POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

PTSD can be a very lonely, misunderstood condition. If you believe you may be suffering  from PTSD, don’t hesitate to call our Providence, Rhode Island office. The first step  toward healing is diagnosis. After that, we can begin to support you in your journey to recovery.

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Symptoms, Signs, Treatment

PTSD can be triggered by natural disasters, experiences in war zones, an  accident, an assault—any intensely traumatic and/or life-threatening event. It is important for sufferers to be evaluated and then receive treatment for  post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Symptoms include:

  • Flashbacks—when a stimulus triggers a person to relive an event or part of an event as if it is genuinely happening again.
  • Nightmares and other sleep disturbances
  • Avoidance of triggers, which can be people or things that remind them of the event.
  • Feelings of guilt and shame
  • Excessive tension
  • Depression
  • Intrusive memories
  • A sense of isolation and the belief that no one can understand what they have been through.

PTSD can also vary depending on whether it resulted from a single  traumatic event, such as a person involved in a traumatic car wreck or  the victim of a single crime. Others suffer multiple incidents of the  same type of trauma. PTSD can be seen in military personnel and also  those who suffered prolonged abuse as a child. Others develop PTSD after  being exposed to multiple different types of trauma.  An example of  numerous different traumatic events would be surviving a housefire, then  becoming a victim of a crime months later.

Treatment for PTSD:

Seeking help from a provider here at Revive Therapeutic Services is the first step on a journey  to healing from PTSD. Treatment methods include:

  • Group therapy with others who share similar experiences can benefit those suffering from PTSD. Group therapy also helps address learning coping mechanisms and diminishing feelings of isolation.
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy works to address the negative thinking cycles that are common to those who have PTSD.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapy specifically designed to treat trauma. It uses a carefully measured exposure to traumatic memories with alternating stimuli such as eye movements.
  • Exposure Therapy is a form of psychotherapy done by skilled practitioners to help people safely face what they find traumatizing. Guided expose helps them to learn healthy coping mechanisms.