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Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can worsen over time if left untreated. Effective treatment is possible even if the traumatic event occurred years ago.
The primary treatment approach for PTSD is trauma-focused therapy. In some cases, medication and therapy may be combined. In these treatment methods, the traumatic event and its meaning for the individual are examined in depth. Some of the most effective therapy methods include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT aims to resolve the incompatibility between an individual's existing schemas and their perception during a threatening event, and the conflict arising from the intense arousal developed due to trauma and the individual's attempt to keep it at a normal level. Traumatic experiences can disrupt an individual's pre-existing cognitive schemas about the world and self-perception, thereby creating new schemas that negatively affect adaptation to life. In this therapy, the individual is confronted with anxiety-provoking stimuli related to the trauma (exposure) until anxiety subsides. Subsequently, problematic cognitive processes established as a result of negative experiences are replaced by more adaptive processes. Exposure is generally implemented by having the individual vividly recount or write about trauma-related memories.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
First developed in 1987 by clinical psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR is used in the treatment of traumatic experiences. This method, based on the assumption that the initial perception of the event and distorted thoughts are also stored, aims to stimulate information processing and desensitize "frozen" information through stimuli such as eye movements, bilateral sound, or touch. Thus, the negative impact of trauma is neutralized, and more positive thoughts are established.
What is the treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
The primary treatment approach for PTSD is trauma-focused therapy. In some cases, medication and therapy may be combined. In these treatment methods, the traumatic event and its meaning for the individual are examined in depth. Some of the most effective therapy methods include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT aims to resolve the incompatibility between an individual's existing schemas and their perception during a threatening event, and the conflict arising from the intense arousal developed due to trauma and the individual's attempt to keep it at a normal level. Traumatic experiences can disrupt an individual's pre-existing cognitive schemas about the world and self-perception, thereby creating new schemas that negatively affect adaptation to life. In this therapy, the individual is confronted with anxiety-provoking stimuli related to the trauma (exposure) until anxiety subsides. Subsequently, problematic cognitive processes established as a result of negative experiences are replaced by more adaptive processes. Exposure is generally implemented by having the individual vividly recount or write about trauma-related memories.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
First developed in 1987 by clinical psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR is used in the treatment of traumatic experiences. This method, based on the assumption that the initial perception of the event and distorted thoughts are also stored, aims to stimulate information processing and desensitize "frozen" information through stimuli such as eye movements, bilateral sound, or touch. Thus, the negative impact of trauma is neutralized, and more positive thoughts are established.