How To Find The Right Treatment For PTSD

Science

How To Find The Right Treatment For PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur in anyone. Some symptoms will only last for a short time, others will affect a person their whole life. 

Anything can trigger this disorder as PTSD isn’t created through horrible events alone, the stress can be caused by seemingly minuscule moments that were never resolved or had a larger mental impact than expected.

No matter the cause and no matter the trigger, you should still receive treatment for your condition. Below are the treatments available, and who they would benefit the most.

If you’re searching for the right treatment for Complex ptsd always be sure to explore the valuable insights and information available on this page.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT is the best treatment for people who have witnessed violence. The violence could be physical, accidental, military, or sexual.

CPT is used to reduce symptoms rather than remove the disorder. It is recommended for any PTSD sufferers who need help managing their symptoms.

The theory around CPT touches on our inability to process horrific events. Our brains do not fully process what happened in an attempt to shield us. However, as we cannot remember or understand the events in question, we come to unhealthy conclusions or a state of paranoia.

In CPT sessions you will be guided through the events of what happened, and your therapist will help you understand what you remember. They will guide you through the trauma and change the themes of these memories, adding trust, control, and power to your psyche.

By the end of your sessions, you should have healthier ways to understand the event, reducing your symptoms and helping you see the world clearly.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy

PE is a behavioral therapy to help people approach memories and feelings which they have avoided due to their trauma.

It works very similarly to CPT, as the therapy should help reduce or relieve unhealthy thinking patterns.

Due to the traumatic events, you may find yourself fearful of items, places, groups of people, or more. The fear may be out of proportion as your mind instantly brings you to the traumatic event. For example, you may have witnessed a house burning down, killing, or harming people. The cause of that fire was a hairdryer. Since the event, you no longer allow hairdryers in your home, and seeing one in a hotel makes you irrationally angry.

That is a PTSD response. PE therapy can give you the tools you need to calm yourself in these moments.

Your therapist will first ask you to imagine the item, place, or people which trigger your PTSD responses. Through guided meditation, they will change your mentality, allowing you to reduce ideas of fear or anger. As your mind changes, the sessions may include images of the trigger, then replicas, and lastly a tangible connection to the item.

When your therapy is completed you will be able to manage your symptoms or no longer have unhealthy thinking patterns based on the trauma.

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing

EMDR doesn’t walk you through your trauma, instead, it uses the brain and the nervous system to restore your mental functions and reduce your symptoms. 

It produces the same symptom controls as PE, but it is much more effective. It is the best treatment for treating PTSD. If you don’t have the strength to visit a therapist, you may be asking “can emdr be done online”, and the answer is yes! 

It works by rolling your eyes back and forth, as your therapist talks you through the negative event. The constant eye movement will make you feel distanced from the memory, as your mind finds it hard to focus on both. This can help you step away from the event, allowing you to manage your feelings with greater ease.

Although this treatment is the most effective for reducing PTSD symptoms, it doesn’t work on people who cannot think about the event. This means you may need PE or CPT before eventually reaching EMDR.

Medication

Medication can also be an effective treatment. Most people cannot fully recover from PTSD, so to help them through life they may need therapies to help with anxiety attacks, and medication to prevent depression. 

Common PTSD medications include Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. These are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It works by preventing your blood from absorbing some serotonin, keeping more of the “feel good chemical” in your brain.

Summary

Finding the right treatment comes from understanding what you need. Knowing how you respond to your triggers and recognizing how your symptoms affect you will help you understand which treatment you need.

Most people should pick EMDR, however, if you cannot think about the trauma with relative ease you should have PE or CPT therapy first. If you experience depression, you may also need medication.

How To Find The Right Treatment For PTSD