that calm excessive epinephrine responses can reduce the physical surges of panic, nightmares, and hypervigilance.

In real life, it is rarely about “boosting” these chemicals in isolation. Trauma impacts multiple systems at once: neurotransmitters, hormones like cortisol, inflammation pathways, and even gut health. That is why some veterans feel partial relief on medication but still struggle with fatigue, brain fog, or a short fuse.

My integrative approach in Sarasota looks at:

• Sleep quality and circadian rhythm
• Hormone balance, including cortisol, thyroid, and sex hormones
• Nutrition and blood sugar stability
• Inflammation markers and past infections
• Past head injuries, especially in contact sports or combat roles
• Existing medications and their interactions

Sometimes we do include medications that act on serotonin. Sometimes we focus first on steady sleep, repairing nutrient deficiencies, and calming the nervous system through non-drug methods. For many patients, the best outcomes come from combining both.

If you are interested in non-drug support for mood and anxiety, you can read more in my article on drug-free depression and anxiety treatment in Sarasota.

How do PTSD symptoms show up in the body?

PTSD is often talked about as a mental health condition, but its symptoms are deeply physical. The brain and body work together. When the brain’s alarm system has been rewired by trauma, the body lives in a near‑constant state of readiness.

Common physical signs include:

• Chronic muscle tension, headaches, or jaw pain
• Digestive issues such as nausea, diarrhoea, or irritable bowel symptoms
• Rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, or shortness of breath
• Sweating, shaking, or feeling flushed with reminders of the trauma
• Trouble falling or staying asleep, even when you are exhausted
• Fatigue that does not match your lab results

Many of my patients have been told for years that their labs are “normal,” yet they feel a constant mismatch between those numbers and their day-to-day experience. This is where an integrative assessment matters. We need to ask what is happening with cortisol over the day and look beyond a single blood draw. Are micronutrients like magnesium, B vitamins, and omega‑3s depleted from long-term stress?

On the mental side, PTSD can feel like:

• Being stuck between numbness and overwhelm
• Feeling disconnected from people you care about
• Losing interest in hobbies or activities you used to enjoy
• Being easily irritated or quick to anger
• Struggling to concentrate or remember details

When we name both sets of symptoms, patients finally feel seen. It is not “all in your head.” It is a full-body response to what you have been through.

If you want to learn more about non-drug support for anxiety and mood, our article on drug-free depression and anxiety treatment in Sarasota offers a deeper look at options that work alongside or in place of medication when appropriate.

How is PTSD different for veterans and first responders?

Veterans and first responders often carry trauma from multiple sources piled on top of each other. Combat, repeated exposure to injury and loss, moral injury when actions clash with values, and the culture of “suck it up” all shape how PTSD appears and how long it takes to see it clearly.

Some key patterns I see in my Sarasota practice:

• High functioning on the surface. Many veterans keep working, parenting, and leading while silently battling intrusive memories and sleep loss. They are used to pushing through.
• Delayed onset. Symptoms sometimes intensify years after service, often triggered by retirement, a move, a divorce, or another major life change that removes structure or distraction.
• Complex trauma. Multiple deployments, repeated critical incidents, or early life trauma can layer into complex PTSD, with deeper shifts in identity and relationships.
• Family impact. Partners and children may develop their own anxiety, hypervigilance, or secondary traumatic stress from living around chronic tension or emotional distance.

Because I served in the Navy and worked in emergency medicine, I understand the unspoken rules. You may worry about stigma, career impact, or what it means to step into the patient role when you are used to being the one who responds.

That is why I structure visits with privacy and respect in mind. We talk about what you are comfortable sharing. We connect the dots between your history, your current health, and your goals, and then we build a clear plan from there.

What actually helps veterans with PTSD in Sarasota?

Effective support for PTSD combines evidence-based therapy, medical care, and practical lifestyle shifts. No single tool is enough for everyone. The key is a plan that addresses both the nervous system and the rest of the body.

Some elements that can help:

• Trauma‑focused therapy. Approaches like EMDR, prolonged exposure, or cognitive processing therapy help your brain refile traumatic memories so they are less raw. I frequently coordinate care with local therapists in Sarasota for this piece.
• Medication when indicated. Certain medications can reduce nightmares, anxiety, or depression symptoms. They are tools that can make other work, like therapy and sleep repair, more possible.
• Integrative medicine. At Lesh Lifestyle, I look at hormone balance, nutrient status, gut health, and inflammation. Addressing low testosterone, thyroid issues, or blood sugar swings, for example, can ease fatigue and mood instability that make PTSD harder to manage.
• Nervous system regulation. Simple, consistent practices such as breathing exercises, safe movement, grounding techniques, or time in nature help retrain your stress response over time.
• Community and connection. Peer support, veteran groups, and honest conversations with family reduce isolation, which is one of the most painful parts of PTSD and complex PTSD.

Our integrative medicine and mental wellness services can be part of that support. That might include lab-based assessments, nutrition and sleep plans, hormone adjustment when appropriate, and close follow‑up to see what is actually changing over time.

For veterans in Sarasota who travel often or live part‑time elsewhere, telehealth visits are also available in approved states so we can keep momentum going between in‑person appointments.

If you are curious how integrative care fits with trauma treatment, my article on what integrative medicine is in Sarasota explains the approach in more detail and shows how it can work alongside therapy and VA services.

How can family and friends support someone with PTSD?

Family and friends often see the changes first. They notice the jumpiness at sudden noises, the short temper, the withdrawal from family gatherings. They may not know what to say or worry about making things worse.

Support starts with three things: safety, curiosity, and limits.

• Safety. Let your loved one know you believe them and that their reactions make sense in light of what they have lived through. Calm, steady presence often matters more than perfect words.
• Curiosity. Ask what tends to make things better or worse. Is there a way to change the environment at home that would feel safer? Are there specific triggers to avoid during movies or conversations?
• Limits. Caring for someone with PTSD or complex PTSD can be draining. It is healthy to protect your own sleep, health, and emotional space. This protects the relationship and reduces resentment.

If you are experiencing your own anxiety, nightmares, or exhaustion from supporting someone with PTSD, that may be secondary traumatic stress. You deserve care too. Many partners find it helpful to have their own clinician to speak with, whether locally or via telehealth.

You can learn more about mental wellness support at Lesh Lifestyle on our mental wellness page, including how we coordinate with therapists and other specialists.

PTSD Awareness Month in Sarasota: where to start

PTSD Awareness Month is a reminder that you do not have to wait until things fall apart to ask for help. Whether you are a veteran, a first responder, a military spouse, or someone who has lived through trauma in another setting, your symptoms are real. And they are treatable.

You do not need a perfect script before you reach out. You can start with a single example of how your day feels now.

At Lesh Lifestyle in Sarasota, every new patient begins with a discovery call with me. We talk through your history, what you are experiencing day to day, and what you have already tried. From there, we decide together whether an integrative medicine or mental wellness plan here makes sense for you, and how it can work alongside therapy and VA care.

When you are ready, choose a time that fits your day and take that first step toward feeling steadier.

Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP is the founder of Lesh Lifestyle in Sarasota.

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Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP personally takes every discovery call. Share what has been going on and hear how she would investigate it.