The great thing about PTSD Recovery is that there are many treatment options. The tough thing about PTSD Recovery is that many trauma survivors don’t know that they may be experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or how to screen for it.

So just in case you missed it, here’s more information about definitions and symptoms of PTSD and how to screen for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (by yourself or with a professional).

But First…

The thing about PTSD recovery is that there is no “one way” that works for every single person. There are treatment modalities that work for me that you might not like at all, and vice versa. In addition, my experience is that I have grown into treatment options that previously I was not able to handle when I first tried them.

I put these treatment options in order of accessibility, meaning that they are:

• relatively easy to access
• provide safety to individuals in distress
• fairly easy to handle when first starting the journey of PTSD Recovery

This list is by no means exhaustive. I encourage anyone looking at possible treatment options to carefully research and seek out people who have gone through these treatments. The VA has produced several videos about treatment options mentioned below to help.

Onward to Treatment Options

Talk therapy – Trauma Recovery Coaching falls under this category (the differences are that I cannot diagnose mental illness or prescribe medication). This is the most common type of intervention for PTSD and some specialize in PTSD recovery (like me).

Medications – Antidepressants are often prescribed, especially for individuals in distress. There are many varieties out there, so if one doesn’t work well, there is likely another out there that will work. It may be easier to get an appointment with your primary care physician or a psychiatric nurse practitioner to get a prescription.

PTSD Recovery Basics – There’s no official protocol for what people need to know about PTSD when they are diagnosed, so I made one. This 8 session course is a combination of helpful information and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

Cognitive Processing Therapy – CPT helps challenge and change stuck ways of thinking surrounding trauma experiences. This is generally a short-term type of therapy (12 weeks) helps individuals who have experienced violence, abuse, natural disasters, or other traumatic events. 

EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress by activating healing processes in the brain.

Prolonged Exposure – I have mixed feelings about this one, because sometimes to talk about traumatic events can be re-traumatizing. In the best sense, Prolonged Exposure helps break the brain’s association between experiences and trauma in order to move forward.

Somatic Therapies – Touch and movement connect the mind and body through touch or movement in order to help process trauma that is stored in the body.

And My FAVORITE PTSD Treatment

PTSD Remediation – This is my all-time favorite, because this treatment helped me to get rid of my PTSD symptoms completely. Now I offer this treatment option, which uses specific vagus nerve exercises to help the amygdala dump stored trauma, which is then processed and released. You can read more about it here.

BONUS! Additional Treatment Modalities

I have personal experience with all of these except for ACT. Professionally, I have seen individuals use and be successful with that one, so I have confidence in it.

I encourage you to get curious and try different ways of moving and accessing and thinking and feeling your way forward. There is no “right” way, there is only you and what works.

• Comedy, both stand-up and improv
• Yoga and trauma-informed movement
• Pilates
• Sound bathing
• Trauma & Grief Writing – I’ll be offering this on a regular basis. Go here for more info!
• Sensory Deprivation – these are the saltwater soaking tubs. Many have coupons and deals through Groupon.
• TRE – Trauma & Tension Release Exercises are fascinating. TRE® is an innovative series of exercises that assist the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. I tried this several years ago and wasn’t ready, but I’m excited to try again.
• Art therapy, including music
• Group work, like Seeking Safety
• Acupuncture
• Massage Therapy
• ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is type of therapy that helps people accept difficult or negative thoughts, feelings, or circumstances and commit to constructive activities.
• DBT – Dialectical Behavioral Thinking is a type of structured therapy that helps people learn how to manage very strong emotions and navigate relationships, especially when conflict arises.

What am I missing? Any others?

And One More Thing…

Here is a video that provides a brief overview of PTSD treatment options.

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