event” (USDVA 2). When you talk about your
trauma repeatedly, you’ll learn to deal with it as
time goes on. It will allow you to cope with the
trauma although it is very understandable that it
will be difficult due to the process of having you
to think about the trauma. This treatment is really
interesting due to the fact that it places you back
into the situation, which caused the disorder in the
first place. It is used for you to be able to make a
different decision. Desensitization and flooding
are a few techniques used within the treatment
process. The VA explains exposure therapy by
saying:
With the help of your therapist,
you can change how you react to
the stressful memories. This is
called "desensitization," and it
allows you to deal with bad
memories a little bit at a time.
Your therapist also may ask you
to remember a lot of bad
memories at once. This is called
"flooding," and it helps you learn
not to feel overwhelmed. You
also may practice different ways
to relax when you're having a
stressful memory. Breathing
exercises are sometimes used for
this. (USDVA 2)
The patient is not necessarily overwhelmed by all
of this, as it states earlier that this technique allows
them to make a different judgment call and to try
to relax while remembering the stressful event that
happened. The VA is starting to use simulations
with soldiers who have this disorder as a way for
them to get exposed and revisit the combat
situation they were in before. They call it virtual
reality and it lessens the patient’s trauma that they
received while serving.
The cognitive and exposure treatments
have to be the top treatments to go after, if
dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. There
are still other treatments out there that can help
deal with PTSD but are not involved with the
therapy aspect. One of the other alternatives is
medication, but to me this is the simplest way of
dealing with the disorder and I believe it is not
effective as the other two therapy treatments. The
other two treatments actually gets you involved
and deal with stressful events.
Unlike many years ago when people did
not even know how to identify PTSD, we are now
recognizing and understanding the necessary
treatment of this disorder. Multiple treatments
have surfaced and most of them are very effective.
They do work and help treat post-traumatic stress
disorder. Many of our soldiers who come home
now have these treatments available for them if
they need it. I think this is really great for them to
be able to have the opportunity to choose which
one is best for them. It is a great way for us to
repay them for putting their lives on the line and
serving our country. These treatments can be
given to other people as well and you don’t need
to be serving. Choose which one is best for you to
help deal with the trauma you have experienced.
Take action and fight against PTSD.
Works Cited
"Post-Traumatic Stress Dissorder (PTSD)." Mental
Health. National Institute Of Mental Health
(NIMH), n.d. Web. 27 Oct 2013.
.
"Treatment Of PTSD." National Center for PTSD.
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
(USDVA), 26 Jul 2013. Web. 27 Oct2013.
.
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