Understanding PTSD

  • PTSD is a set of symptoms that can develop after someone experiences a particular type of traumatic event that substantially interferes with their ability to lead the life they want to live.

  • The types of events that can lead to PTSD are experiences that present a serious threat of bodily harm to the individual or someone very close to them. They can include:

    • surviving a natural disaster like an earthquake or a wildfire;

    • being physically or sexually assaulted;

    • surviving a car accident; or

    • experiencing the violent or unexpected death of a loved one.

  • The symptoms of PTSD vary from person to person, so you should always seek professional help to obtain or confirm a diagnosis. Included below are some common symptoms people with PTSD may begin to experience after a traumatic event:

    • Nightmares related to the traumatic event

    • Flashbacks of the traumatic event, in which a person momentarily feels as if they are actually back in time reliving the event

    • Avoidance of people, places, or things that remind someone of the traumatic event

    • Increased feelings of sadness, guilt, or shame following the traumatic event

    • Difficulty relaxing or concentrating following the traumatic event

Treating PTSD

Thankfully, we now have a number of treatments that can improve the lives of people living with PTSD. No evidence-based treatment for PTSD can be considered “easy,” but these treatments have been shown to lower the frequency and intensity of symptoms to the point that patients either no longer have a diagnosis of PTSD or else have a greatly improved quality of life.

I offer two of these treatments in my practice: prolonged exposure (PE) therapy and cognitive processing therapy (CPT).

Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy

  • Prolonged exposure, or PE, therapy is one of the most well-researched therapies that has been shown to be effective for reducing the symptoms of PTSD. PE focuses on targeting one of the core symptoms of PTSD: avoidance of memories and reminders of the traumatic event.

  • People who have PTSD typically avoid many things that remind them of the traumatic event they have experienced or that make them feel unsafe:

    • Thinking about or remembering details of the traumatic event

    • Talking to or communicating with people who were present at, or remind them of, the traumatic event

    • The place where the traumatic event took place

    • TV shows, movies, news, or other media that remind them of the traumatic event

    • Places where large groups of people may gather

      • Grocery stores, malls, or big box retailers like Costco

      • Sporting events like football games

      • Concerts

      • Restaurants

  • PE therapy involves being exposed to things you have been avoiding (memories, people, places, things) so that your body and mind can re-learn that these things are not, in fact, dangerous. These exposures, conducted in controlled settings we develop collaboratively, are typically highly uncomfortable at first. But over time, they tend to become less and less distressing, and you start to learn that the things that you have been avoiding are in fact safe and can no longer do you harm.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • In contrast to PE therapy, cognitive processing therapy, or CPT, focuses less on the details of the traumatic event itself and more on the beliefs and emotions that may either develop or depend following a traumatic event that may keep a person “stuck” in their PTSD.

  • Getting “unstuck” through CPT involves:

    • Working collaboratively with me to track the beliefs related to the traumatic event (called “stuck points”);

    • Identifying how these stuck points may impact the experience of emotions such as anger, guilt or shame; and

    • Exploring alternative beliefs that may be more helpful ways of thinking about traumatic event, yourself, other people, or the world in general.

  • CPT also explores how stuck points around certain core themes (safety, trust, intimacy, power/control, and esteem) may develop following a traumatic event, and together, my clients and I work together to provide explanations for why these stuck points may have developed and to figure out solutions on how to think about these subjects.

Which Therapy Is Right For Me?

No two clients are the same. At the beginning of every course of treatment, I work collaboratively with my client to educate them more about their options for treatment and to help them figure out which treatment will likely be a better fit for them. This dialogue also continues throughout treatment and informs whether we persist with a chosen course of treatment or pivot to a different one based on how the client’s experience.