Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Therapists who treat posttraumatic stress disorder have an important saying:  “PTSD isn’t about what’s wrong with you, it’s about what happened to you.” Accordingly, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder focuses on helping people adapt to the traumatic events that happen to them and thrive.

Exposure to trauma impacts our bodies, thoughts, feelings, and actions.  After a traumatic event, we may have trouble sleeping, relaxing, and concentrating, and we may feel tense or on guard most of the time. We may also feel frightened, guilty, irritable, or angry in situations that don’t seem to warrant those feelings. We can come to think of the world and others as being dangerous or untrustworthy. We may try to avoid places, people, or thoughts that remind us of what happened. While most people experience some or all of these symptoms immediately after experiencing a traumatic event, people with PTSD have these symptoms long after the danger is over.

Practitioners think of two kinds of PTSD. Most typically, we think about the PTSD that results from exposure to accidents, natural disasters,  terrorist attacks, or sexual and physical assault by strangers. The second kind of PTSD is called complex PTSD, and happens when people close to us cause the trauma, or the trauma is prolonged. Examples of events that cause Complex PTSD are childhood abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional), neglect, war, and domestic violence. In addition to the symptoms listed above, people exposed to complex trauma may have problems managing their emotions and having healthy and satisfying relationships.

Can medication help with PTSD symptoms?

Drugs by themselves are usually not enough for treating PTSD. However, they can be helpful for some people when combined with therapy. Your physician or a psychiatrist can suggest which medication might be best for you.

 

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schedule a consultation at or intake@cognitivetherapynyc.com

Evidence Based Treatments for PTSD: 

Therapists at AICT are skilled at working with both PTSD and complex PTSD and use proven treatments. Many of our clinicians have worked with military veterans, surivivors of sexual and physical assault, survivors of childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect, and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The evidence-based treatments we use are:

  • Prolonged exposure (PE)
  • Cognitive-processing therapy (CPT)
  • Phased exposure treatments such as STAIR/NT for adolescents and adults
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and adolescents


All of these treatments help trauma survivors gain control over their reactions to trauma reminders.

Clients learn to cope with uncomfortable bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts. In addition, they learn to make sense of what happened to them and to move forward with their lives.

 

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the highest quality cognitive-behavioral treatment”

Additional Information

For further information on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, abuse, and domestic violence please click here to download free articles from the website “Empty Memories”
Empty Memories and PTSD

You may also read a sample chapter from the book
Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse
– Lisa M. Najavits

Resources from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Other Resources

These excerpts are posted with permission of Guilford Publications, Inc. and are subject to copyright law and restricted from further use. No part of these excerpts may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission please contact Guilford Publications, Inc. at the address below or e-mail: permissions@guilford.com This book may be ordered directly from Guilford Publishing at http://www.Guilford.com

Recommended Readings:

Anxiety Free: Unravel Your Fears Before They Unravel You by Robert L. Leahy
The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You by Robert L. Leahy

Clinicians may find the following books on cognitive behavioral therapy to be helpful in treating anxiety:

Leahy, R. L., Holland, S. J., & McGinn, L. K. – Treatment Plans and Interventions  for Depression and Anxiety Disorders (2nd ed.)
Leahy, R. L. – Cognitive Therapy Techniques
Sookman, D. and Leahy, R. L. – Treatment Resistant Anxiety Disorders: Resolving Impasses to Symptom Remission

For a complete list of PTSD Resources, Click Here.

Sample Chapters from Guilford Press

This excerpt is posted with permission of Guilford Publications, Inc. and is subject to copyright law and restricted from further use. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission please contact Guilford Publications, Inc. at the address below or e-mail: permissions@guilford.com This book may be ordered directly from Guilford Publishing at http://www.Guilford.com

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