PTSD

Dissociation Video

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Dissociation is a serious condition resulting from PTSD.  When triggers of past trauma arise, the mind tries to shut the body down through dissociation.  Sometimes it is through a flashback, or a disconnect from reality.  These situations while in public or driving can cause injury to the person. So it is important to understand what triggers it and how to ground oneself when dissociation occurs.

Please also review AIHCP’s numerous mental health certifications which include grief counseling, crisis intervention, spiritual and Christian spiritual counseling, stress management and anger management programs.  The programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification.

The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for PTSD

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Person in military uniform holding a sign that reads PTSDWritten by Claire Szewczyk

 

The first time that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) reached the public eye, it was known as the concept of “shell shock” – debilitating nightmares, hyper-reactivity and increased dangerous behaviors in veterans who had experienced traumas of combat during World War I. It is still very much a common diagnosis amongst the veteran community, with an incidence of almost 13% (PTSD and veterans: Breaking down the statistics 2021).

However, in more recent years, PTSD has been a more commonly diagnosed mental health disorder that can affect anyone who was exposed to any form of abuse, trauma, or life-threatening situation.

As a result of PTSD becoming more of a common occurrence among the population, it has also become more important for those who are experiencing symptoms to seek out treatment. There are a wide variety of options available, including the tried and true, research-verified effective Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. 

CBT focuses on the relationship among thoughts, feelings and behaviors, targets current problems and symptoms, and then focuses on changing patterns of behavior that lead to difficulty functioning. 

 

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as a combat event, a natural disaster, a car accident, or a violent crime. 

Symptoms of PTSD include re-experiencing the traumatic event through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of reminders of the event, and increased feelings of anxiety and depression.

Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulties with adjusting and coping, but with good self-care practices and time, they usually are able to overcome it. If symptoms worsen, linger and interfere with day-to-day functioning, they might be experiencing PTSD.

Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reducing symptoms and improving overall function. 

 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It targets individuals’ current concerns and issues with day-to-day-functioning and the symptoms they are experiencing, and then provides ways to help challenge negative patterns of thought and behavior, in order to help improve quality of life.

 

How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help PTSD Symptoms?

Several theories that revolve around trauma help explain why CBT is an effective treatment to reduce symptoms of PTSD.

Emotional Processing Theory suggests those who have experienced a traumatic event can develop associations with reminders of the event. Challenging these associations, especially the ones that lead to unhealthy functioning, is the core of emotional processing.

Social Cognitive Theory suggests that those who have defined their existing beliefs about themselves, others, and the world, based on the trauma they experienced, often struggle with unhelpful interpretations of their experiences of their environment. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been scientifically proven through many studies, to alleviate symptoms of PTSD. Typically, CBT treatment includes two main components: exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring. 

A man in military uniform in therapy. Exposure Therapy 

Exposure Therapy aims to reduce the emotional distress associated with reminders of the triggering event. Exposure Therapy operates similarly to how it sounds. It involves gradually exposing the individual to reminders of the traumatic event in a controlled and safe environment. 

If you go through Exposure Therapy you may be asked to recall the traumatic event in therapy, visit places, or engage in activities that are associated with the traumatic event. Over time, the hope is that you will be able to identify your triggers and use coping mechanisms to downplay the symptoms you experience (Yetman, Exposure therapy: Types, how it’s done, and more 2021).

Cognitive Restructuring or Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy 

The second aspect of CBT is Cognitive Restructuring or Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). PE is a type of CBT treatment that involves identifying and changing negative thought patterns associated with the traumatic event (Prolonged exposure (PE).

Cognitive restructuring may include challenging and refuting negative beliefs about oneself, the world, and others developed due to the traumatic event. 

For example, a person with PTSD may believe that the world is dangerous and that they are helpless to protect themselves, which can lead to anxiety and fear. 

Through Cognitive restructuring, a therapist may help the person to challenge and refute this belief and replace it with a more balanced and realistic perspective.

 

CBT is a scientifically proven effective treatment for PTSD

CBT is effective in treating PTSD in several studies. CBT was found to be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD in adults in over 12-15 sessions either in a group setting or one-on-one.

CBT has also been effective in treating PTSD in specific populations, including veterans and individuals who have experienced a traumatic event in childhood. The VA and the American Psychological Association recommend using CBT for PTSD survivors. CBT not only targets PTSD but also targets other symptoms of PTSD such as depression and anxiety.

