TRAUMA THERAPY
When someone experiences a stressful situation that includes serious injury, sexual violence, and any form of facing death, that experience can result in post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a serious mental illness that can disrupt everyday life in Florida for the person dealing with it and surrounding loved ones.
SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
The effects of living through a traumatic experience can manifest in many different ways. Some of the common symptoms of PTSD include the following:
- Nightmares and flashbacks
- Uncontrollable memories intruding into everyday life
- Increased heartbeat and sweating
- A consistent feeling of being on guard
- Insomnia
- Guilty feelings about what happened
- Helpless and hopeless feelings
However, symptoms can be different depending on the individual.
TREATMENT OF TRAUMA
Seeking treatment is an important part of working through trauma. There are certain habits that can exacerbate the symptoms you are experiencing and possibly make them worse. This includes the use of drugs and alcohol to chase away the emotions and cutting yourself off from friends and family.
There are two main types of healthy approaches to treatment when dealing with trauma:
Psychological:
This type of trauma treatment involves talking through your experiences with a therapist to deal with the trauma to recall and work through your emotions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy also referred to as CBT, is a specific type of psychological treatment that helps you face and move through the trauma at your own pace.
Medication:
In some cases, PTSD may benefit from the use of an antidepressant. Commonly prescribed medications are SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. If you are struggling to sleep because of your PTSD, a sleeping tablet or sedative may help you to fall asleep more easily. The type of medication you may need depends on your personal situation, so talk to your therapist or psychologist about what treatment may help you the most.