What therapy is best for PTSD?

PTSD, or posttraumatic stress disorder, is a condition that occurs in some people after experiencing a traumatic event. While PTSD isn’t a guaranteed effect of trauma, it can occur after directly experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. After experiencing trauma, it’s normal to need time to cope, but over time, the impacts of the distress of the event fade. When self-care and coping don’t help, and symptoms continue, PTSD may be the issue.

Symptoms of PTSD are different for each person, but can include:

• Emotional distress
• Physical responses to things that remind you of the event
• Nightmares about the traumatic event
• Flashbacks where the trauma is relived again
• Recurring distressing and intrusive memories of the event
• Avoiding talking or thinking about the traumatic occurrence
• Intentionally avoiding places, objects, and other things that may cause you to think of the event
• Changed thoughts about yourself, others, and the world based on the event
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or hopelessness
• Feeling numb or disconnected
• Loss of interest in once enjoyed activities
• Heightened startle response
• Sleep disturbances
• The trouble with memory or concentration
• Coping with substances

Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder should involve a physical exam to rule out any potential physical cause for the symptoms you’re experiencing. A full psychological evaluation to discuss your symptoms and exposure to prior trauma that you feel are related. There isn’t any definitive blood test or imaging test to determine if PTSD is present, much like depression or other mental health conditions.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is typically treated with a combination of therapy to treat underlying trauma and medications that are targeted at managing symptoms. Therapy may include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy, aimed at helping you identify how thinking patterns are affecting feelings. You learn to identify thoughts that aren’t rational or helpful and to challenge and change them in this kind of therapy.
• Exposure therapy, which helps you systematically expose yourself to fearful situations associated with your trauma in a safe way, and works to reduce your reaction to them over time.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR, which uses guided eye movements and memory recall to process traumatic memories and change how you react to them.

Learning coping skills like improving communication, creating healthy sleep habits, meditation, and mindfulness can be very helpful parts of therapy as well. Ultimately, what therapy works best with PTSD will be determined by you and your therapist based on your preferences, the way your symptoms present, and what specific challenges you’re facing.

Medications may include antidepressants, medications for anxiety, or sometimes medications to support sleep. Talk with your doctor for help determining if medications are right for you.

If you’re experiencing PTSD, talk with a licensed mental health professional or your doctor for help with evaluation and diagnosis.