Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a serious mental health condition that can severely hamper a person’s daily life. Fortunately, decades of research has produced many effective methods to treat PTSD. For effective mental health treatment for this and many other conditions, contact Elevated Healing Treatment Centers in Woodland Hills.
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a stress reaction triggered by either witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Examples of events that can trigger PTSD include:
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Physical and/or sexual abuse
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Exposure to combat
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Being assaulted or threatened with a weapon
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Accidents (car crashes, plane crashes, etc.)
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Natural disasters
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Extreme or life-threatening events such as torture, kidnapping, or robbery
PTSD symptoms occur in four categories:
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Intrusive memories: You may be reliving the event over and over in sudden flashbacks, or experiencing it in nightmares.
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Avoidance: You may avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, along with places, people, or activities that remind you of it.
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Negative changes in thinking and mood: These can include difficulty maintaining relationships and a sense of emotional numbness.
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Changes in physical and emotional reactions: These can include an elevated startle response, self-destructive behavior, and trouble sleeping or concentrating.
PTSD can develop immediately, or even months or years after the traumatic event.
PTSD Treatments
At our facility, we offer several treatment methods specifically developed to treat PTSD. Traumatic memories are not processed by the brain in the same way as normal memories, and healing involves strategies to confront those negative memories and start to process them.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): This method uses rapid eye movement to distract your brain while you recall the traumatic memory, so that you can remember the memory without reliving it.
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ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy): This method is similar to EMDR, with the added step of introducing positive thoughts, images, and associations to replace the negative impressions around your traumatic memory.
Out of all the mental health disorders we treat, PTSD is one of the most well-researched disorders, and the one for which some of the strongest, evidence-based treatments are available. Contact us immediately to get help for yourself or a loved one’s PTSD.
Contact
Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.