Friday, July 22, 2022

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for PTSD


Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy is an evidence based treatment for PTSD. We can find a PE provider through the Strong Star Provider Network at University of Texas Health Science Center or even through Psychology Today or Google.

PE therapy typically takes 12-15 sessions with a therapist; each session is 90 minutes. PE therapy goes right for the jugular of criterion C of PTSD: avoidance. Rather than avoid our trauma, we intentionally invite the most traumatic event into the session using a technique called “imaginal exposure.” After learning breathing techniques to manage anxiety, we imagine and describe the traumatic event in detail with guidance from a therapist. After the imaginal exposure, we process the experience with our therapist. We audio record the session while describing the event so that we can listen to the recording between sessions; this helps us to further process our emotions and practice breathing techniques. Think of the imaginal exposure like this: it’s like watching a horror movie. 

When we first watch a horror movie, it scares the crap out of us because that’s what horror movies do. What if we watch the horror movie back-to-back three times? It’s still going to be scary, but, after the third time, we know what is coming and when and it’s not as bad as the first time. What if we watch that horror movie ten times? Twenty times? A hundred times? Eventually, watching that movie doesn’t affect us as much because we’ve seen it and we know what’s coming. This is called habituation; a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. In PE therapy, we’ll be watching our horror movie literally hundreds of times—in session with our therapist and in between sessions by listening to our recordings. 

The second part of PE therapy is called in vivo exposure, a fancy term for “in real life.” With our therapist, we make a list of stimuli and situations connected to our trauma, such as specific places or people, and create a plan to intentionally expose ourselves to these stimuli in a way that is gradual and safe. 

We realize that the thought of retelling our experience out loud can be anxiety-provoking. It’s tough, especially at the start, but PE therapy is undeniably effective. It also can be adapted into treatment for Moral Injury. PE therapy isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay because there are other treatments available, not just one. 

Have you tried PE therapy? What worked for you? We value your feedback and ideas! Reach out on our Community Facebook Page!

*****

If you believe change is possible, you want to change, and you are willing to do the work, you absolutely CAN get your life back.”

Get your copy of The Soldier's Guide to PTSDThe Soldier's Workbook

or Acknowledge & Heal, A Women's-Focused Guide to PTSD

Monday, July 11, 2022

The 11th: Buddy Check Day

 

The 11th day of each month is Buddy Check Day reminding us to check in with other veterans. By getting in touch with others, we can enjoy camaraderie, check on each other’s well-being, and maybe even connect another veteran with a service they can use.

Buddy Check can be as simple as picking up the phone, talking, texting, or visiting.

Buddy Check Day is a great opportunity for veterans to connect with each other, and for other community members to reach out and connect with veterans.

It promotes camaraderie and connectedness. It also serves as an opportunity to educate folks on issues that are relevant to veterans across Texas and to educate folks on the services that are available to veterans.

We value your feedback and ideas! Reach out on our Community Facebook Page!

*****

If you believe change is possible, you want to change, and you are willing to do the work, you absolutely CAN get your life back.”

Get your copy of The Soldier's Guide to PTSDThe Soldier's Workbook

or Acknowledge & Heal, A Women's-Focused Guide to PTSD

Friday, July 8, 2022

PTSD Treatment Option: EMDR


Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) 

This amazing information is from the EMDR Institute, found online at www.emdr.com, and EMDR is an evidence-based treatment widely available to treat PTSD. It is an eight-phase treatment that focuses attention on three distinct time periods: the past, present, and future. Sessions often last between 60-90 minutes. 

The eight-phases include: 

History-taking: In this phase, the therapist obtains a detailed history of the client’s past memories and current struggles. During this phase, the therapist will try and identify targets for the EMDR processing (these can be distressing memories or incidents). 

Client preparation: This is where the client learns techniques for active healing trauma processing. The therapist will go over strategies, suggest relaxation techniques, and other coping strategies that can help their client deal with emotional distress and maintain improvements as the sessions progress. 

Assessment: In this phase, the client is asked to picture an image closely related to the target memory and to elicit the negative response and beliefs associated with the memory. The client is also asked to identify a positive belief that they would like to believe instead. 

