Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment
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Trauma of all kinds can significantly affect all aspects of our social and work functioning. When the
experience of a traumatic event or events leads to difficulty relaxing and sleeping, avoidance of
reminders of the event, social isolation, intrusive recollections or dreams about the event, or behaving
as if the event is occurring again, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may be diagnosed.
Early treatments for PTSD focused on helping to reduce arousal and treatment participants were
encouraged to avoid situations that increased their symptoms. Research in PTSD treatment has now
shown that treatments that help the individual to face their fears and process through the traumatic
event(s) and understand the way in which the event(s) have altered their perceptions of themselves
and the world can be much more effective than earlier treatments. Dr. Shaw offers PTSD treatments
which scientific research has shown to be the most effective treatments for this disorder.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy is a treatment which is based upon the belief that avoidance of
memories of the traumatic event and avoidance of situations that either remind the individual of the
traumatic event or increase their anxiety symptoms lead to an incomplete processing of the traumatic
event and serve to maintain their symptoms. Through repeated prolonged exposure to memories of
the traumatic event and to situations that have been avoided, the individual "completes" the processing
of the event and reduces their anxiety and other negative feelings and thoughts related to the event and
the avoided situations. Prolonged Exposure Therapy is usually an 8-12 session treatment, of which
most sessions are 90 minutes in durations.
Cognitive Processing Therapy is a minimum twelve 45-50 minute session treatment that is based
upon the premise that individuals that have been exposed to traumatic events and have developed
symptoms of PTSD have become "stuck" in the normal trauma recovery process. To become unstuck,
individuals learn to examine the ways in which the event(s) have changed their views of themselves
and others in relation to safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy. They examine how these
"stuck points" can be altered to better reflect reality rather than as a reaction to trauma events. For
example, a person who now fears driving a car due to a traumatic accident learns to place this event in
perspective by looking at the evidence for this belief, the evidence against this belief, whether the belief
is based on emotional reasoning, whether they are using all or none (black or white) reasoning etc.
They then can begin to develop a more rational response, such as "Bad accidents can happen, but my
experience tells me that such events are rare and unlikely to occur again." By learning to change their
thinking, they change their feelings and responses to events and situations.
experience of a traumatic event or events leads to difficulty relaxing and sleeping, avoidance of
reminders of the event, social isolation, intrusive recollections or dreams about the event, or behaving
as if the event is occurring again, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may be diagnosed.
Early treatments for PTSD focused on helping to reduce arousal and treatment participants were
encouraged to avoid situations that increased their symptoms. Research in PTSD treatment has now
shown that treatments that help the individual to face their fears and process through the traumatic
event(s) and understand the way in which the event(s) have altered their perceptions of themselves
and the world can be much more effective than earlier treatments. Dr. Shaw offers PTSD treatments
which scientific research has shown to be the most effective treatments for this disorder.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy is a treatment which is based upon the belief that avoidance of
memories of the traumatic event and avoidance of situations that either remind the individual of the
traumatic event or increase their anxiety symptoms lead to an incomplete processing of the traumatic
event and serve to maintain their symptoms. Through repeated prolonged exposure to memories of
the traumatic event and to situations that have been avoided, the individual "completes" the processing
of the event and reduces their anxiety and other negative feelings and thoughts related to the event and
the avoided situations. Prolonged Exposure Therapy is usually an 8-12 session treatment, of which
most sessions are 90 minutes in durations.
Cognitive Processing Therapy is a minimum twelve 45-50 minute session treatment that is based
upon the premise that individuals that have been exposed to traumatic events and have developed
symptoms of PTSD have become "stuck" in the normal trauma recovery process. To become unstuck,
individuals learn to examine the ways in which the event(s) have changed their views of themselves
and others in relation to safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy. They examine how these
"stuck points" can be altered to better reflect reality rather than as a reaction to trauma events. For
example, a person who now fears driving a car due to a traumatic accident learns to place this event in
perspective by looking at the evidence for this belief, the evidence against this belief, whether the belief
is based on emotional reasoning, whether they are using all or none (black or white) reasoning etc.
They then can begin to develop a more rational response, such as "Bad accidents can happen, but my
experience tells me that such events are rare and unlikely to occur again." By learning to change their
thinking, they change their feelings and responses to events and situations.