IS NOW
IS NOW
Trauma and PTSD Treatment
The current mainstream treatment options for Trauma & PTSD may only represent a small part of what is possible therapeutically. Medications and psychotherapy are powerful tools, yet trauma and PTSD are complex, and humans are complex.
So maybe it’s not surprising that there is so much more to the treatment of trauma & PTSD than first meets the eye. It is also always worth acknowledging that mainstream doesn’t always mean best. The provision of healthcare often trails slightly behind the spearheads of research and development.
The Evolution Of Trauma and PTSD Treatment
For most of European history, trauma has gone largely unrecognised and untreated, to the best of our knowledge. Researchers suspect that trauma may be better understood in certain ancient cultures and even shamanic traditions than it has been in recent western history.
Yet, in the modern age, trauma and PTSD are well documented. Sigmund Freud’s early theories of the mind proposed that individuals go through stages of psychological development, including defences against pain and trauma. So clearly, the father of modern psychotherapy had a clear sense of the relevance of trauma in determining mental health. Yet we still struggle to provide ‘trauma-informed care’ on a large scale.
Despite our knowledge of and efforts to treat trauma, it continues to impact millions of those who have suffered it. Trauma’s effects can severely impact a person’s daily functioning, regardless of their status or intellect. This is still common in today’s world.
The diagnosis of PTSD is a more recent development and has evolved over time, with a greater understanding of the impact of trauma on the mind and body. Yet historically, it seems we had virtually no concept of PTSD whatsoever. During the Seven Years’ War, Austrian physician Joseph Auenbrugger documented symptoms such as excessive fatigue, anger, irritability, and depression in soldiers and named the condition “nostalgia.” He believed that soldiers were so homesick that it significantly altered their personalities. Auenbrugger documented his observations in his 1761 book “Inventum Novem”.
Attributing the psychological state of soldiers and war veterans to homesickness speaks of a severe lack of understanding of PTSD, trauma and the human condition. It is a tract of ignorance that continues to this very day. Naturally, the culture that fails to understand trauma, will fail to successfully treat trauma.
To this day, untold numbers of trauma and PTSD patients go undiagnosed and untreated. Whilst those who are cared for still struggle to gain access to modern therapies, instead only receiving traditional medication and talk therapies.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is an approach to care that recognises the impact of trauma and focuses on promoting safety and reducing re-traumatisation. It involves understanding the prevalence of trauma and its impact on individuals, as well as incorporating trauma awareness into policies, procedures, and practices. This approach emphasises the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment, empowering individuals, promoting trust and collaboration, and avoiding re-traumatisation.
The goal of trauma-informed care is to promote healing and resilience for individuals who have experienced trauma. There are numerous sectors where trauma-informed care has been identified as important. In general, trauma-informed care is applicable in any setting where individuals who have experienced trauma may be present and can help improve the quality of care and support for these individuals.
Trauma Treatments And Therapies
Medication
Medication is a means of altering brain chemistry to bring relief from Trauma & PTSD. This can bring a great deal of relief from the symptoms of Trauma & PTSD. Yet, for many other people, medication as a treatment for their Trauma & PTSD either has no effect or even makes matters worse.
According to recent research, the most effective medication-only treatment for symptoms of PTSD are fluoxetine, venlafaxine, or paroxetine, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These medications have a well-tolerated side effect profile and can be adjusted based on patient response and other factors, such as metabolism rate. Paroxetine is used less often due to its high anticholinergic side effect profile and short half-life, requiring twice daily dosing.
Medications are a valid treatment option for an extremely wide range of health issues, and trauma & PTSD are no exception. Yet trauma is a complex intrapersonal process that relates to the entire life of a person, so medication may not be the final word on the treatment of Trauma & PTSD.
Psychotherapy
Sometimes referred to as talk therapy or counselling, psychotherapy involves working in person with a therapist to ease anxiety. Sometimes this means digging into the root cause of your trauma and PTSD; at other times, it means learning strategies to cope better with trauma & PTSD.
There are many different types of psychotherapy and many different perspectives. One of the most popular and effective forms of treatment for Trauma & PTSD in psychotherapy is CBT.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a widely respected form of psychotherapy for Trauma & PTSD. CBT focuses on learning specific skills to improve your symptoms and develop strategies that build resilience and enhance coping mechanisms.
