Post Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment
and trauma counselling

How to deal with post-trauma stress

Your trauma recovery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) depends on a number of factors. Research shows that a good social support network helps to set you up for a better recovery.

However, that is not the whole story. All too often family and friends of a traumatised individual suffer too. They may feel that they have, in a sense, 'lost' the person they once knew.

It can certainly help when friends, family and colleagues understand the condition and offer you the support that you feel you need. What do you do though if you do not have, or are unable to access - for whatever reason - that kind of support?

I hope to be able to help you understand your options. The information on these pages will hopefully help you to choose the right treatment for you - even if you have 'PTSD' symptoms that have not met the criteria for full-blown PTSD.

PTSD treatments

Professionals can play an important part in reducing your stress and sense of isolation right from the start, through support, advice and trauma counselling.

It will be hugely reassuring if your doctor or other health professional has a good understanding of post-traumatic stress. It is even more useful he/she can communicate that in a sympathetic manner. You would also want him/her to be active in getting you appropriate help as soon as possible, rather than prescribing any medication.

The outcome of that first contact needs to be an early referral to the right kind of counsellor/therapist. The psychotherapist, counsellor or psychologist should have a good understanding of trauma/PTSD and will need to be experienced in trauma counselling. Expertise in this area varies considerably - don't make any assumptions. Your therapist needs to specific skills to treat your condition/symptoms.

I personally use a trauma focused technique with imaginal exposure in line with the NICE guidelines - see further down this page.

What kind of counselling for PTSD?

During the first two to three months following the trauma, any (trauma) counselling should only focus on the traumatic event(s). No ‘general’ counselling should be offered. This is also the case when even years later you feel overwhelmed by memories of a trauma.

During those initial weeks and months trauma counselling should ideally include your therapist/counsellor explaining to you how your PTSD symptoms have come about, what happens in the brain and how trauma counselling encourages and supports the natural healing process.

Dealing with 'emotional trauma'

Some people feel emotionally traumatised. Perhaps you do, by for example the death of someone close to you, the disclosure of an affair, a loved-one's suicide attempt, a birth trauma, a medical treatment, an accident orany other life-changing event.

Your counsellor should engage you in deciding what would be most helpful for you at that time. The healing process runs along much the same track as for any other psychological trauma. Therefore, immediately after a life-changing event an initial focus on calming you down and helping you to relax and sleep would be most beneficial.

The human givens approach

PTSD_treatment I personally use the 'human givens approach' to therapy. It includes a non-intrusive technique for trauma and phobias.

However, I also use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) which are not part of the human givens approach.

I have good results with all three approaches. I use whichever method is most acceptable to my client and switching if and when necessary, always with my client's understanding, acceptance and agreement.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and EMDR for the treatment of trauma.

Energy psychology/medicine such as EFT is not so much recognised in 'conventional' arenas. However, do watch this video and hang on until you have also watched the comments of professional mental health workers at the end. I have even used this method during telephone counselling, though on the whole I would not choose to use do telephone counselling with someone who has suffered severe trauma.

Trauma focused technique with imaginal exposure

With this technique the counsellor/therapist will help you to relax deeply, before you access the trauma on a imaginary screen - several times over (but so fast you barely notice the detail), so that the memory can be 'recoded'. You are exposed to the trauma whilst your body/mind is as relaxed as possible and therefore the memory changes - it no longer has the same impact.

(I understand completely that you may be thinking that there is no hope that you would be able to relax. However ... you may just be surprised ...)

There is a specific protocol and your therapist should be well-trained in the method. The therapist aims to keep you as calm as possible thoughout the treatment. The method and procedures ensure that any discomfort/fear/any hightened state of emotional arrousal is kept as short and as manageable as possible.

A version of this technique was first described by Milton Erickson. Over the years a number of adaptations have been made to this method. More recently is has been refined by Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrell of the Human Givens College. It is now much more acceptable for clients, particularly for those who would rather not talk about the traumatic event.

'Imaginal exposure' and guided imagery

A single event trauma can, in principle, be treated in a single session. However, I tailor the number of sessions to what is right for a particular client.

It is far more important to get it absolutely right, rather than do it quick. During the first session I will help you feel at ease, settle into the treatment, find out what exactly the best approach is for you to be able to feel at ease as much as possible.

You won't necessarily need to talk about what happened, unless you would like to tell me the details. I can help you just the same.

After the initial sessions to treat the trauma, it may be necessary to have some further sessions. This much depends on how long you have suffered and how you have adapted to allow you to carry on 'managing' those upsetting memories. Often too, there are other traumatic events underlying the apparently single event.

During imaginal exposure in CBT you will asked to re-experience the trauma and be exposed to the event during a greater number of sessions. Depending on the type of therapy you receive, you may be asked to talk at length about what happened during weekly sessions.

The following video comments on what exactly NICE might mean about trauma focused treatment.

Curing Post Traumatic Stress

When you suffer from PTSD or post trauma symptoms of any kind, recovery can seem a long way off and you may feel scared that you are never going to be well again. Please be reassured that recovery is possible and very likely!

The right therapists/counsellors can offer really good PTSD treatments. Counselling for PTSD will help you to overcome your symptoms. It will also ensure that you adapt in a positive and healthy way to changes that have happened as a result of the psychological trauma. Do all you can to find someone who can help you as soon as possible.

Regardless of what treatment you choose or are offered - it is vital that you have built good rapport with your therapist, feel safe and completely trust your therapist, in fact - this is probably the most important aspect of any therapy.