by Ruby Daub
Mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can keep you from enjoying your life. PTSD is a mental health condition that is experienced by people once they are exposed to a traumatic or scary event. The event has such a deep impact on the people that they can’t forget it’s memories for years. For recovering from this mental illness it’s truly very important for people to seek the right treatment.
Yes, without professional help, you can’t manage to eliminate the memories of that traumatic event from your mind which are haunting you for years. People suffer from this mental illness after being exposed to events like the death of a loved one, a horrific accident, and sexual abuse. In addition to that, PTSD can also be experienced by people if they are exposed to events like earthquakes, floods, and landslides, which cause huge damage.
Sometimes, the symptoms of this illness are experienced by people years after the occurrence of that traumatic event. It means, even if you are suffering from this problem, you may not know it until it’s symptoms start showing up.
Ways for treating PTSD
Pharmacotherapy – The Use of Medication & Therapy
The moment you feel that you are suffering from a serious problem, you should meet your doctor immediately. Pharmacotherapy is one of the best ways to address post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a treatment approach for trauma wherein the patients are treated with a perfect combination of medication and therapy. Remember, if you try to heal your problem only with the assistance of medications, you can see reliable results. However, if you combine it with therapy sessions, you can easily reduce symptoms like irritability, depression, and anxiety.
Exposure Therapy
If you really want to see a significant improvement in your mental condition, then you must go for exposure therapy, which is an integral part of behavior therapy. This is a kind of treatment approach for trauma, wherein patients are exposed to their fears, and they gradually start understanding that their fears are unwarranted. After a couple of therapy sessions, patients suffering from PTSD start realizing that their fears can’t affect their lives in any manner.
Exposure therapy is divided into three important parts imaginable exposure, in vivo exposure and systematic desensitization. If you talk about imaginable exposure, it is nothing but a technique wherein a person starts imagining about the traumatic event on its own. However, if you talk about in vivo exposure, it is a situation wherein a person is exposed to a traumatic event during the therapy session. On the other hand, systematic desensitization is a technique wherein a patient suffering from trauma is exposed to several fear-inducing situations one after another, which is then supported by relaxation.
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)
Another effective therapy that is used largely for treating anxiety and depression is Stress Inoculation Training (SIT). It is a kind of therapy, which helps patients to deal with their stress and anxiety effectively. This therapy is very helpful when it comes to preparing people in advance to handle stressful situations properly.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
One of the most popular and effective ways of dealing with trauma is cognitive behavior therapy. It is a highly effective treatment approach that is designed to deal with negative thoughts which lead to anxiety and depression. Until and unless these thoughts are effectively replaced with positive thoughts it’s just not possible for a person to live a happy life. So, when a person suffering from trauma goes for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, they are first taught coping skills. When patients go regularly for these therapy sessions they start finding a world of difference in their condition.
They start understanding that their negative thoughts can’t actually have any harmful effects on their lives because they don’t have anything to do with reality.
Hypnotherapy
When it comes to dealing with trauma, Hypnotherapy can also prove to be highly useful for you. It is therapy wherein a hypnotherapist tries to identify the exact cause of the problem by guiding them to a hypnotic state. So, if you also go for this therapy, your hypnotherapist will try to engage you in conversations during the therapy sessions wherein they talk about the primary issues that are causing problems for them. All kinds of emotions that a person experiences during the therapy sessions are very important when it comes to healing the problem.
Group Therapy
Another important treatment approach to healing trauma is group therapy. According to experts, group therapy sessions can prove to be extremely important for a patient suffering from trauma, if they are taken along with individual therapy sessions. Yes, if you take the advantages of both individual therapy and group therapy then you can experience quick results. You can choose a group that teaches coping skills and self-care. In addition to that, you can also choose a group that focuses on strengthening the relationships between people.
In addition to that, psychodynamic therapy is also very effective when it comes to treating trauma.