How Do You Treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?

We have all heard of post-traumatic stress disorder and know how much it causes. Rape, robbery, war and terrorist attacks are just a few examples of incidents that can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. But PTSD is not just caused by man-made situations. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes or earthquakes, can also cause it. The question is:  how do you treat it?

Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: psycho-education and breathing

When you suffer from PTSD, the first thing you need to do is see a good psychologist. Cognitive behavioral therapy approaches have the most empirical support. Therefore, we recommend finding a highly qualified CAT psychologist.

They will perform an initial evaluation, which is an important part of understanding the patient’s problems. Then  it is important that they perform psycho education. They will explain to the patient what is happening in a way that he or she will understand. The psychologist must emphasize the symptoms the person is experiencing, and state why they appear, what maintains them, and how they will be treated.

The goal is for the individual to understand what is happening to him as much as possible. He or she should understand why and how the professional will try to resolve it. It is important that the patient follows the treatment. The next step is to learn to relax.

If you train the patient to breathe with their stomach, you will give them a simple and very useful tool that they will be able to use when anxiety strikes. Anxiety is a trademark of the disorder. Once the patient has learned this technique and feels comfortable with it, it is important that they practice it continuously from then on.

Next step in PTSD treatment

Apart from giving the patient tools to use when anxiety strikes, it is important to work on other aspects. However, they may not always be visible. Here we refer to thoughts and beliefs associated with the trigger event. If you do not address it, the treatment will be incomplete. It would be like a patch.

Therefore, it is important to teach the patient to identify the ideas that go through their mind. That is, they must learn to find their automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs. They can be messages like the following:

• What happened was my fault.
• I will never be able to overcome it.
• The world is a dangerous place, and the event is going to repeat itself.

This takes us to the first step of cognitive restructuring. So, through Socratic dialogue, all this will be questioned. In this way, session after session, the  individual will learn to beat down the ideas that perpetuate the disorder.

To complete the treatment

In order for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder to be complete, something else must be added. Since they tend to avoid anything associated with the dangerous situation or event,  it is important to work with exposure,  both in fantasy and in reality.

Through this, they will be able to lower their anxiety by getting used to the situation. In addition,  they will learn that remembering the episode does not mean they have to relive it. Just like they will not necessarily lose control. On the other hand, this will allow them to distinguish between traumatic events and other, safe events.

The idea is that what happened to them was concrete and specific,  not a probable or general fact. Ultimately, it will increase their sense of self-control, as well as help them see themselves as more able to handle the situation.

To conclude, as with all anxiety problems,  it is important to include relapse prevention  in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. This last step is basic. It will help to make the progress to stick and strengthen the patient.