Post-traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD Therapy
In life there are experiences that impact us in the moment that they happen and also long after they are done. Those experiences can and often do leave a lasting effect on our system, both positive and negative.
Some events, however, can be so devastating or traumatic, that they leave us with devastating consequences to face and process. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is exactly that.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an extremely real and often devastating condition that a staggering number of Americans suffer with every day.
It is a serious and debilitating condition that occurs when someone has experienced or witnessed a serious, terrifying or life-threatening event. PTSD is triggered upon the event and continues to affect the person afterward, interfering with their ability to cope in every-day life. The person suffering with PTSD experiences disturbing symptoms in response to triggers that present in their life after the traumatic event.
Though PTSD is serious, debilitating and extremely difficult to cope with – it is not permanent, and it can be treated and healed. With the proper treatment, someone can overcome PTSD and learn how to live a healthy and productive life.
What Causes PTSD?
When a person experiences a traumatic event in their life, both their mind and body are immediately affected. In the event of a trauma, our brain encounters extreme stress and is programmed to signal the body to protect itself. It is at this point that the body enters into what people refer to as “fight or flight” response. After events that trigger this stress, affected individuals can then continue to develop a more extreme stress response to environmental factors around them that aren’t actually indicative of danger in any real way; things that remind them of the initial event in any sense. This is what happens when someone suffers from PTSD. Following an exposure to a sudden real danger or trauma, someone’s brain is then programmed to initiate the “fear” response when it is not needed.
Some examples of common traumatic events that can cause PTSD are:
Natural disaster
Serious accident
Sudden death or loss of a loved one
War or terrorism incident
Violent attack
Sexual assault
PTSD can be caused by witnessing the intense or horrifying event, experiencing it directly or receiving news of a loved one involved in the incident. Each human experiences traumatic event(s) in their life. Trauma and one’s impact of the traumatic experience varies. It is important to understand that what may be traumatic for one person, may not be traumatic for another person – we are all unique and process information and experiences differently.
What Does PTSD Feel Like?
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder manifests in many physical, mental and emotional ways. These symptoms can be triggered by a person’s environmental cues that are in some way relevant or related to the initial trauma. PTSD triggers can be smells, tastes, sights or sounds and can occur at any point in the day or night, which leads to PTSD being such a barrier in the lives of those suffering.
The symptoms of PTSD cover a wide spectrum and are many, but some of the most common include:
Recurrent, intrusive thoughts and memories of the initial event
Replaying or reliving the event in a harshly realistic way (flashbacks)
Sleep disturbances or nightmares about the experience
Acute and extreme emotional response to a reminder of the traumatic event
Panic attacks or symptoms of paranoia
Being easily startled
Irritability or aggressive behavior
Trouble focusing or sleeping
After experiencing a traumatic event, it is normal to face some or all of these symptoms as you return to your life again. If you are experiencing these symptoms for longer than a month, or they are continuing to grow more severe or frequent rather than improving, it is important to seek the help of a specialist. If you are experiencing PTSD and do not seek the proper support, it is likely to only continue worsening – often to a dangerous point. If you or a loved one are experiencing signs of PTSD that have led you to experience suicidal thoughts or ideation, please seek help immediately.
Treatment for PTSD
Before being treated for PTSD, you must first be diagnosed as such. At Insight Northwest Counseling we have a team of mental health professionals who are able to assess your symptoms, give you a proper diagnosis and then collaborate with you to form the right plan for care – often, a combination of multiple forms of PTSD therapy.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, also known as talk-therapy, has been known to be an incredibly effective way to treat PTSD. There are several different types of psychotherapy used to help with PTSD, but the most effective of those types are the most successful and most highly-recommended are trauma-focused psychotherapies.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on using thoughts and emotions to make changes in one’s behavior and ability to function in their life. Therapists using CBT to help their patients to heal through PTSD would support and assist them in reconceptualizing and controlling their thoughts and unhelpful patterns in order to alleviate their symptoms. Replacing the negative, intrusive and traumatic thoughts with positive or even just realistic ones can shift the patient’s entire experience. Not only would a therapist use CBT to help the person shift their thinking surrounding the traumatic event, they would also use it to help them reconceptualize their understanding of themselves and their ability to cope.
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Very similar to CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy is used to reconceptualize negative thoughts or feelings surrounding your trauma. In CPT, you talk extensively about your negative thoughts and they will help you to process and reframe them. All cognitive therapies rely on the importance of controlling our thoughts and emotions, to better process and function through life’s hardships. In CPT, therapists will often encourage the person to do writing exercises that involve recalling and recording the traumatic event in detail, to then read in the session and out. The therapist or care provider will listen and help the person to identify areas or points that can be reconceptualized in order to heal and cope in a healthier way.
