Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD can be debilitating and may include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and depression.
If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD, you should seek help. There are several psychiatric services available that can help you deal with PTSD. This article will explore some of these services in more detail.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT is rooted in the idea that people should learn coping strategies and skills to manage emotions and thoughts to ultimately improve and control their behaviors. It's particularly useful for those suffering from PTSD because it focuses on teaching mindfulness, coping strategies, and regulating emotions.
In DBT sessions, a qualified therapist can encourage you to practice mindfulness, which is the ability to stay present in the moment and acknowledge your feelings. By practicing mindfulness, people with PTSD can learn to manage and observe their thoughts and emotions from a place of perspective, helping them cope with anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions.
DBT also helps people affected by PTSD to develop coping strategies, such as deep breathing techniques, to handle traumatic events better. These coping strategies are designed to help you safely and effectively navigate "triggering" situations that can cause a fight or flight response.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Generally, EMDR is a form of therapy that facilitates the processing of traumatic memories and negative emotions. It is designed to reduce the emotional intensity people with PTSD feel while recollecting traumatic events.
EMDR, as a psychiatric service, uses a range of techniques to help you recover from PTSD, including exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, and stress management.
One of the unique features of EMDR is that it involves side-to-side eye movements that help patients create new connections between traumatic memories and positive thoughts. The movement of the eyes, together with visual imagery, helps reduce the disturbance caused by traumatic experiences and reduces PTSD symptoms.
EMDR can produce long-lasting positive effects. It helps patients process negative memories and emotions by allowing them to separate the trauma from the negative emotions surrounding it. Through EMDR as a psychiatric service, patients are empowered to develop new coping strategies, process their trauma and gain a sense of control over their lives.
EMDR provides the necessary tools and skills to cope with future challenges, anxiety, and depression associated with PTSD and live a more fulfilled life. It's proven to be a significant step towards finding new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving in the wake of a traumatic event. For more information, contact a psychiatrist near you.