THERAPY FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
Dynamic You are experts at providing Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Contact us on 0800 0614548 Today to arrange an appointment and explore how we can help you recover from a traumatic event.
WHAT IS POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?
After a traumatic experience it’s normal to feel frightened, sad, anxious, and disconnected. Often these feelings will decrease over time and it will be possible to move on, however sometimes feelings of being on edge, in danger or being troubled by frequently re-occurring painful memories may continue. It is thought that around 3 in 100 people will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at any given time and that 30% of people that have been through a traumatic event will also experience PTSD – with certain people at a greater risk. For example, those that are in the emergency services, armed forces, or those that have been victims of violent or sexual crimes.
Symptoms of PTSD include psychological changes such as re-experiencing traumatic images (sometimes called having flashbacks), memories, thoughts or dreams at times in which you might not want to have these. Often these will be very emotionally charged and sometimes difficult to stop. Other symptoms can be emotional, such as experiencing very intense emotions or equally struggling to experience emotion at all and feeling ‘numb’. As well as these people will often report that they find themselves avoiding particular things, such as places, people and conversations – which can also often have an impact on day to day living.
HOW DOES IT DEVELOP?
Our understanding of what causes and maintains PTSD symptoms is growing very quickly and we are now able to identify specific parts of the brain that are involved in keeping problems going. Whilst research is still being carried out in order to help us understand why some people may experience PTSD when others do not, we are able to use existing knowledge to reduce symptoms and help people move on with their lives following a traumatic event.
WHAT TREATMENTS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?
It is recommended that for the first month following a traumatic event to keep an eye on any mild symptoms over this period as often they will decrease naturally. It is not recommended that people seek any form of incident debriefing – as in some cases this may increase symptoms. However if your symptoms are particularly severe then seeking a course of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is recommended.
Research suggests that if symptoms continue for over over 4 weeks then a course of either Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatments are recommended as first line treatments by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Medication is not generally recommended as a first line treatment for PTSD, however it can often be the case that PTSD may make you vulnerable to other problems such as depression or panic problems and if this is the case then your health provider may recommend a combined medical and psychological approach.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE TREATMENTS OFFERED BY DYNAMIC YOU?
We offer Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which is Recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a highly effective treatment for PTSD and trauma problems. Our treatments are delivered by skilled health professionals with many years in practice – often in the NHS or in academic institutions.
As well as only delivering clinically recommended treatments, to the best of our knowledge we are the only independent psychological therapy provider to routinely collect, monitor and publish data on the effectiveness of therapy that our team offers. Why not take a look at how effective our treatments have been for clients so far?
