PTSD Treatment Center

Steps Recovery Center recognizes how vital the mind, body, and spirit are in their connection to the whole person. We take a holistic approach to treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that includes treating the whole person, and find that it tends to be more successful, especially since mental illness affects every aspect of a person’s life. With a customized and individualized program, a holistic approach just makes sense. It affords an opportunity to meet the patient’s physical and psychological needs and allows them to engage physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Information on Trauma

PTSD is a debilitating mental disorder that can occur in individuals who have witnessed a natural disaster, severe accident, unexpected death of a loved one, terrorist attack, war, violent personal assault, and other life-threatening events. It’s common for them to have nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive thoughts when a stressful event occurs. Approximately eight million people in the U.S. have this disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Women are twice as likely to develop PTSD than men. This disorder usually leads to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

PTSD Facts

Here are some facts about PTSD, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:

Approximately 3.6 percent of adults in the U.S. experience PTSD each year.
Individuals who have experienced previous traumatic events have a higher risk of developing PTSD.
Sixty-seven percent of people exposed to mass violence are prone to developing PTSD, a higher rate than those exposed to natural disasters or other traumatic situations.
Apart from women, military personnel and children are also highly susceptible to developing this disorder.

Relationships and PTSD

Individuals with PTSD may have difficulty maintaining close relationships with their family and friends. Their symptoms can cause issues with trust, communication, problem-solving, and closeness, which impacts how they interact with people. Changes in communication can strain relationships because a loved one may take offense if they don’t understand PTSD.

Development: Environmental and genetic factors play a role in a person’s critical development stages, which can heighten addiction risk. Even though taking drugs at any age can result in addiction, a person who uses them from a young age is more likely to become dependent. Early drug exposure can negatively impact teens because the areas in their brains that control judgment, decision-making, and self-control are still developing.

PTSD Treatment

PTSD treatment can help an individual regain a sense of control over their life. The primary treatment is psychotherapy (talk therapy), but it can also include medication. Combining these treatments can help improve a person’s symptoms by:

Teaching them skills to address their symptoms
Helping them think better about themselves, others, and humanity
Healthy coping mechanisms when symptoms arise
Treating other problems typically related to traumatic experiences, such as anxiety, depression, or drug and alcohol addiction

Several types of psychotherapy can help children and adults cope with their condition. Different types include:

Exposure therapy: This behavioral therapy helps an individual face painful memories and situations so that they can learn to cope effectively. Exposure therapy is particularly helpful for treating nightmares and flashbacks.
Cognitive therapy: This type of treatment helps a person recognize the cognitive patterns that keep them stuck, which include negative beliefs about themselves and the risk of traumatic events occurring again. For PTSD treatment, therapists typically use cognitive therapy in conjunction with exposure therapy.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR combines exposure therapy with a series of guided eye movements that can help a person process their traumatic memories and change their response to them.

A therapist can help individuals with PTSD develop stress management skills to help them better handle upsetting situations. They can select from individual therapy, group therapy, or a combination of both. Some people check into a dual diagnosis treatment center that can help them treat their mental health disorders as well as any substance abuse issues.