Multiple studies through the years have championed CBT for PTSD treatment. (Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treatment of PTSD).

 

What are the Benefits of CBT?

Besides the fact that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a scientifically proven effective treatment for individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, there’s also a wide variety of benefits over other forms of therapy. Here’s a few of them:

 

     1. It gives people hope about their condition.

Oftentimes, due to the nature of mental health disorders, sometimes it can cause those who have been diagnosed to have a pessimistic outlook about their future wellbeing. It can be difficult to think about a time where their illness won’t impact their life.

CBT challenges this mindset–and offers hope for the future.

It does this by using its own methods to challenge thoughts and ideas like this. Provides a way to seek out alternative possibilities. That life could be very different, and in a more positive way.

 

     2. It develops self-esteem.

It’s not a surprise to note that with many mental health conditions, also comes with a lower sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

This feeds into the cycle of negative thinking, which influences behaviors, and vice versa.

CBT can help disrupt these negative thoughts and patterns, and as a result, help develop more confidence in a person’s own abilities and strengths. 

Understanding how thoughts work, and how they are under the control of those who are thinking them, changes things on a fundamental level. Including the way people see themselves.

 

     3. It can help with relaxation.

Because CBT directly helps with managing thoughts and emotions, this comes with it the ability to control how a person responds to their symptoms.

As a result, it helps regulate responses to triggers and reduce symptoms by utilizing a variety of relaxation techniques.

 

     4. It develops more rational thought processes.

Perhaps the most important benefit of CBT, is that it helps people regain control of their thoughts and emotions. 

Over time, the process of questioning and challenging our thought processes, and replacing them with healthier ones, can transform people entirely.

 

CBT is a great way to treat PTSD

In conclusion, CBT is a widely recognized and effective treatment for PTSD. This type of therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected and that we can change our emotional response to a traumatic event by changing our thoughts and behaviors. 

Through exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring, CBT can help individuals reduce symptoms of PTSD, such as re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoiding reminders of the event, and decreasing feelings of anxiety and depression. 

 

Claire Szewczyk Bio PicAuthor Bio:

Claire Szewczyk is a Digital Content Coordinator for Hill & Ponton, PA in Florida. She was a former US Airforce civilian employee, who worked at Hill Air Force Base, in Layton, UT as a flight testing administrator. She has also spent several years working with the Department of Veterans Affairs audiology programs in Salt Lake City, UT and Pocatello, ID. She enjoys working with the Veteran population and keeping them up to date with information they need the most.

 

 

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Anger Management Specialist Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Anger Management Counseling.

 

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treatment of PTSD. American Psychological Association. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Prolonged exposure (PE). American Psychological Association. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/prolonged-exposure

Emotional processing theory (EPT) and exposure therapy for … – springer. SpringerLink. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10879-006-9008-y

PTSD and veterans: Breaking down the statistics. Hill & Ponton, P.A. (2021, May 11). Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.hillandponton.com/veterans-statistics/ptsd/

Yetman, D. (2021, June 21). Exposure therapy: Types, how it’s done, and more. Healthline. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/exposure-therapy#:~:text=Exposure%20therapy%20is%20a%20kind,therapist%20in%20a%20safe%20environment. 

Grief Counseling Certification Video on Nightmares and Unresolved Trauma

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Trauma if it is not faced consciously will re-emerge in the subconscious.  Nightmares can bring back past trauma in an attempt to understand and face the eluded issue.  Due to disassociated mental material, trauma is trapped in the brain and not stored as a long term memory properly.  Due to this, the trauma memory becomes a rogue thought within the brain.  It haunts the individual through PTSD.  Grief Counseling can help.

Only till the trauma is resolved, faced and understood, can one begin to heal from the event.  Nightmares surrounding the trauma manifest as a way to face it but in an incomplete way.  The nightmares at first are more vivid and true to the event but overtime can become more symbolic.  The only way to overcome the nightmares is to face the trauma when awake.  Counselors can also help individuals who are facing nightmares with strategies to minimize the nightmare and prepare the mind for a more peaceful sleep.  Ultimately though, one has to be put in the work when awake to eventually overcome the haunting past traumatic event.

Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management, Crisis Intervention and Grief Counseling Certifications.  The programs all deal with trauma in some aspects.  They are all online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification.

Stress Management Video on PTSD Part III

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

PTSD is unprocessed trauma due to a horrific event.  Learning to finally face that trauma and move forward is an important step.  Learning to process and again learn to trust and have productive relationships are important.  Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

 

 

Please review the video below

Grief Counseling Program Blog on Trauma and Restoring Intimacy

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Sexuality and intimacy are crucial aspects of human life.  It allows two to bond and share the deepest feelings with a wholesome sexual experience.  An experience that is pure and filled with love as opposed as corrupt and full of hate.  During trauma, individuals can lose intimacy and a healthy understanding of love and sex.  This can create obstacles to fully reacclimating into society because one is not able to form a new bond or attachment with another human being.  The act of intimacy and the act of sex in themselves can also become triggers and reminders of past abuse and push the person away from these normal and healthy bonds.  Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program

One who has experienced trauma must eventually face intimacy, trust and friendship and if desired, a more deeper friendship in the contract of a sexual relationship.  Unfortunately, trauma makes this difficult and can prevent the person from an important fountain of healing that can bring the person closer to becoming one again.  In this article, we will look at a few issues of intimacy and sexuality that someone who has faced trauma will deal with and how that someone can learn to trust and love again.  Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Courses

In intimacy, one opens oneself to another.  This can mean many things to a survivor of sexual trauma or betrayal.  One feels the loss of a control.  In isolation, one feels one has the power to control what occurs and the fear of opening oneself, puts oneself partly at the power of another.  It is exactly this power that a trauma survivor fears.  In addition, trauma survivors fear abandonment.  If one opens up, then one risks the chance of being hurt and betrayed again.  Hence many experience abandonment issues.   Intimacy also opens up the chance of rejection.  Trauma survivors fear the thought of being rejected for who they are and may very well reject someone before they can be rejected.

It is important with intimacy to accept fears.  This is the hardest part, but only until one dismisses the fears, can one again learn to have a trusting relationship.   The fear may be in the other person, or in one’s own tendencies but one cannot have the healing powers of intimacy without trust and letting fears go.  One also needs to reject ideas and notions that can block intimacy with others.  Many who have been traumatized universally label everyone.  All men/women are bad is a common over generalization.  The perpetrator was not good but not all people are bad.  This central concept can take time to finally become a reality again. Other false narratives include assuming no one has every experienced what one has experienced, or that one cannot ever burden another with one’s issues.  In addition, others feel unloved and if anyone ever knew what occurred, then that person would no longer be lovable.  Flaws are seen as more prominent and as a sign of weakness, when in reality everyone has flaws.

It can be difficult after trauma to again show intimacy and open oneself up. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program

 

Learning how to discuss the past and discuss the future are critical communication skills.  Individuals who fear intimacy need to be better able to express to another and share how to handle issues and conflicts.  Without releasing the fear, false notions and opening up communication, then a person suffering from trauma will not be able to open again and find the value and healing within a friendship or a deeper relationship.

One of the biggest blocks to a deeper relationship is again seeing sexuality as wholesome and natural.  Sex in its very nature promotes union, trust, and love but the trauma has distorted the true value of intimacy and sexuality.  Following an assault, sex itself can become a trigger to a PSTD response.  A certain touch can remind one of the trauma and turn something of love into something of abuse.  The person has a hard time viewing sex as holy and the person as sacred.  The rape or assault has stripped sexuality and intimacy of its dignity and the person has difficult times again experiencing these feelings and senses in a positive way.

Sex can also be seen as a way to control others, or it may be a device to fix what went wrong before.  Unhealthy expressions and sexual behavior can result in different directions from fear of sex to promiscuity later in life.  It is hence important to remove these past negative images.  One image that is especially unhealthy is seeing all sexual behavior and correlating it with a sense of disgust.  It is important to learn skills to neutralize this feeling of disgust and help re-evaluate these past negative experiences with positive experiences.

In rebuilding oneself for intimacy and sexual relations, the traumatized need to overcome many hurdles of trust and intimacy but certain steps can help to start the healing process.  Disgust and association with trauma can be overcame with patience and time and understanding from one’s new partner.

