Treatment for Trauma and PTSD

The English word “Trauma” comes from the Greek word for “wound”. Trauma can leave a psychological wound that impacts every aspect of life. Much like physical wounds, psychological injuries sometimes require treatment and attention in order to heal. When psychological injuries from trauma are ignored or left untreated, the symptoms can persist, or worse, they can intensify.

If you have experienced trauma, you are not alone. Most people experience some form of trauma in the course of their lives. Sometimes trauma symptoms stem from is a single event, and sometimes they are the result of a series of events that occurs over a long period of time. If you are having mental, emotional, or spiritual difficulties in the aftermath of a traumatic event, you may be experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Common symptoms of PTSD include:

  • Intrusion symptoms - unwanted thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks

  • Cognition and mood symptoms - depressed or anxious mood, feelings of guilt or shame, negative thoughts about yourself, others, or the world, difficulty concentrating, decreased interest/engagement in activities you previously enjoyed

  • Arousal - always feeling on guard, even when there is no specific threat or danger (hypervigilance), having a strong response when startled, difficulty falling or staying asleep

  • Avoidance - avoidance of people, places, or things that serve as reminders of traumatic experience, avoidance of thoughts or emotions related to trauma

Understanding PTSD

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - CPT assists you in identifying and challenging the unhelpful or unrealistic beliefs that have arisen from your traumatic experience while also helping you process and move through the emotions that stem from the trauma. You will examine the inferences that you have drawn - whether intentionally or subconsciously - from the trauma and evaluate how those beliefs have impacted your current beliefs about safety, trust, power, control, esteem, and intimacy.

  • Prolonged Exposure (PE) - When engaging in PE, you will be asked to approach your thoughts, emotions, and reactions to trauma in a safe, supportive environment, thereby processing the natural emotions related to trauma. Additionally, you will build confidence, reduce situation-specific anxiety, and take your life back from PTSD through controlled and gradual exposure to anxiety-inducing situations that are objectively safe.

  • The Unified Protocol - The Unified Protocol is a transdiagnostic treatment - that is, it is effective at treating a variety of problems in living. This approach focuses on the psychological processes that underpin depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, PTSD, and emotional dysregulation. The Unified Protocol targets the patterns of avoidance and rigid thinking that contribute to emotional challenges.

Treatments for PTSD

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