Stress Disorder

A stress disorder is a mental health condition triggered by traumatic or significant life events that overwhelm an individual's ability to cope. Unlike temporary stress, these disorders cause significant functional impairment in daily life, such as at school, job, or in relationships. Biologically, these disorders occur when the brain's amygdala (alarm center) and HPA axis (hormone system) remain in a hyperactive "fight-or-flight" state even after the danger has passed.

There are four primary types described in the sources:

• Acute Stress Disorder (ASD): A short-term reaction occurring between three days and one month after a trauma, often involving nightmares or dissociation.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A chronic condition diagnosed when symptoms like flashbacks and severe avoidance last longer than a month.

• Complex PTSD (C-PTSD): Often resulting from repeated trauma, this includes PTSD symptoms plus pervasive issues with emotion regulation and identity.

• Adjustment Disorder: A disproportionate emotional response to identifiable life stressors, such as a breakup or moving, that happens within three months of the event.

Lok-Kwan is richly experienced in treating stress disorder. His earlier education was in clinical psychology with experience in an institutional clinical setting but it was his own life experience, his decades of meditation and qigong practice, and his training in hypnotherapy at the Milton Erickson Foundation from 2016 to 2019 that equipped him to help these patients. Stress disorder as a DSM-5 concept can be limiting but stress and anxiety come in all shapes and forms in debilitating ways in life today. Lok-Kwan Acupuncture offers a holistic, non-drug solution for these problems.