It is hence important to again see certain parts of the body as holy and good.  They cannot be seen or associated as evil in themselves.  The action must be separated from the part of the body itself.  Second, one needs to learn neutralize disgust.  Ideas that the body is an object to be used must be dismissed and replaced with ideals that the body is a temple and a gift.  This not only deals with the other person, but also how one views oneself.  One can further separate the feeling of disgust with sex itself and shame.   The shame with trauma needs to be separated from the act itself.  By learning to separate negative feelings and events from the body and act itself, one can better open up to others.  One can then create a new narrative where the event with a different person is not hateful or abusive but instead filled with love and respect.

Unfortunately, while rebuilding each other, partners should be conscious of others past.  Certain boundaries may initially needed and a slow crawl until mutual comfort is met.  Flashbacks can occur and it is important to recreate intimacy and the sexual experience together to form new wholesome memories.  This requires patience, counseling as well as awareness.

Healthy sexuality is the ultimate key.  While intimacy does not necessarily involve sexuality, nor the necessity of entering into a sexual relationship, one must still restore a sense of the sacred to the sexual act.  Sex is not about control, secretive, shameful, wrong, abusive, dis-connective, controlling, superficial, or selfish but instead is a spiritual, emotional and physical act that binds.  It builds self esteem and gives proper pleasures associated with that.  It is celebrated and gives deeper meaning to life.  It does not abuse, but promotes a feeling of unity and safety.  It honors and loves and builds two instead of breaking down another. Finally, it does not reject, but it also accepts the imperfect and celebrates the two.

For some, sex is more than naturally just beautiful but also sacred from a religious view.  Sex in this regard binds two as one before God and calls forward a vocation that goes beyond the symbolic act of sex, but carries itself in all matters of life itself.  Spiritually, the destruction of sex to anything less is not of God and is a misuse of this divine gift to not only bring forth new life but also unify two into one.

Restoring intimacy with a victim of abuse can take time and patience but it can again reveal the goodness of intimacy and love

 

One can restore intimacy, and if desired, a healthy sexuality after assault, but naturally, the traumatized must learn to reprogram one’s mind to not only not fear but to open up and let go past narratives that prevent the leap of love and faith.  The traumatized must also learn differentiate the corruption of the perpetrator from the holiness and goodness of the action itself and how it can be experienced with a good person.

It is a most disgusting sin to harm another through sex because it injures the person not only physically but also emotionally.  It affects one’s ability to feel intimacy again and feel trust.  It is more than a theft of virginity or physical freedom, but is a theft of self, but fortunately, through healing, counseling and prayer, one can again heal.

Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Certification, Stress Management Consulting Program as well as AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification Program.  The programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in these disciplines.

 

 

Source: “The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery and Growth” by Glenn R Schiraldi, PhD

PTSD from the Mayo Clinic

PTSD from the National Institute of Mental Health

When PTSD and Intimacy Collide: What Really Happens? By Tia Hollowood

Understanding Intimacy Avoidance in PTSD by Annie Tanasugarn Ph.D., CCTSA

Anger Management Certification Blog on Unresolved Anger and Forgiveness

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

In any type of trauma, there is anger.  Anger can continue to feed the trauma and keep it alive longer.  Anger can also weaken the individual overtime through depression, fatigue and anxiety.  Keeping strong emotional anger is unhealthy and it is important to learn how to properly release anger.  This does not mean one does not have a right to be angry over the offense and trauma, but i does mean one must escape the anger before it becomes toxic.

Anger keeps trauma highly charged and weakens the self.  It leads to sarcasm and bitterness in life, as well as resentment and possibly revenge.  Revenge leads to further destruction and a cycle of violence and continued trauma.  Furthermore, anger that prevents forgiveness stunts social growth. It prevents trust, increases hatred and forces oneself to close off to others.  Hence it is important more so for one’s health to resolve anger and forgive than for the lack of worthiness of the offender to receive it.

Unresolved anger can lead to health issues. It is far better to release anger for oneself. Please also review AIHCP’s Anger Management Certification

 

Many feel forgiveness is impossible.  Perhaps they view the offense as unforgivable.  Rape, molestation and murder are sometimes very hard things to forgive.  These things represent the worst within human society.  Other things may be easier to forgive, but regardless of the degree, if one associates an action as unforgivable, then it becomes an anchor around one’s neck.  Others feel they must protect themselves and must remain bitter and remain closed.  Those who were physically abused, may feel their anger empowers them and protects them from ever being hurt again by never letting someone get close to them.   Others feel they may betray themselves or their loved one, if they forgive the perpetrator.   These are all blocks to resolving unhealthy anger and moving forward in life.

