Getting Help that Works for PTSD

When it comes to PTSD, we have decades of research to show us what works, and those are Evidence-based treatments (EBTs).

EBTs are based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence. This means that researchers have conducted rigorous studies using scientific methods, documented their extensive research in peer-reviewed publications (such as medical journals), and then other researchers conduct additional scientific studies to see if the treatment is, in fact, successful.

There are several treatment methods for PTSD that have been proven to work and researchers are refining treatments every day. For the purposes of this introduction, I am going to focus on what is very widely available at most VA clinics, military treatment facilities, and in private practices across the U.S.

There are three EBTs approved by the VA for treatment of PTSD at this time: Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Again, these are not the only EBTs for PTSD, but, because a bureaucracy as mammoth and unwieldly as the VA approves these EBTs, they are widely available - and the data are clear: they work. Moreover, the data indicate that they work for the long-haul.

While working out more and eating better is always a good idea, when it comes to beating your PTSD symptoms, EBTs are proven to work and they do so in 8-12 sessions.

If this feels true to you, I encourage you to get help. PTSD is something that happens to us; it is not something wrong with us. We absolutely can come back from our PTSD and reclaim our lives.

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“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 PTSD, The Soldier's Workbook, 

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