Post-traumatic Stress Disorder – PTSD Treatment

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a disorder experienced in response to a traumatic event. Examples of traumatic events include physical and sexual assault, experiencing natural disasters, or witnessing a crime. PTSD treatment typically includes CBT Therapy and EMDR therapy.

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What is PTSD or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a treatable disorder affecting around 3 million Australians at some time in their lives [1]. PTSD can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event or a series of traumatic events or circumstances. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war, sexual or physical assault and bullying.

Signs & Symptoms of PTSD

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop a trauma reaction, however, a portion will. Below are the common signs and symptoms to look for, although each person responds in their own unique ways there are similarities.

The primary reactions people experience are fear and anxiety. Sometimes feeling anxious can be a result of being reminded of the trauma and other times it comes out of the blue. Certain triggers may remind you and activate these fears like times of the day, smells, places, or actions.
Following trauma fear and anxiety are experienced in two primary ways: re-experiencing memories, and feeling easily aroused, startled easy or jumpy. Common experiences are flashbacks (visual pictures), nightmares, or having distressing thoughts and feelings throughout the day.
You may have difficulty concentrating, following conversations and remembering.
Other common reactions are arousal, agitation, feeling jittery, feeling overly alert, trembling, being easily startled and having trouble sleeping.
You may find you are avoiding people, places or things that are reminders of the trauma. Avoidance is a protective strategy from things you feel are dangerous and feelings that are overwhelming and distressing.
General feelings of sadness and feeling down are common reactions to trauma. These can also include feelings of hopelessness, despair, crying spells, thoughts of hurting yourself, the feeling life it not worth living, and that plans for the future aren’t important anymore.
During the trauma, you felt threatened. You may have felt as if you had no control of your feelings, body or life. This feeling can be so intense you may feel like you are ‘losing it’.
Often feeling of guilt and shame are present. It may be related to something you did or did not do to survive, you may second guess your reactions and blame yourself for things in retrospect.
A feeling of anger is also a very common reaction to trauma. It is often associated with a strong sense of unfairness or injustice that you were the victim of a terrible experience.
Self-image can suffer as a result of a trauma. You may tell yourself things like “I should have been tougher” or have negative thoughts about yourself.
It is not unusual to have disruptions in relationships with other people after a traumatic experience. This is often the result of feeling sad, frightened and angry. In order to cope with negative feelings you may withdraw or you may feel you are not receiving as much support as expected.
A loss of interest in physical affection and sexual relations can occur. This is common in people who are feeling depressed or sad. Being emotionally and sexually intimate with someone may be uncomfortable because this experience may bring back feelings of vulnerability, you may have flashbacks or distressing feelings.
Recent traumas can remind you of past traumas. Once a negative experience comes to mind it may provoke memories of other negative experiences.
Increased use of alcohol or substances are also common reactions to trauma.

Many of the common reactions to trauma are connected and interact with one another, which can cause the overall response to be more intense. As you process these experiences during treatment, then symptoms should become less distressing.

Adapted from Foa, Hembree, Rothbaum (2007) Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences, Therapist Guide. Oxford University Press: New York.)

Trauma and PTSD Treatment

Psychological trauma therapy with a psychologist can help you overcome the effects of trauma. Your psychologist will tailor the treatment to meet your individual needs.

Trauma therapy is designed to help you work through your traumatic experiences in a safe and supportive environment. It can help you process your emotions, develop coping skills, and learn to manage your symptoms. Trauma therapy can also help you create a sense of resilience and empowerment, allowing you to move forward with your life.

Types of Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy can include a range of evidence-based methods, including Cognitive-behavioural Therapy or CBT Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR Therapy.

CBT Therapy can help you identify negative thoughts and beliefs and replace them with more positive and realistic ones. It is a structured approach that involves setting goals and working towards them. In addition, CBT Therapy can help you develop coping skills and learn how to manage your PTSD symptoms.

EMDR Therapy uses rapid eye movements to help you process traumatic memories. It is designed to help individuals reprocess traumatic memories and develop new, more positive associations with them. EMDR Therapy can be highly effective in treating PTSD and other trauma-related disorders.

Benefits of Trauma Therapy

There are many benefits to trauma therapy, including:

Reduced Symptoms

Trauma therapy can help you reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTDS, including anxiety and depression. It also helps you learn and develop coping skills for life.

Improved Relationships

Trauma can affect your ability to form and maintain healthy relationships. Trauma therapy with a psychologist can help you learn effective communication styles, boundary setting and building healthy relationships.