The use of psychotherapy for the treatment of Trauma & PTSD is no doubt beneficial and very important. Yet in the midst of a serious mental health crisis, it is always worth keeping an open mind about what other emerging therapies may be out there.
There are a growing number of leading experts who believe that the keys to successful treatment of trauma & PTSD lie deeper in the body and nervous system. Deeper than can be accessed by traditional talk therapies.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapy uses therapist-led eye movements in combination with a recall of stressful events. The combination of specific recall and eye movements boosts nerve impulses between the brain hemispheres and takes the emotion out of unprocessed and stressful life events.
The backstory behind EMDR Therapy and its current preferred status as a scientifically validated treatment for Trauma & PTSD is an amusing one. It’s one that serves as a reminder about being open-minded about new forms of treatment for Trauma & PTSD.
EMDR was selected as the placebo for a large study into mainstay mental health treatments because the researchers felt that it was clearly a completely invalid form of treatment. Then when the results came in, it transpired that EMDR performed far better than all the mainstay treatments for Trauma & PTSD. Now those researchers are the champions of EMDR and its main supporters.
EMDR is considered the treatment of choice for Trauma & PTSD by many experts.
Trauma Release Exercises
Trauma-release exercises tap into the body’s ability to release old stress responses from muscle tissue. This can sound a little strange until it’s explained properly. We are learning that much of our trauma and stress are actually stored in the body, as opposed to just the brain. This is where trauma and stress-release exercises come in.
Think of the way chronic stress can lead to a build-up of muscle tension over time. In the sense we often notice if we are receiving a shoulder massage. That tension actually builds up through countless unprocessed fight/flight/freeze responses firing off in the muscle tissue. Many of the symptoms that Trauma & PTSD sufferers face are caused by these types of build-ups.
When done repeatedly, trauma releases exercises help release primitive ‘stressy’ build-ups from the body’s tissues and can have an absolutely profound impact on the symptoms of stress, trauma & PTSD.
This approach to trauma release is supported and explained by two of the most popular books in the mental health space in recent years have been ‘The Body Keeps The Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk & ‘Waking The Tiger’ by Peter Levine. These powerful manuscripts are an important part of the rising tide of awareness of the significance of trauma and adverse life events in determining our mental health.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation generally involves simple physical exercises that switch off ‘fight/fight activity in the vagus nerve. This can involve gentle tapping, breathing and massage-type movements. These types of exercises are deceptively simple but can bring a great deal of symptomatic relief for trauma and PTSD symptoms.
The vagus nerve is the primary nerve pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. The vagus nerve is also deeply involved in your body’s fight or flight response, and hence stress, anxiety, trauma & PTSD symptoms.
Understanding more about the vagus nerve could be the key to getting your anxiety, trauma or PTSD symptoms under control.
Brainwave Entrainment
Brainwave Entrainment is a form of light therapy that aims to reduce mental and emotional stress through changes in the frequency of brainwaves. In the same way that medication seeks to alter brain chemistry, brainwave entrainment seeks to alter brainwave activity.
When neurophysiology researchers scan the brains of Buddhist monks, they see consistently different brainwave patterns than they do when they scan the brain of stressed-out executives. This is because the brain is primarily an electric organ whose fundamental output can be measured in terms of its bioelectric output.
By stimulating brain cells with light that matches the frequency of happy, relaxed brain waves, entrainment aims to alter mood and mental function in people suffering from trauma & PTSD symptoms. Many trauma & PTSD sufferers report dramatic alterations in their mood and mental function after even a handful of Brainwave Entrainment sessions.
Brainwave Entrainment still sits very much on the margins of popular and well-known care options for trauma & PTSD symptoms. In much the same way that EMDR Therapy did a short time ago. It should be interesting to see where Brainwave Entrainment research leads in years to come.
NLP
NLP, Or Neuro-Linguistic – Programming, is a therapeutic and coaching approach that focuses on how the subtle aspects of how we talk to ourselves and others determine behaviour outcomes.
Richard Bandler and John Grinder developed NLP in the 1970s. They had observed that a key difference between what they called “successful people” and others was the way they used language to encourage themselves and everyone else. A key resource that Bandler & Grinder tapped was word class therapists, whose language partisan they copied and incorporated into the NLP toolkit.
