Depending on the origin, intensity, and duration of your traumatic event or situation and on the severity of your current symptoms, I will work with you to evaluate your case and, together, we will choose and apply the most appropriate of these three treatment protocols.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment—indicated for milder forms of PTSD, but in general—can be divided into three categories. The first category is exposure procedures. These procedures help individuals confront the triggers of their fear in a therapeutic manner. The second category is anxiety management procedures, which teach patients coping skills and coping strategies to better manage their anxiety, such as cognitive restructuring or relaxation. The third category is cognitive therapy. In cognitive therapy, we discuss the all-important self-talk (what you tell yourself, verbally and non-verbally, throughout your day) and your dysfunctional thoughts, and see if these can be reduced, modified, and even prevented from occurring again.
Give me a call at (678) 554-5632 to set an appointment (either at my office location or online via telehealth) or send me the appointment request form, which you will find here on my website. I look forward to working with you!
In general, prolonged imaginal exposure is an information or emotional processing treatment protocol. The process of grieving a loss is consistent with this theory. The core idea is that when something important happens to us there’s no way out of the tunnel of pain except by going through it. The way through it is emotional processing. In PE treatment, we acknowledge and accept that fear and anxiety are perfectly normal responses to trauma. PTSD results from avoidance, i.e., the refusal to process the traumatic information. Fear, anxiety, and social conventions can promote avoidance and prohibit emotional processing.
For adequate emotional processing, we need to initiate two important processes. The first is the activation of the traumatic memory. Second, we need to introduce corrective information. In other words, through the guided process that is PE, we activate the memory, but we put it back differently. The information is processed or corrected in two ways: by interacting with the traumatic memory in a safe space, and by promoting full acceptance of the legitimacy of the trauma reaction and its consequences.
Give me a call at (678) 554-5632 to set an appointment (either at my office location or online via telehealth) or send me the appointment request form, which you will find here on my website. I look forward to working with you!
EMDR therapy combines different elements to maximize its beneficial treatment effects. In the treatment of trauma with EMDR, I utilize the theory, sequence of treatment, and research on protocols and active mechanisms as developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro and outlined in her clinical manual, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols and procedures, which is the gold standard for this type of psychotherapy. EMDR involves attention to three time periods: the past, present, and future. The focus is sequentially shifted from past disturbing memories and related events to the current situations that cause distress, and onto the development of skills and attitudes needed for a better future. In EMDR therapy, this process unfolds over an 8-phase treatment protocol.
Give me a call at (678) 554-5632 to set an appointment (either at my office location or online via telehealth) or send me the appointment request form, which you will find here on my website. I look forward to working with you!