Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has a good comprehensive pamphlet about PTSD below. Suffice it to say, anyone can develop the signs and symptoms of PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, but not everyone does so develops PTSD.

If you believe that you may have PTSD, please talk to one of the Cornish Counseling Services counselors. Director Lori Koshork is trained in Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy which has shown to be very effective in helping diminish symptoms and help people regain emotional stability.

Types of Treatment for PTSD

"Shell Shock," the early name for PTSD, was first recognized in World War I. How it was treated would be malpractice today because little was understood about the condition back then. Thankfully, we now know much more about the development, symptoms and effective treatment of PTSD. And the U.S. Department of Defense has been one of the leaders in researching effective treatments for veterans which are now available to civilians with PTSD for non-war-related causes. I mention this as an "FYI" since all the below links will take you to information on D.o.D. pages.

While there are several types of therapy that one can use to treat PTSD, some of the most researched are:

• Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Teaches you how to gain control by facing your negative feelings. It involves talking about your trauma with a provider and doing some of the things you have avoided since the trauma.

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Teaches you to reframe negative thoughts about the trauma. It involves talking with your provider about your negative thoughts and doing short writing assignments.

• Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Helps you process and make sense of your trauma. It involves calling the trauma to mind while paying attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound (like a finger waving side to side, a light, or a tone).

What type of therapy is right for you?

It may take some trial and error, even after you do your research. But the Veterans Administration (VA) has developed this decision making tool that the general public is welcome to use as part of the decision making process.

Or you may like this Comparison Chart instead, also created by the VA. Most components on the chart provide informational videos to give you an overview of what to expect with each therapy modality.

Of course, they limit the types of therapy to those listed above because the VA has done the most research on these three methodologies. You may wish to research other forms of therapy on your own. Talking to a Cornish counselor may help you to with your decision making. Feel free to contact us using the below information.