We now know that veterans who do not experience PTSD are a high risk for increased rates of major depression as the years go on.

PTSD includes symptoms of numbing (I don’t feel anything), avoidance (stimuli related to the trauma), intrusion (nightmares and flashbacks), and hyperarousal (easily irritated, impulsive and anger. Typically the individual minimizes what they have encountered and feel that others have had it worse. They have great difficulty making meaning out of their sacrifices. There are specific therapies which target PTSD and also optimal medications for the symptoms.

Examples of Interventions include:

• Building a therapeutic relationship
• Developing grounding and containment skills
• Containing intrusive memories
• Integrating thoughts and feelings related to trauma with affect-base psychotherapies
• Establishing self-regulation and control
• Reduction of external demands
• Working through memories and correcting distorted beliefs
• Challenging stuck-points
• Making meaning of suffering; griefwork

If substance abuse is present or childhood neglect and abuse, the treatment can become more complicated.

With more than 30 years of experience, our specialty at Harmony Place is Trauma Resolution Therapy. We teach other therapists all over the county, based on our extensive experience.