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Those suffering from PTSD often experience fear and trauma-response to things around them that may serve as reminders. Whether it’s a certain picture or song, something initiates a reaction in them that causes panic, fear and other intense symptoms. These reminders vary greatly depending on the traumatic event and the response to them also varies greatly. It is common in people suffering with PTSD that they will begin to practice avoidance techniques in an effort to cope with their condition. Rather than facing the reaction, they go out of their way to avoid whatever triggers they know exist. This is yet another way that PTSD can interfere with someone’s day-to-day life.
The goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the level of fear or anxiety surrounding the triggers, rather than eliminating the trigger themselves. By exposing the person repeatedly and at length, in a controlled, safe and intentional way, the person becomes desensitized to the trigger and are also able to replace their traumatic feelings and reactions with neutral ones.
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EMDR therapy is another psychotherapy that is used to process traumatic experiences and memories, while also reshaping and reconceptualizing them to alleviate the stressful reactions of triggers. In the process of EMDR appointments, the person will be subjected to brief exposure to emotionally disturbing material while also being asked to focus on an “external stimulus”. The therapist performing EMDR will direct the patient’s eyes in lateral movements throughout the course of the exposure, which will form new associations with the traumatic memory. The new associations are proven to reduce emotional distress, lessen trigger responses and form new coping abilities and means of reacting to external cues.
EMDR operates on a three-part protocol:
The traumatic events that have created the distress are exposed and processed.
The existing current triggers and points of distress are targeted and processed.
Templates of future potential or “imaginal” situations are exposed to encourage the person to obtain new coping and processing skills.
EMDR has been proven to be extremely successful in the treatment of PTSD and has a staggering success rate of positive outcomes. In fact, some studies show that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions. It is highly-likely that following a course of EMDR treatment, someone will be reduced to minimal signs or symptoms of PTSD, if any.
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Stress Inoculation Training is a form of psychotherapy that helps to relieve your symptoms of PTSD, as well as prepare you to combat your triggers and anxiety quickly as they are presented. SIT occurs over the course of several weeks in segments of 90-minute appointments. In each appointment, the person is exposed to milder forms of stress, frequently, to desensitize and train them to be comfortable and confident when their trauma surfaces. This specific type of training helps to condition a person to respond quickly and confidently to their PTSD-related stress, therefore lessening the impact and alleviating the symptoms. SIT will help you to recognize your triggers quickly and effectively and also teach you healthy coping skills that can be used in managing the symptoms.
Some of those coping skills include:
Muscle relaxation
Deep and intentional breathing
Active thinking and self-talk
Focusing on changing negative behaviors
Role-playing
Psychiatric Medication Treatment
In order to heal from PTSD, it is possible that psychotherapy is not the only form of treatment necessary. Sometimes while in the process of receiving another form of therapy, it is necessary and helpful to receive the support of psychiatric medications. The recommended medications used to treat PTSD can often alleviate the symptoms of depression, anxiety and panic. They are also known to help improve common sleep problems and support concentration. There are two different psychiatric medications that are most commonly used to treat PTSD symptoms.
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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor medications, or SSRIs, are commonly known as antidepressants. They are used to treat depression and anxiety, as well as other mood disorders, and often PTSD as well. When facing PTSD, patients often fall into a place of deep hopelessness and depression, leading to even more dangerous mental health conditions. SSRI medications work to encourage the serotonin production in your brain, which help to regulate mood, appetite and sleep.
Some of the most common SSRIs used to treat PTSD are:
Zoloft
Paxil
Lexapro
Prozac
Effexor
Antidepressant medications should be used under the care of a licensed healthcare professional to ensure the most effective and beneficial use. Book a consultation today with a psychiatric specialist on our team.
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As panic and anxiety are two of the most common and crippling effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, anti-anxiety medications are a popular and useful form of treatment. They are used to relieve the symptoms of severe anxiety such as:
Panic attacks
Shortness of breath
Racing or intrusive thoughts
Paranoia
Sleep issues
Just as with antidepressant medications, anti-anxiety should be used under the advice of a trained and licensed provider. For more information about your psychiatric medication treatment options, contact our psychiatric support today.
If you have experienced a traumatic event in your life that has left you suffering from the crippling and devastating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, we encourage you to reach out to us to learn more about how our staff can help you experience relief.
At Insight Northwest Counseling we are here to help you on your journey to healing and are equipped with the resources that you need. We are able to provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan that involves various treatment methods, and want to collaborate with you to form the best plan for you and your needs.