Table of Contents
There are several forms of PTSD therapy and most of them showed beneficial results. The most common are:
Medications
Doctors often prescribe different antidepressants such as
- Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors -Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, or Paroxetine or
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors - such as Phenelzine
- Medications for anxiety may be helpful as well.
Psycho-Therapy
Behavioral therapy
This is a procedure which uses specific processes that involve mental imagery of the traumatic event combined with relaxation techniques
Cognitive therapy
This involves learning various coping skills in order to change the thought process about the past traumatic event
Psychodynamic therapy
This includes a very effective supportive therapy that is made to help an individual gain insight into his reactions to the event and then he can learn how to battle with occurrence of the trauma.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a normal and natural altered state of consciousness or awareness. Although many people think of hypnosis as some “zombie-like” method, the fact is that, after a hypnosis session, most of the people ask if they have really been hypnotized. This is because it feels like such a normal state, although they were expecting something very strange.
Hypnotherapy has long been used to treat war-related post-traumatic conditions. In the last couple of years it has been also used in cases of sexual assault, car accidents and other traumatic events.
The principle of hypnosis is to induce a deep state of relaxation in patient, which may help cope with PTSD, causing
- Feelings of safer and less anxious environment,
- Decrease of the intrusive thoughts, and
- Re-involvement in daily activities.
How does it work?
Many people are confused because they’ve heard that hypnosis can't work for all. Well, they are partially right, because, it works only with people that have IQ bigger then 70. This means that it works with the majority of people.
It is also very important to know that hypnosis is completely safe.
Patients should know that hypnosis is not sleep, nor can they get "stuck" in a state of hypnosis, as many believe. You cannot be made to do anything against your will, or against your moral code. In severe cases, anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs are also a part of the treatment along with the hypnotherapy!
However, not every patient can be sent to hypnotherapy. Some criteria should be met, such as:
- Proper diagnosis of PTSD
- The hypnotherapist should be aware whether he is dealing with a single, or multiple incidents of trauma.
- Client should understand the concept of PTSD and hypnotherapy goals
- Everything must be voluntary. If the patient has any doubts about this method, they should be excluded.
- Smoking cessation
- Weight control
- Stress elimination
- Removing anxiety
- Curing a fear or a phobia
- Eliminating claustrophobia and agoraphobia
- Improving confidence
- Enhancing exam concentration
- Eliminating exam nervousness
- Eliminating stuttering and stammering
- Stopping nail biting and other habits
- Improving sports performance
- Managing pain
- Altering addictions
- Reducing sadness
- Enhancing sexual performance
- Eliminating performance anxiety
- Developing speed reading
- Improving relaxation
Prevention
Bad thing about this disorder is that, practically, there is no prevention for PTSD. This is because the traumatic events are often unpredictable and random. Some researches have proven that certain blood pressure medications, if given immediately after the stressful event can cause mild lowering of the symptoms intensity.