Trauma leaves a mark on an individual’s life, often leaving subtle yet persistent traces on their behavior and thoughts. In extreme cases, a person can develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in response to experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatic event. Individuals with the disorder may have flashbacks and nightmares of the event, leading to an inability to carry out day-to-day tasks. They may also develop severe anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, low self-esteem, and aggressive behavior.
If you have PTSD, you may feel like you have to live with the symptoms for the rest of your life. However, it is possible to cure PTSD with professional help, even several years after the traumatic event, so it is never too late to treat your symptoms effectively.
Your treatment method may differ depending on the trauma you have suffered and the severity of your symptoms, so you must visit a mental health professional who can perform a detailed assessment and determine which treatments are best for you. In this article, we’ll discuss four methods used to treat PTSD.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is a type of cognitive therapy that lasts for 12 weeks, with weekly sessions of 60 to 90 minutes. During these sessions, you learn how to cope with the traumatic memory until they no longer harm you. The common method of CPT is to have you write down the traumatic event in detail. Your therapist will then help you gain a new understanding of your trauma that will lead to fewer negative thoughts regarding it.
For example, you might be blaming yourself for the event that took place. Your therapist will provide you with a new perspective by helping you consider all the factors that were beyond your control at that time to help you realize that you were not at fault.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
During EMDR therapy, you won’t necessarily have to narrate your experience to the therapist. Instead, a professional who has undergone EMDR training will guide you through the trauma memory while simultaneously performing some mechanical action, such as flashing a light, moving their hands, or making a sound. This bilateral stimulation, typically of the eyes, helps reduce vividness and emotions associated with the memory and changes how you react to it.
EMDR therapy usually lasts for three months with weekly 60 to 90 minute sessions. Its success rate has been determined to be 77% to 80% in multiple-trauma victims and 100% in single-trauma victims, making it considerably more effective than methods like CPT.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy
People with PTSD avoid memories or objects that remind them of their trauma. Prolonged exposure therapy helps you confront them instead by imagining the event, writing about it, or visiting the place where it occurred. Your therapist will teach you breathing and relaxation techniques to help you overcome fear and anxiety. This will allow you to explore your trauma in a safe and controlled environment, helping you face your fears and handle your PTSD symptoms.
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)
SIT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that involves individual or group therapy without the need for you to go into detail about your trauma. It focuses on breathing techniques, meditation, and other methods, such as deep muscle relaxation to cope with stress and anxiety. It typically takes around three months of weekly sessions for you to handle the stress effectively.
Endnote
It is essential to know that PTSD is a treatable condition, and you can learn how to cope with the negative feelings associated with your trauma. The methods discussed above are among the few used in therapy sessions; various others may suit you more. A professional psychotherapist can’t help you overcome your PTSD with the right therapy designed according to your specific need, and you can achieve post-traumatic growth.
Published by: Nelly Chavez