Anger is an emotion that may very well be important to the event.  It is in fact a true emotion in trauma. It is OK to be angry.  It is OK to feel the anger, but eventually, the anger can become toxic.  It is important to start to experience the anger and understand it, but in a way that allows one to remain in touch with its importance but not its ill effects.  It needs to be analyzed free from the toxic charge of initial rage, so one can understand its rationale and comprehend where it is aimed.

In doing so, many times, things need to be said, when those things cannot be said, then it is important to be able to find other ways to release.  This is especially true when justice is not given to a particular case that prevents closure.  Justice is an excellent way to help heal unresolved anger but in so many cases, justice at least in this world is not given.  It is hence critical to be able to resolve anger sometimes without justice.

Some therapists suggest Gestalt Chairs, when one plays the role of both oneself and perpetrator.  This allows the necessary discussion as one plays both roles.  Being able to vocally express anger, confrontation and forgiveness is key.  Furthermore, those with a belief of the afterlife, can find some closure knowing nothing goes unpunished before God.  Ultimately, facing anger, the situation and forgiving, frees oneself from the perpetrator.

Forgiveness, however, does not mean minimizing the event, or condoning it, or forgetting it, or trusting the same person again.  It does not dismiss the event, but it frees oneself from the emotional tie of the perpetrator.  Even if one does not ask, it can free oneself.  Forgiveness does not mean the individual still must pay a debt in this life or the next but it does allow one to move forward.

It is important in some cases to ask for forgiveness, but in other cases, this may not be an option, but the key is to decide to finally heal.  Being able to resolve anger and give forgiveness may have to be done in constructive ways to release.  Gestalt chairs or belief in God may be the best ways to forgive and understand.  One needs to try to forgive the best way they can for their own healing.  Sometimes, this can be accomplished through rituals such as confession, or other forms of expression.

In can sometimes be difficult to give forgiveness. Please also review AIHCP’s Anger Management Certification

 

Trauma is difficult to overcome.  Some trauma is more severe and some cases of anger are harder to overcome.  It is not an issue of denying the evil that occurred but it is an issue of healing and finding peace for oneself. Holding on to anger does not punish the perpetrator but it punishes the self and allows the perpetrator to continue to hurt the victim.  It is hence important to learn ways to live and forgive before one’s life is totally destroyed.

Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Program, Grief Counseling Program, Stress Management Program and Anger Management Certification.  The programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in the above disciplines

 

Source

“The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook” by Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD

 

Stress Management Consulting Blog on Dream Management in PTSD

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Dreams are the subconscious mind actively sorting out things while the conscious mind sleeps.  Dreams cover a wide variety of issues that the person deals with on a daily basis and helps resolve those issues.  From a religious standpoint, some contend dreams can also be of a supernatural origin, but even within this theology, these would be rare circumstances.  Science and psychology see dreams only as an internal response to external events while one sleeps.

Nightmares can have many symbolic monsters to interpret. Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Training

 

How one dreams and the symbols within those dreams can be confusing.  Some dreams are less important in processing, while other dreams can become more persistent in regards to unresolved issues.  The more trauma and intense, the more intense the pushback within the dream.  In this intensity, sometimes dreams can take a darker path and become nightmares.  Those who experience PTSD usually also experience intense nightmares regarding the event and at more common rate that the regular population.  The more recent the event, the more detailed, while the more processed the trauma, the more symbolic the dream may become.

Unprocessed and walled off trauma that is dissociated manifests in dreams.  Sometimes, these dreams will create a different outcome or they will push a certain theme.  Various symbols in the dream can haunt a person.  Monsters, shadows,  danger, being chased, being punished, re-threatened, trapped, abused or other physical injuries can occur in these types of intense nightmares.  Most nightmares occur in the rapid eye movement of sleep which is later in the night.  They are created through the anxiety and fear associated with the trauma.

