PTSD Treatment

PTSD symptoms can be classified into four categories which vary in severity: avoidance, intrusive memories, adverse changes in mood and cognition, and changes in emotional and physical reactions. They can vary over time or from person to person.

Avoidance: Those who have PTSD may avoid triggers that remind them of the disturbing event. This can include avoiding locations, people, activities, scenarios, and more that can provoke thoughts and memories. They may also avoid talking about what occurred or their feelings about it.

Intrusive Memories: Intrusive memories, repetitive dreams, vivid flashbacks can make people feel like they are right back at the traumatic event, reliving every moment. 

Intrusive thoughts can include:

• Repeating, undesirable, painful memories of the traumatic event
• Reliving the trauma over and over
• Nightmares about the traumatic event
• Physical reactions or strong emotions from the memories

Negative Changes in Mood and Cognition: Sometimes, people may block out details of the trauma or have distorted thoughts and beliefs about themselves and other people. 

Symptoms can include:

• Losing hope for the future
• Having negative thoughts about the world, themself, and other people
• Difficulty remembering things, including details of the trauma
• Difficulty maintaining close connections
• Feeling separated and isolated from friends and family
• Loss of interest in activities they once loved
• Feeling numb
• Feeling apathetic

Changes in Emotional or Physical Reactions: This can mean constantly feeling irritable or angry, acting recklessly, or being self-destructive. This could also mean being on guard, nervous, having trouble resting or focusing.

Symptoms can include:

• Being easily frightened or startled
• Always expecting a negative outcome
• Substance abuse problems
• Reckless behavior
• Trouble concentrating
• Angry outbursts
• Crushing shame or guilt

PTSD symptoms can start within a few weeks of the traumatic event, but sometimes signs don’t arise for years. In many cases, these antisocial behaviors can have severe fallout with your social group, family, and workplace. It can also be difficult doing day-to-day activities like shopping during a busy day, driving in traffic, or being surrounded by others. 

When to See a Doctor

If your adverse reactions and disturbing memories last for more than a month, and if you have problems getting organized or thinking straight, you should speak with your doctor. The sooner you can get treatment, the better your odds are of your PTSD symptoms improving. 

If you are having suicidal thoughts, make sure to reach out to someone you trust or contact someone in your spiritual community. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK to speak to a trained professional—press “1” if you are a veteran.  

Make an appointment to see your doctor right away. If you are thinking of hurting yourself, notify emergency services immediately.

To treat post-traumatic stress disorder, your doctor will have to diagnose you, which will likely involve:

• Performing a physical examination to see if there are issues that could be exacerbating your symptoms
• Performing a psychological evaluation to understand your trauma and triggers
• Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to understand any symptoms further

Diagnosing PTSD might require pinpointing what the traumatic event is. For most people, PTSD stems from being exposed to a particularly disturbing event, like a death of a loved one or child abuse. Most PTSD cases are often very different from each other. They are unique to the sufferer. 

Treatment for your post-traumatic stress disorder can allow you to restore order and control over your life. Treatment can include psychotherapy, medication, and many more treatments to help in the following ways:

• People living with PTSD can acquire skills that allow them to handle their symptoms
• Allow you to think positively about yourself, other people, and the world
• Teach you how to cope with your triggers and symptoms
• Address issues that relate to trauma, like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse

You don’t have to handle the weight of post-traumatic stress disorder by yourself. 

Psychotherapy

Different types of psychotherapy are proven to benefit adults and children with PTSD. Some influential types of psychotherapy include:

• Cognitive therapy allows you to recognize the mental patterns that keep you from moving forward. 
• Exposure therapy allows you to safely confront the memories and scenarios that trigger you so you can find healthy ways to cope with them. This treatment is beneficial for those who suffer from frequent nightmares and flashbacks by allowing them to relive the traumatic event in a safe setting.
• EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing incorporates exposure therapy with guided eye motions to help you transform painful memories and adjust the way you respond to them.

Your mental health professional can develop a process to allow you to manage nerve-wracking situations better and cope with the anxiety that you may feel. Some people benefit from individual therapy, group therapy, or a combination of both. Group therapy allows you to see how trauma and PTSD affect others and encourages connection through similar ordeals. 

