7 Frequently Used Evidence-Based PTSD Therapy Options

Do you struggle with the aftereffects of an overwhelming traumatic event? Are the memories of it so vivid and intrusive that you suffer from nightmares and flashbacks, and have a hard time coping with everyday life? You might have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The good news is that it is treatable through PTSD therapy.

Medications such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs can provide symptom relief, but they do not address the psychological issues resulting from the trauma. Studies indicate that the most effective treatment is psychotherapy.

The American Psychological Association (APA) strongly recommends cognitive behavioral therapy or one of its variations as the preferred first-line intervention.

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Most frequently used evidence-based PTSD therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most thoroughly studied, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, and is considered the gold standard for treatment of PTSD.

Focused on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how changes in any one area can affect the other two, CBT encompasses several specialized approaches designed to treat specific symptoms.

These techniques may be used separately or in combination during therapy to help you process your traumatic experience, identify irrational or distorted beliefs, and learn how to reframe your thinking in a healthier way.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term therapy that typically consists of 12 to 20 weekly sessions that last 30-90 minutes.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy is a short-term form of CBT that is specifically adapted for PTSD. It focuses on helping you learn how to identify and challenge faulty thoughts and beliefs about the traumatic event and replace distorted thoughts with more rational ones.

TF-CBT is commonly used with children and adolescents.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive processing therapy focuses on how you perceive and cope with the thoughts and emotions elicited by memories of your traumatic experience. It includes educating you on how your thoughts and emotions are related, how inaccurate automatic thoughts can exaggerate your symptoms, and how changing your thought patterns can change the way you feel.

You will be asked to talk to your therapist about the trauma and/or write about it in as much detail as you can remember. He or she will help you identify and challenge the damaging automatic thoughts that are keeping you stuck and show you how to restructure them in healthier, more realistic ways that reduce their negative impact.

Cognitive processing therapy is often the intervention of choice for war veterans or people who blame themselves for the trauma.

Cognitive Therapy (CT)

Cognitive therapy focuses on identifying and modifying disturbing thought patterns that are interfering with your ability to conduct your day-to-day life. Its goal is to teach you how to recognize, interrupt, and challenge automatic thoughts and beliefs about the traumatic event. It also seeks to eliminate harmful coping mechanisms such as ruminating about the trauma, which tends to exaggerate your PTSD symptoms.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET)

Prolonged exposure therapy is especially effective for people suffering from flashbacks and/or nightmares. It provides a safe environment in which you can be gently exposed to the frightening situations and memories you have been avoiding because they remind you of the traumatic event.

This is done in a controlled manner that enables you to gradually revisit and engage with them without being flooded by distressing emotions. As you are able to face these trauma-related cues you learn they are no longer dangerous and you don’t have to avoid them anymore.

Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP)

Brief eclectic psychotherapy focuses on practicing relaxation skills, recalling details of the traumatic event and reframing the negative thoughts you have about it, and then writing a letter about it and having a farewell ritual in which you leave the trauma in the past.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy uses bilateral sensory input to remove the block created by the impact of the traumatic event that is preventing healing from taking place.

EMDR does not require that you talk about your experience. Rather, you will be asked to visualize distressing images of the trauma while at the same time being guided through a series of rapid side-to-side eye movements similar to those that take place in deep sleep. This helps the brain to reprocess the traumatic memory, enabling you to experience it less reactively.

Next Steps

Please know that you don’t have to struggle with the burden of PTSD on your own. If you have questions or would like to set up an appointment to meet with one of the faith-based mental health professionals in our online directory who is trained in trauma-focused therapy, reach out and call us today.