This empowering use of language is supposed to help you change unwanted habits and limiting beliefs, improve relationships, and meet goals easily.
Once trauma and stress have their hooks into the human system, they can profoundly impact self-talk, self-image and body language. In other words, trauma can change how we think and act. By carefully unpacking these patterns (which tend to become unconscious), NLP aims to assist with the installation of newer and more positive patterns. Primarily NLP is about creating change through the use of effective tools.
NLP is still relatively under-utilised in the mental health space. Yet it may have much to offer as we move away from some of the more rigid traditional PTSD and trauma therapy models.
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
Psychedelic-assisted therapy refers to therapeutic practices that involve the use of a class of currently widely prohibited substances known as psychedelics, like the cringingly named ‘magic mushrooms’ (psilocybin) and ‘Acid’ LSD.
Few people are aware that before the wildly unscientific and entirely political decision to opt for psychedelic prohibition by the US Govt in 1973, there was a growing pool of high-quality research into their use therapeutically. All of which naturally came to a halt after prohibition kicked in. All this happened despite these substances having a toxicity profile that makes many over-the-counter medications look high risk.
Thankfully since the early 1990s, a new generation of researchers has received permission to resuscitate psychedelic research. The results have been stunning. The trials have shown that the use of psychedelics like psilocybin in a carefully prescribed and monitored setting can induce an experience that is medically safe and that can lead to profound and lasting psychological and behavioural change in a statistically significant proportion of subjects. This research has been carried out in some of the world’s most respected medical research institutions (Johns Hopkins & Imperial College London). So the time has come for us to respectfully withdraw terms like ‘magic mushrooms’ and ‘drugs’ from the conversation about these desperately important natural therapeutic compounds.
Interventions using psychedelics are showing promise as treatments for alcoholism, nicotine addiction, trauma & PTSD related to a terminal illness. New phases of the research are underway to examine the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant depression and social anxiety.
In a world facing an epidemic of mental health issues, there are few more promising areas of research than psychedelic-assisted therapies. While the mushrooms may not be magic, so far, the research results seemingly are.
Severn Clinics Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
Severn Clincis Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
FIBROMYALGIA
CHRONIC PAIN
DEPRESSION
ANXIETY
STRESS
OCD
PTSD
TRAUMA
INSOMNIA
ADD & ADHD
CHRONIC FATIGUE
MOOD DISORDERS
Online Consultation
Book an online consultation and get personalized advice from the comfort of your home. Our licensed practitioners are here to assess your concerns, provide expert diagnosis, and offer treatment recommendations—all through a secure virtual session.
Call or Text
027 508 8083
tobias@severnclinics.co.nz
Trauma and PTSD Treatment Guidelines
The last 15 years have seen a significant amount of research into PTSD and its treatments. Among the various treatments explored, trauma-focused therapies have emerged as the most effective when delivered individually, using a manual by the therapist. However, accessing a trained therapist who is proficient in this approach, who is comfortable using a manual, or who is affordable and covered by insurance can be a challenge for many people.
Shared Decision Making and Collaborative Care
Shared decision-making and collaborative care are highly recommended early interventions for PTSD treatment. Involving patients in the review of their diagnosis and treatment options and using decision aids has been shown to enhance patient-centred care and improve clinical outcomes. It also provides psychoeducation on PTSD and reduces ambivalence towards treatment. Additionally, the collaborative care model, including telehealth, has demonstrated increased patient compliance and reduced early cessation of medication or therapy.
Trauma-Focused Therapy as a First-Line Treatment for PTSD
Before 2013, there was limited evidence to support a difference in treatment outcomes between pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for PTSD. The updated clinical practice guidelines now strongly recommend ‘manualised’ trauma-focused therapy as the first line of treatment for PTSD. This change was based on two large meta-analyses that compared the effectiveness of existing pharmacotherapy and manualised psychotherapy. A manualised therapy is one in which the therapist or psychiatrist uses a guidebook to ensure all relevant trauma topics are addressed. This type of therapy is considered the gold standard for treatment delivery.
