Healing Trauma
Healing Trauma
Nightmares, intrusive memories, vacillating between too much emotion and feeling completely numb-does this sound familiar? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) used to be associated solely with war time experiences, and yet today we know that somewhere around 70-75% of adults in the United States will have experienced a traumatic even in their lifetime. PTSD is a stress disorder, and we see it as a normal response to an abnormal experience. Thanks to continued research in the field, we now know that PTSD does not have to control your life forever. Hope, healing, and full recovery from PTSD are possible with the RIGHT treatment options. We are so honored to offer these services to support clients in the process.
PTSD is maintained by avoidance, avoidance of emotions, people, situations, triggers, and thoughts. This trauma treatment targets avoidance to eliminate PTSD symptoms. DBT-Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) is an evidence-based treatment that helps clients that have endured multiple traumas, and as a result are struggling with complex PTSD. The treatment combines standard DBT with prolonged exposure to reduce or eliminate PTSD symptoms and aims to change deeply ingrained beliefs associated with trauma. Clients that are receiving DBT-PE treatment will build up a set of skills to prepare them to go through in-vivo and imaginal exposure with success. Though many clients who have completed DBT-PE will tell you that it was incredibly difficult, they will ALSO tell you that it has completely changed their lives. In regard to DBT-PE specifically, there are studies testing its effectiveness that indicate upwards of 80% of participants no longer met criteria of PTSD post treatment (Harned, 2016). We will say that again - NO LONGER MET CRITERIA FOR PTSD!
Just as the body can heal from an injury, EMDR helps the brain heal from past mental and emotional wounds. EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is another evidence-based trauma treatment for those suffering from PTSD. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation while asking clients to recall certain memories in order to have the memory “reprocessed” so that they no longer experience the same emotional distress once felt. EMDR is a widely respected treatment for clients hoping to find relief related to traumatic or highly distressing life experiences. If you would like to learn more about EMDR as a treatment modality, check out www.emdria.org.
