by Kenneth Gregory Smith

Created on: November 01, 2010

    There is hope for the PTSD sufferer! There are treatment approaches for those who experience the classic post traumatic stress disorder symptoms of nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, poor sleep, and numbing behaviors. These problems can be greatly reduced If the person with PTSD will take a risk and enter treatment with a trained psychotherapist, social worker, or psychologist.

    Immediate help can often come in the form of relaxation techniques and an approach referred to a "mindfulness."  For example, during anxious or panicky episodes, a person can be taught to stop, take a few deep breaths, direct their body to become relaxed, and focus on a positive image such as a beach or a mountain. Doing mindfulness involves what psychologists have referred to as "staying in the moment," that is intentionally being aware of the present time. This can involve something as simple as the person vocalizing out loud what day it is, what time it is, and where they are at ("It is Tuesday at 5 p.m. and I am in my bedroom"). This can serve the purpose of distracting the mind from either going back in time to a negative memory or forward in time to an anticipated negative event.  Practicing relaxation and mindfulness skills help the person feel more in control.

    A second type of approach-cognitive therapy-can provide some relief of symptoms in a short period of time, perhaps a few weeks. During cognitive therapy, the person learns to identify the situations that produce problematic, distorted thoughts and reactions, evaluate the validity of those thoughts and reactions, and replace those thoughts with more coping-focused and healthy thoughts. For example, r a person may avoid entering their favorite restaurant because when they come near to the door, their thought is "I can't go in there, something bad will happen to me."  This negative reaction has been caused by prior trauma. That negative, problematic thought can be challenged, evaluated, and replaced by a more coping focused healthy thought such as "There is very little chance something bad will happen to me, I am safe and I am with my friends."

   A third effective approach to PTSD treatment is a therapy referred to as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or 
EMDR. During EMDR, the person holds an image of a traumatic event in their mind while a trained EMDR therapist stimulates the brain and nervous system through a series and rapid eye movements. This seems to have the effect in many people of loosening up the traumatic memory so the person can successfully get past the event, and reduce the disturbance level of the event. There is a growing body of research about the effectiveness of EMDR for post-traumatic stress. For more information, go to the web site www.emdr. org

    A person committed to getting help for PTSD can learn to relieve their suffering and learn to live a joyful life. 

Learn more about this author, Kenneth Gregory Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.