Research supports the use of manualised, trauma-focused therapies such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for the reduction of PTSD symptoms. These therapies typically involve 12-16, 60-minute weekly sessions and have shown consistent results in symptom reduction. In addition, newer forms of manualised trauma-focused therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for PTSD (CBT-PTSD), Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), and Written Exposure Therapy, have also shown evidence of effectiveness. Individual therapy has been found to be more effective than group therapy, and recent research suggests that therapy via video call can be just as effective and cost-efficient as in-person therapy.
Using a manual to guide therapy has been shown to improve treatment outcomes, increase patient adherence and attendance, and provide a systematic approach to addressing core trauma issues. This does not limit the therapist’s expertise but rather enhances it by providing a framework for evidence-based treatment. Written exposure therapy, in particular, has been shown to be effective, with good treatment retention, especially for patients with a more tactile or experiential learning style.
Trauma & PTSD Treatment - Conclusion
The theory of disordered brain chemistry being the primary cause behind mood disorders like trauma & PTSD is a questionable one. There are a growing number of experts who view this as an outdated theory on mental health. In reality, it may be that those of us who are born with inherently anxious brain chemistry are very few in number.
The assumption that brain-based talk therapies alone represent the only sound alternatives to medication is collecting its detractors among experts in the field of trauma & PTSD. As you can see from the above list, there are many emerging options that sit outside this classical paradigm. There are a growing number of experts who favour these approaches over the traditional trauma and PTSD treatment pathways.
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 minutes
Brian Bath
Length: 40 minutes
Return To Happiness
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Purpose: Cognitive Enhancement, Pain Reduction, Deep Trance State
Purpose: Mood Enhancing
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Frequencies: 40Hz, 7.83Hz, 2Hz
Frequencies: Mixed SMR, Theta, and Medium Beta (plus matched isochronic tones)
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
The intention of this session is to relax the brain to flush out toxins, stimulating the brain’s immunity system, and increase blood flow (oxygen/nutrient supply) to the brain. This natural process normally occurs each night if we are sleeping well and accessing those deeper sleep states. Brain Bath is a very gentle session, allowing you 40 minutes to focus on your breathing while your brain drifts off into a deeper meditative state. Due to the nature of the session, set to target the quieter brain frequencies, the colours, and patterns seen during this session are more muted. Leave you feeling relaxed.
Return to Happiness is a perfect pick me up. Feeling low can be all consuming and hard to break out of. This session is designed to help you break out of the habitual mindset of feeling low or depressed.
It’s great to use a session to get you feeling better temporarily. Better still though is to start to train your brain to be in the frequencies of mind that encourage happy moods. What shows in experience and research to be most effective in this goal is to encourage a brain state that is ready for action but relaxed – SMR or Low Beta. This session has a stable core of SMR with some moving Theta and Beta to further enhance the effects
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
Brain Bath
Length: 40 minutes
Purpose: Cognitive Enhancement, Pain Reduction, Deep Trance State
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Frequencies: 40Hz, 7.83Hz, 2Hz
The intention of this session is to relax the brain to flush out toxins, stimulating the brain’s immunity system, and increase blood flow (oxygen/nutrient supply) to the brain. This natural process normally occurs each night if we are sleeping well and accessing those deeper sleep states. Brain Bath is a very gentle session, allowing you 40 minutes to focus on your breathing while your brain drifts off into a deeper meditative state. Due to the nature of the session, set to target the quieter brain frequencies, the colours, and patterns seen during this session are more muted. Leave you feeling relaxed.
Return To Happiness
Length: 30 minutes
Purpose: Mood Enhancing
Feeling: Gentle, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: Mixed SMR, Theta, and Medium Beta (plus matched isochronic tones)
Return to Happiness is a perfect pick me up. Feeling low can be all consuming and hard to break out of. This session is designed to help you break out of the habitual mindset of feeling low or depressed.
It’s great to use a session to get you feeling better temporarily. Better still though is to start to train your brain to be in the frequencies of mind that encourage happy moods. What shows in experience and research to be most effective in this goal is to encourage a brain state that is ready for action but relaxed – SMR or Low Beta. This session has a stable core of SMR with some moving Theta and Beta to further enhance the effects
Take A Tour Of Our Wellington Clinic
Our team offers a wide range of treatments, helping you to achieve your recovery goals.
Make A Booking
Please utilise our booking system for Wellington appointments by clicking the button below. For Wairarapa appointments, kindly use the appointment request form.