Medication

Medication can help those having a challenging time getting the most out of therapy or who could benefit from additional assistance. Several types of medications can help improve symptoms of PTSD:

• Antidepressant medications 
• Anti-anxiety medications
• Prazosin

You and a medical professional can work together to figure out which medication works best for your symptoms with the fewest side effects. Many people can start seeing an improvement in their mood and behavior in just a few weeks. 

Always let your doctor know right away if you are experiencing any issues or worrying about side effects from the medication. Your doctor may need to adjust the dosage or try a different combination to determine the perfect fit for you. 

These methods and more can allow you to regain control of the fear and anxiety that lingers after a traumatizing event. You and your doctor can go over the different therapies to determine which one addresses your particular needs. 

The Stellate Ganglion Block

The Stellate Ganglion Block Injection is a local anesthetic injection administered into the stellate ganglion, a group of nerve cells that are found to play an essential role in regulating a person’s ‘fight or flight’ mechanism. It is becoming an increasingly popular and successful treatment option, as the risk factors are minimal and there are no significant side effects. Read our FAQs for more information.

Regardless of the cause of your PTSD, the SGB injection may be able to help you gain control over your life again. If you have any questions regarding the SGB injection for post-traumatic stress disorder, please reach out to our helpful team today for assistance.

Even though the SGB injection will not help people forget any memories associated with their traumatic experience, it can help them live a calmer, less anxious lifestyle to improve the way they respond to other forms of PTSD therapy.

Cognitive processing therapy is a class of cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been known to reduce the signs of PTSD that can naturally develop after a harrowing event, including combat, child abuse, rape, and naturally occurring disasters. 

Many patients attend CPT for 12 sessions or more, during which they understand how to change and challenge negative belief systems related to the trauma. Patients allow themselves to establish new ways to understand and view the traumatic event to minimize its negative effects on their daily lives. 

Many doctors and mental health professionals highly recommend CPT because it is a long-established treatment of PTSD. 

CPT to Treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

During CPT, patients learn about PTSD and their feelings and understanding. By understanding PTSD and how it works, you can become more conscious of your thoughts and feelings. You can be more mindful of the ideas and concepts that spring up automatically and how many of them may be sustaining your trauma. 

It can help the patient write an impact statement that details the traumatic event and how it affected themselves, their beliefs, and their connection to the world. 

The patient can then start processing their trauma by reading their account aloud to try to break the pattern of avoidant behavior and understand the emotions that come with the trauma. Using the Socratic method of questioning, the therapist will encourage the patient to thoroughly examine their thought patterns regarding the trauma to correct any negative thinking. 

The goal is for the patient to develop the ability to diagnose and process any harmful thoughts and hopefully persist with evaluating and reshaping beliefs that stem from their trauma. The therapist can aid the patient in using coping and adaptive strategies to enhance their quality of life. During your sessions, you can improve essential areas of your life that trauma could impact, including stability, trust, control, self-esteem, and connection. 

This form of therapy can be done individually or in group sessions. 

• Educating yourself about PTSD so you have a clearer understanding of what they are going through.
• Understanding that withdrawal and avoidance are forms of PTSD. If your family or friend is thwarting your help, take a step back and give them the space they need to feel safe and secure while also letting them know you are there for them when they are ready.
• Volunteering to go with them on medical appointments. Doing so can help you have a clearer image of what their treatment looks like.
• Letting them talk and genuinely listening to them. Let your loved ones know they can talk to you when they are ready, but you will not try to force them.
• Spend time with your friend. Even if they don’t feel like celebrating, you can still plan fun activities together and celebrate each other.
• Encouraging your friend to practice good health by doing it yourself. Don’t overwhelm yourself to heal your friend. Make sure that you are prioritizing yourself and your health. Exercise, sleep well and see a therapist if you need to.
• Keep you and your loved one safe by maintaining distance if they are abusive or violent. You must maintain clear and healthy boundaries, even though your instinct is to stay as close as possible.