Until trauma is faced, these dreams will continue to haunt someone.  It is hence very important to try to understand what the mind is trying to tell someone regarding the trauma.   Counselors suggest confiding to others about one’s dreams.  Relate the setting, what happened, how one felt and the various symbols within the dream.    It is important to ask how one felt, if one felt helpless or felt fear or shame to better understand what the mind is trying to communicate.  Analyze the dream and attempt to see what one’s mind is trying to sort out.  Does it relate to the past trauma?  Does it relate to how one acted?  Does it relate to how one feels about the event?  Various symbols within dreams usually have deeper meanings.  The monsters themselves have meaning if one looks to analyze the dream.

For example, monsters or being chased or attacked, usually indicates one is running away from something in life itself or is afraid to face something.  This is why it is common in PTSD.  Individuals are terrified to face or confront the “monster”.  It is important to understand who the monster is before oneself in the dream

Injuries, or wounds in a dream indicate a feeling of weakness or powerlessness in one’s life.  This again is common for victims who feel they have lost all power in their lives due to the attacker.

Falling is closely associated with those who feel they have no control in their lives.    They do not feel like they are in command within their personal or work life.

Being trapped is another common symbol that expresses the need to escape from a bad situation.

Whatever the type of dream and its symbol, it is important to access what it means to you

Some counselors suggest in addition to confiding to another about the dream to imagine the dream at its most intense moment and relate, “It is just a dream”.  Understand that it has no power over oneself.  It is good to remind oneself before bed in this regard.

Those suffering PTSD experience more nightmares. Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

Also consider confronting the monsters in one’s dream.  While awake, ask what do these monsters want?  You can also confront the dream by creating an alter ending.  Write or draw and discuss  the new ending and see if it has any result.  Dreams change as one better copes.  Coping and facing trauma will indirectly affect one’s subconscious mind and help one process dissociated material that may be haunting one while one sleeps.

Before sleep, also practice deeper breathing and meditation, as well as Progressive Deep Muscle Relaxation strategies.

Dreams are what dominate one’s mind during sleep.  When one is experiencing PTSD, the trauma will find a way to be expressed and sometimes dreams are the only outlet until one chooses to cope and deal with the issue itself.  Learning to cope with PTSD, especially through dream management is critical to overcoming PTSD and helping the subconscious mind properly store the memory.

If you would like to learn more about Stress Management Training, then please review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Stress Management.

 

 

Some sources

“What Do Our Nightmares Mean?” Please click here

“10 Horrible but Common Nightmares and Their Meanings”  Please click here

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Source Book : A Guide to Healing, Recovery and Growth by Glenn R. Shiraldi, PhD

Stress Management Consulting Program Blog on Hyperarousal and PTSD

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

PTSD has numerous triggers.  Hyperarousal is the brains reactions to those triggers.  Individuals respond to scent, sounds, memories, visuals or even touch that tap into the dissociated mental material of trauma.  This can send the person into a flash back or even into a violent rage.  It is very dangerous for them as well as for others.  It is important to identify triggers and learn how to cope with hyperarousal and manage it.  Once the trauma is properly processed, these issues become less of an issue and eventually healing begins.

Individuals suffering from PTSD exhibit hyperarousal. Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program

 

The article, “What Is Hyperarousal in PTSD?” by Christopher Bergland takes a closer look at hyperarousal within PTSD.  He states,

“Hyperarousal keeps the body and mind constantly “on guard,” which makes it hard to go about daily life. Chronically heightened states of arousal are perpetuated by the fight-or-flight branch of the autonomic nervous system. This article discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatment for hyperarousal that occurs with PTSD.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Stress Management Consulting.

 

Grief Counseling Program Video on War and Traumatic Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

With war comes a type of traumatic loss than many experience.  Whether soldier or civilian, the pain and loss is very traumatic.  The losses can vary from loved ones to home to identity itself.  They can long term consequences of depression, prolonged grief and PTSD.  The losses are so severe that they can implant a death imprint on the very person.

Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling.

Stress Management Consulting Program Blog on Cognitive Restructuring and the 13 Distortions with PTSD

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or PTSD is the inability of the human mind to process traumatic memory.  It remains fragmented and left to haunt the person through various triggers and arousals that return to the person to the original trauma.  Emotions remain raw and the individual is trapped in the past and it repeats itself.

