Navigating Distance: What to Do When Someone with PTSD Pushes You Away

Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or having a loved one with PTSD can be challenging. The condition, often stemming from traumatic events, can impact all facets of a person's life, including their relationships. Those with PTSD may sometimes push away those they care about most, leading to confusion and heartbreak for their loved ones. Understanding why this happens and knowing how to respond can lead to more effective communication and mutual support.


PTSD and Emotional Withdrawal

People with PTSD often experience emotional withdrawal, manifesting as a distance or avoidance of close relationships. This emotional withdrawal can be an instinctive self-preservation response triggered by the fear of reliving traumatic experiences or the guilt, shame, or anxiety associated with these experiences.


When Push Comes to Shove: Reacting to Emotional Withdrawal

When someone with PTSD begins to push you away, it can be harrowing. However, it's important to remember that this does not reflect your worth or the value of your relationship. Instead, it's often an attempt to manage overwhelming emotions. Here are some tips on how to respond.

Practice Patience and Understanding

Please recognize that the individual's withdrawal isn't about you but rather a manifestation of their struggle with PTSD. Maintaining a patient and understanding attitude can be helpful during these challenging times.


Respect Their Space

While it's natural to want to help, pushing too hard for closeness could make the individual feel more pressured and anxious. Respecting their need for space and giving them time to process their emotions is essential.

Building Bridges: Strategies for Reconnecting

Are you wondering what to do next after understanding why and how to deal with someone who pushes you away due to PTSD? You can explore strategies to rebuild the connection while respecting the person's boundaries.


Encourage Professional Help

Encourage your loved one to seek professional help if they haven't already. Therapists and psychiatrists trained in trauma and PTSD can provide valuable tools and strategies for managing symptoms and improving interpersonal relationships.


Communicate Openly and Honestly

When the person is ready, communicate openly and honestly about your feelings. Avoid accusations or blaming language, focusing instead on expressing your concern and reaffirming your support for them.


Support their Healing Journey

Supporting a loved one with PTSD isn't just about helping them manage symptoms or navigate therapy. It also involves respecting their healing process, acknowledging their progress, and reminding them that they are more than their PTSD.


When someone with PTSD pushes you away, it's crucial to respond with understanding, respect their space, and employ strategies to support their healing journey. This process can be challenging, but with patience, empathy, and open communication, it's possible to navigate these complexities and foster a supportive relationship with your loved one. Remember, it's always okay to seek professional advice if you're unsure how to support a loved one with PTSD.

Grouport Offers PTSD Group Therapy and DBT Skills Groups Online

Grouport Therapy provides online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) groups to assist individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and trauma. Our online group therapy sessions teach members how to integrate CBT techniques into their daily lives. Incorporating these skill sets enables them to recognize triggers, counteract negative thought patterns, and adopt more positive behaviors to recover from and manage their symptoms. In addition to CBT, our PTSD treatment utilizes prolonged exposure therapy (PE), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and stress inoculation training (SIT) in a group setting.

Our licensed Therapist leads weekly group sessions conducted remotely in the comfort of members' homes. According to participant feedback, 70% experienced significant improvements within 8 weeks.

You don't have to face these challenges alone. Join our community and work together towards a brighter future. Sign up for one of our groups today and begin your journey towards meaningful, lasting change and renewed hope.


We also offer skills groups, such as our dialectical behavior therapy skills group. Our DBT Skills Group, is a therapist-led module driven group that will provide you new skills to replace behaviors and emotions causing friction in your daily life and relationships. It is excellent for interpersonal connections, building social skills concerning relationship issues, improving emotion regulation & distress tolerance, and developing deeper mindfulness.

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