PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder which is a debilitating condition that can develop following a traumatizing event (being a victim or witnessing such an event). While most people can recover from the symptoms of an acute stress disorder (intrusive thoughts, negative mood, avoidance of people and places), around 2% to 6% of people will develop PTSD. Often, people with the condition have persistent horrifying thoughts. These images and sensory imbalances can present themselves in the forms of nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation from reality, etc. A lot of the time, people with PTSD report being emotionally numb and have difficulty with personal relationships.

To guide the clients who are battling PTSD, I employ a few evidence-based methods of treatment. Psychotherapy is skillfully integrated with prolonged exposure therapy and/or clinical hypnosis, meditation, and interpersonal psychotherapy. Both, prolonged exposure therapy and meditation are firmly associated with the treatment of PTSD by providing controlled access to memories that may otherwise be kept out of the unconsciousness. These methods allow for restructuring of intrusive memories through corrective re-experiencing of the trauma. Meditation, in particular, promotes access to environmental awareness, thus, allowing for filtering of the sensory stimuli.