Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can cause those who suffer from it to experience a significant amount of stress even when not directly exposed to to any kind of immediate peril. In the event that a person’s struggles with PTSD attacks are too severe for them to function, there are number of special treatment variations that can be contextualized for the unique needs of those who suffer from a highly diverse range of different reasons for the the condition.
VR Representation of the Fear-inducing Environment
With a computer keyboard, a therapist can help one who suffers from PTSD reconcile with their anxiety by safely immersing them in a virtual environment. While the client is within the virtual environment in the therapists’ office, the therapist can control the level of exposure to situations that resemble whatever situation resulted in trauma. The level of exposure can be adjusted to meet the tolerance of the client and facilitate a stable path to comfort.
Reducing the Distress Created by Traumatic Memories Through Stress Inoculation Therapy
A large milestone in any PTSD treatment campaign is getting the patient to a point at which they have become capable of making peace with their memories in a more mindful and healthier manner. Through Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT), one who suffers from PTSD can learn low-maintenance techniques that help them effectively reduce their stress level through the day whenever it may rise in response to situations that resemble traumatic memories. Ideally, the stress reduction capabilities that the person who suffers from PTSD attains should allow them to become “resistant” to their stress level in a manner that can be compared to a medical vaccination for somatic diseases.
Assuaging Shame and Rationalizing Misfortune
One of the more effective methods that therapists have for helping those who suffer from PTSD make sense of their feelings of shame or guilt is through the practice of cognitive restructuring (CR). CR is the practice of helping someone learn how to identify when they’re falling under the influence of overly-generalized thinking that distorts their perception of being immediately threatened. CR can also be an effective method for helping a person apply logic and reason to the reality of their experience, rather than blaming themselves and suffering from guilt.
Creativity and Imagery
Encouraging those who suffer from PTSD to fight their fears through writing and imagery is the psychotherapeutic approach of exposure therapy. By finding safe ways to gradually expose a PTSD-sufferer to the actively-created words and visual representations that resemble the source of their trauma, a gradual resilience to the memory itself can be developed over time.
Psychotherapeutic Consulation Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Even in the absence of any creative imagery or virtual reality immersion, significant progress can be made through helping one who suffers from PTSD reach a sense of peace with their traumatic experience through receptive dialog. Essentially, CBT is a short-term treatment model that works towards attaining success through goal-focused strategies towards more effective problem solving habits and thinking patterns.
Statistics
The psychotherapeutic methods for attaining a higher level of resilience towards PTSD can be appreciated more with an understanding of the statistics related to condition. While not all who have suffered from traumatic events are affected by them severely enough to be diagnosed with PTSD, at least 70 percent of all adults in the United States have suffered from some type of traumatic event. Altogether, it is estimated at 8 percent of all Americans, about equal to the Texas population at approximately 24 million individuals, suffer from PTSD.
Conclusion
Post traumatic stress disorder coping can be achieved through minor, manageable exposure to small stimuli that resemble the traumatic event in question. The recovery from post traumatic stress disorder is one that succeeds upon giving the sufferer the tools that they can use to think of their trauma in a more stable and rational way.
