Proper therapy techniques can help people with different mental illnesses form better coping strategies and manage emotions. Therapy for PTSD individuals can provide a multitude of benefits to help you build better trust and manage negative thoughts. PTSD is a consuming mental block that can disrupt many aspects of your life. Therapy from Red Willow will help you develop better emotional regulation and healthily share your traumatic moments.
What Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition brought on by seeing a shocking event or experiencing something traumatic. PTSD is typically associated with veterans, but all people can experience trauma that leads to PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD can range from person to person, but the most common ones include the following:
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Severe anxiety
- Uncontrollable thoughts
- Withdrawl from family and friends
- Development of other mental health conditions
- Physical complications (heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, and other physical feelings that occurred during the traumatic event.)
1- Develop Coping Strategies
The main focus of therapy for PTSD is to help individuals develop coping strategies for when life gets tough. Mental illness and healing from trauma can make our bodies go into flight or fight mode and disregard our coping strategies. Therapy helps people to manage symptoms and navigate a triggering situation. Working with a therapist will help individuals recognize what emotions they are feeling while helping them learn how to regain control of the situation and their thoughts.
Coping strategies and emotional control help PTSD patients to function better in daily life. Trauma can surface at any time, so developing a tool to help you during unexpected times will prevent it from becoming a setback.
2- Process Traumatic Memories In A Safe Space
PTSD comes with flashbacks and nightmares about the traumatic event. While this can be scary to talk about, speaking with a therapist can be a safe space to discuss what is haunting patients. Therapy appointments are a more controlled environment where people can avoid other stimuli or triggers while processing trauma. Untreated trauma will linger throughout your life and can alter the way you view the world. Working in therapy can help us heal from the trauma, while still letting it be a part of our story.
3- Rebuild Trust
Traumatic experiences can cause alienation and disconnection with others. Often those with PTSD feel embarrassed about their feelings which causes them to withdraw from friends or family. Therapists can work to explore relational patterns and help patients develop better communication skills.
As a PTSD survivor, the individuals often need to learn to trust themselves again as well. Although something traumatic may have happened to you, this does not mean it was your fault. Learning to trust your response and coping skills is a large component of therapy for PTSD.
4- Therapy For PTSD Will Help You Manage Your Negative Thoughts
Many therapy techniques allow individuals to confront their negative thoughts in order to prevent them from having power over them. Negative thoughts are often what hold us back from some of our greater potential, so working with a therapist to reframe your negative experiences into something more positive will help you move forward. Therapy for PTSD and other trauma helps individuals recognize harmful thought patterns and change their behavior.
5- Therapy Promotes More Self Compassion
Those with PTSD often carry a lot of guilt and shame. They may feel that the trauma they experienced was their fault or feel guilty that they could have prevented a terrible situation from occurring. Whether your trauma directly affected you or someone close to you as well, therapy can help limit shame for those with PTSD. Working with a therapist who uses psychotherapy techniques can help reframe thinking for PTSD patients. Therapists who focus on therapy for PTSD will promote self-compassion and work to help a person see all the good they can do in the future.
Therapy From Red Willow Counseling And Recovery
Here at Red Willow, we have therapists that specialize in many different areas. Not only can PTSD patients find resources and strength, but those who struggle with addiction and other mental health disorders can find relief with Red Willow. We strive to provide as many resources for people as we can, while also providing a comforting space for people of all backgrounds. From individual counseling, group counseling, IOP groups, and our resource library, you can find an option that works best for you. Reach out to our team and meet with a therapist in Salt Lake City or Park City, today!
