What Is PTSD and How Can Therapy Help?

Nov 19, 2020

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. While the disorder is often associated with veterans and those in the military it can affect anyone. PTSD is the result of a traumatic event from the past that has caused an individual intense fear, stress, or emotional turmoil.

Symptoms of PTSD can begin shortly after the event or may take years to emerge. Some common PTSD symptoms include intrusive thoughts, nightmares, trouble sleeping, flashbacks (feeling like you are reliving the event), avoiding reminders of the event such as certain places or people, increased stress and anxiety, increased anger, and generally being more negative in your thoughts and feelings. PTSD may also manifest in other ways not listed, so it is best to get the advice of a mental health professional if you feel that you may be suffering from PTSD.

Seeking services from a skilled therapist is one of the best ways to start to understand and work through PTSD. Therapeutic services can help to reduce symptoms through increased emotional regulation, behavioral changes, building a greater tolerance for the past event to reduce PTSD triggers, and by providing those suffering from PTSD symptoms with care and support as they work through their trauma.

One popular and effective form of treating PTSD is with cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. This form of therapy focuses on the relationship between a client's thoughts, behaviors, and feelings and how making changes in one of these areas can ultimately affect all three. CBT uses psychological theories and practices to help clients process emotions, understand associations they have made that can lead to triggers, and explore beliefs they have created about themselves, others, and the world based on their past trauma. A therapist who is treating someone with PTSD may use a variety of techniques to help patients identify and evaluate their behaviors and thought patterns.

Therapy is a proven treatment for PTSD, with intervention the symptoms of PTSD can be reduced or resolved. Finding a therapist who is knowledgeable and experienced is the first step towards treatment. If you are seeking a therapist in the Fresno, Visalia, Kingsburg, or Oakhurst, CA areas click here for more information and get started on the path to better mental health.