Types of Treatment for PTSD

Counseling and therapy is an integral part of the overall treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There are a number of different types of therapy used, many counselors and therapists will use a combination of different therapies to create the most effective treatment plan.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy helps you to understand what you feel and to change your thought processes. A therapist will help you see which thoughts may be causing you stress and interfering with your life. The goal of cognitive therapy is to gradually replace those thoughts with less anxiety-producing thoughts to reduce fears you may be feeling.

This type of therapy also works to create an understanding that the event or situation was not your fault. It helps to cope with feelings of guilt and anger. Many people blame themselves after a traumatic event. Cognitive therapy helps you to look at the event in a different way and understand the event was not your fault.

Exposure Therapy

The goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the amount of fear you feel about your memories. Situations, events, people or thoughts can bring up memories of previous traumatic events, causing fear not only of the memory but avoidance of situations, people or events that may trigger a memory.

In exposure therapy, you talk about past events, particularly the traumatic event. By repeatedly talking about the event, you may be able to reduce the amount of fear you have. Early in this type of therapy people may feel overwhelmed and resist talking about the event. However, as you continue to discuss it and learn you do not need to be afraid of your memories, you will become more comfortable.

Therapists work with patients to talk about memories in steps, "desensitizing" you to stress producing memories. A therapist may encourage you to talk about less stressful memories in the beginning and as you become more comfortable, discuss more painful memories.

Therapists may also work with you on relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, that you can use when talking about stressful memories.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

This type of therapy is a relatively new treatment for PTSD. This therapy, like cognitive or exposure therapy, works to change how you react to memories of a stressful or traumatic event. During EMDR, you will learn to focus on external stimulus, such as eye movements, tapping of fingers or sounds when recalling memories. Some studies have shown symptoms of PTSD decrease when using this technique.

Group therapy

Group therapy is a form of talk therapy. People who have had similar experiences join together to discuss the trauma in an effort to make all participants better cope with symptoms of PTSD and stressful memories. Sharing your story, within a group of peers, can help you to feel more comfortable disscussing the event.

Group therapy also provides a safe and secure environments. Because the other participants have all gone through similar situations, people feel accepted and less apt to be judged and may feel more comfortable opening up and sharing their feelings.