Desensitization: The therapist ask their client to focus on a specific memory, belief, or emotional trigger while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS consists of alternating right and left stimulation, whether it’s tapping of the toes or tapping on the shoulders. It can also include audio or visual stimulation with the use of light. This stimulation may include eye movements, taps, or tones. 

It is believed that BLS used in EMDR activates both hemispheres of the brain, which is believed to have a soothing effect, dim the intensity of the memory while allowing the client space to process it without an overwhelming psychological response. This continues until that memory is no longer triggering for the client. 

Installation: With the help of the therapist, this is where the client starts to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Continuing to review the triggering memory with BLS, the client is asked to assess the emotional response and rate it against the positive belief (brought up during the assessment phase) they would prefer to associate it with.  

Body scan: Here, the client is assessed for changes in body sensations when thinking of the negative incident and positive thought. Any remaining tension in the body is targeted by the therapist for additional processing. 

Closure: Client’s will be asked to write down any thoughts or emotions that arise during the coming week, and will be reminded of the self-soothing techniques they learned during the session to process any negative thoughts that may surface. 

Reevaluation: This phase is to review and/or assess for other targets that cause distressing emotion within the chosen memory. 

EMDR is one of the treatments available for PTSD, and there are several great options. Don’t stress out about which treatment to choose. Most cognitive-behavior therapies for PTSD work by exposing clients repeatedly to anxiety-provoking stimuli, either in their imagination (imaginal exposure) or in real life (in vivo exposure). When exposure to either type is sufficiently prolonged, clients’ anxiety dissipates.

If we try one treatment for PTSD nd it doesn’t work, we have others more to fall back on. If we try others and they don’t work, we may be dealing with Complex PTSD, treatment-resistant PTSD, or have co-occurring disorders to work through. Do not lose hope, this simply means we have a little more work to do with our treatment professional to come up with a more targeted course of action.

We value your feedback and ideas! Reach out on our Community Facebook Page!

*****

If you believe change is possible, you want to change, and you are willing to do the work, you absolutely CAN get your life back.”

Get your copy of The Soldier's Guide to PTSDThe Soldier's Workbook

or Acknowledge & Heal, A Women's-Focused Guide to PTSD

Friday, July 1, 2022

Independence Day - Call Your Buddy


Team, this weekend is going to be hard. It's Independence Day weekend and our Facebook feeds will be full of pictures and tributes to those we've lost to combat and to suicide. And it is hard. I'm not here to force-feed you some rah-rah message about how life can change; I'm here to stand with you - because this weekend consistently sucks every single year and we need each other right now. 

A lot of us will seriously consider suicide this weekend. And I get it. I wish I didn't, but I think we all do - and it's fucking awful to feel this way. Please do your buddy checks this weekend, and nag the shit out of the people you love. Please ask: "are you thinking of suicide right now?" - this doesn't glorify suicide or give anyone ideas, but it does get straight to the point, and this weekend especially that candor is important. 

I've never met a combat Vet who lost more buddies to war than they did to suicide, and that's not okay. Rather than doing 22 push-ups, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call someone to check in. 

If you learn that your battle buddy is in trouble, here's how to get help: call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 or send a text to 838255. You can text the crisis line while you are on the phone. Ask you buddy where they are located, who is with them, and whether or not they have a weapon. Pass this info on to the crisis line; they will send emergency services. 

I know that no one wants to piss off their buddy, but no one wants another dead buddy either - so choose your battles. The single most loving thing anyone ever did for me personally was stage an all-out intervention; it saved my life. 

Please consider sharing this info. Thanks, Team - stay safe out there.

TL;DR: call your battle buddy, ask them directly if they want to kill themselves, get them help.

AND YOU - if you're in this head space, talk to someone now - like right now. Call your buddy, call the crisis line, do whatever it takes to hang on until this feeling passes because the world would not be better off without you.

*****

If you believe change is possible, you want to change, and you are willing to do the work, you absolutely CAN get your life back.”

Get your copy of The Soldier's Guide to PTSDThe Soldier's Workbook

or Acknowledge & Heal, A Women's-Focused Guide to PTSD