The first step to recovery is to confront the trauma and begin the long and sometimes painful process of properly storing the memory and integrating it, good and bad, into one’s life narrative.  The process to dismiss the past, face it and integrate it can be difficult.  The trauma is very difficult to face but for those who take the initial steps to confront and learn new coping methods to deal with PTSD can reap the rewards of a return to one’s very own existence and life.  Many are unable to reach this due to PTSD.

Trying to recover from PTSD can be delayed over distortions about the event. Licensed counselors through Cognitive Restructuring can help individuals find the truth to move forward. Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Program

 

Treatment is key.  Professional counselors can help individuals through a series of treatments.  One type of treatment is Cognitive Restructuring.  Cognitive Restructuring helps the individual integrate dissociated memories with associated ones in the long term memory.  Part of the process is to remove unproductive ideas and ideals that limit the mind to restructure and keep arousal high.   Functional thoughts can help remove higher arousal, while dysfunctional thoughts prevent the individual from healthy integration.  It is not the activation to think about the trauma that causes the consequence of arousal but more the dysfunctional thinking that causes more arousal.

Automatic thoughts that enter into oneself about the event can be good or distorted.  There are 13 types of distortions to thought that can make overcoming PTSD very difficult.  These distortions need corrected so that the brain can properly integrate the traumatic event.  This blog will review the 13 types of distortions.

  1. Flaw Fixation.  This distortion forces the individual to only focus on the bad.  It is a camera lens that only sees one aspect of the full event.  It is a narrowing of all the facts of the story.  The individual only recalls the failures of the particular day, or only in the present sees bad in everything.
  2. Dismissing the Positive.  Very similar to the Flaw Fixation but this does not focus on flaws of the individual but any positivity in life itself.  Only negative is viewed in day to day life and if the event was during a particular period of time, all the other good things of that time period are dismissed based on the one bad event.
  3. Assuming.  Individuals assume certain things about an event.  In Mind Reading, they assume others think negative about them and how the individual acted or what the individual experienced.  Also within arousal, Jumping to Conclusions is common.  The individual assumes any trigger is an actual threat.  Finally, Fortune Telling, predicts negative outcomes only with any future events.  Everything is predicted in a negative light in lieu of the past traumatic event.
  4. Catastrophizing.  Individuals make any events based off the past trauma to be worst than they what they truly are.
  5. All or None.  In this, the individual rates himself only as good or bad.  Furthermore, other people are seen only as good or bad.  There is no gradation or grey area in this type of reframing
  6. Shoulds.  In this, the individual relives what he or she should have done or did not do.  This does not take into account the objective reality of what occurred and places everything on the individual.
  7. Making Feelings a Fact.  Feelings are important to listen to but sometimes they can distort and make things appear different than reality.
  8. Over Generalization.  Individuals assume everything is bad or “ALL” people are out to get them.  It comes from a lack of security but closes individuals to healing.
  9. Abusive Labeling.  The individual sees oneself as damaged.  The person does not differentiate the evil and bad between the action committed and oneself.
  10. Personalizing.  The individual asserts to much blame for the traumatic event that the person is guilty of or not guilty at all
  11. Blaming.  The individual blames the event for destroying one’s life more than the event did.  It is the opposite extreme of personalizing.
  12. Unfavorable Comparisons.  When one compares to how others would react instead of oneself.   This can lead to anxiety and regret.  Instead of focusing on the event and how one dealt with it.
  13. Regrets.  This is similar to “shoulds”.  Instead one looks at all the circumstances and holds one guilty to the event instead of healing from it

 

These type of distortions can create a mixture of emotional reactions that prevent the person from seeing the trauma correctly.  One either sees the event incorrectly, others, or oneself.  This does not allow one properly process it with the truth of the matter and hence integrate it into one’s life.  It is important to understand an event and process it.    Distortions prevent this hence in counseling and reframing of the event, it is important to discuss these issues and identify a patient who may possess a distortion.  Of course the only way to know if a distortion exists is for the individual to open up about the event and confront it.

Confronting and properly processing trauma is critical with PTSD. Please also review AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program

 

If you would like to learn more about AIHCP’s Stress Management Consulting Program or AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Program, then please review the programs and see if they meet your academic and professional goals.  The programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in these two disciplines.  After completing the courses, one can then apply for a four year certification in Stress Management or Crisis Intervention.

 

Source: The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery and Growth by Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD