Dealing With PTSD Effectively

Vivienne Dent Hypnotherapy, Counselling, Reiki, Weight Loss in Merseyside July 17, 2015

Can Post Traumatic Stress Disorder be treated effectively?

The majority of us have experienced stress at some point and quite a few people feel stressed all of the time. The severity of the stress can largely depend upon the circumstance and how the affected person handles it. Unfortunately, the after effects of specific traumatic events can become overwhelming and hard to face. It is at this point that real problems can develop in their lives that they find it tricky to control. This issue is typically diagnosed as PTSD; the effects can be both physical and mental in nature and would normally have a substantial impact on their lives.

The foundations for PTSD can be laid in numerous ways, by way of example, by witnessing a horrific accident, being assaulted or experiencing a natural disaster. Recollections of stressful occurrences can adversely affect people, particularly those serving in the military. Frightening and alarming experiences can bring about various long lasting symptoms which subsequently have a negative impact on everyday activity.

Certain circumstances can trigger the memories of the trauma, commonly called ’flashbacks’, and these memories may bring all the feelings of fear, anxiety and panic of the initial event. Within the home or work place, problems can develop when a person with PTSD has problems sleeping and focusing. Lack of sleep and the frequent triggering of tension and anxiety feelings can ultimately bring about depression or violent reactions. There are also physical issue to consider, such as chest pains, sweating and headaches.

The medical care normally will involve some kind of anti anxiety medication like anti-depressants and/or beta blockers. However, hypnotherapy is an alternative approach to treat PTSD and is particularly effective in keeping them calm and lessening feelings of anguish. Making use of hypnosis, the PTSD suffer can safely process the primary event so that it is no longer prompted by everyday conditions.

The feelings of panic experienced during ’flashbacks’ can be turned down if not totally removed helping to move the person to a more rational response to any triggers. A hypnotic approach allows them to become relaxed both in body and mind and most people enjoy being in a trance state. The added benefit of being in hypnosis is that the hypnotherapist can work directly with the parts of the mind responsible for their psychological responses to the initial event.

In the first session the hypnotherapist will endeavour to appreciate how the original event is experienced and the triggers that can instigate a ’flashback’. After they have this information, a bespoke treatment plan can be put together and agreed upon.

Generally, the key aim of treatment for PTSD is to help the man or woman to safely process the distressing memory so that it no longer has the high levels of raw emotion linked to it. The focus should be to alter the brain’s thought processes so that the resulting behaviour is better suited to their lifestyle. Often, hypnosis is a brief, solution focused hypnotherapeutic approach, so the client should begin to notice progress inside a few sessions. It will also help restore any related problems that may have been caused at the office or in the home as a consequence of PTSD.

EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) is also a highly respected treatment for PTSD, and is currently recommended by the NICE (government) guidelines, as the No 1 therapy treatment for PTSD. It can be used in conjunction with hypnotherapy; however it is not considered to be hypnosis.

Vivienne Dent is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and a full member of BSCH. (British school of clinical hypnosis) and she is an Accredited European EMDR Practitioner.