Several decades ago, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was unrecognized by name but known all too well by many defense force personnel returning from the theatres of war. Waiting loved ones felt helpless to understand the debilitating effects of the horrors of war which their family members relived by day, and perhaps benumbed with alcohol by night. Dr. Mark Schwartz of Harmony Place Monterey has the advantage of recent research into effective trauma and PTSD therapies and 30 years of experience in the fields of psychiatric healing, addiction recovery, and mental health issues. He is the Clinical Director at this award-winning treatment center, and Dr. Mark’s team of expert therapists have successfully worked with thousands of patients with PTSD symptoms.
What Sort of Episodes Create Trauma?
While classic cases of trauma and PTSD are usually thought of in terms of military, police, and emergency service personnel, recent studies reveal a parallel profile of symptoms in others, even children. All these cases have been unable to process events of overwhelm and continue to be disturbed and experience forms of distress. The key to successful recovery is a full understanding of how the brain reacts when its coping resources are assaulted and suddenly depleted. Harmony Place Monterey therapists can target and apply specific clinical measures to address the trauma, the addictive behaviors, and relationship problems that often accompany PTSD.
Ongoing research globally on the cause and treatment of sustained trauma has revealed that adverse childhood events, including neglect, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse are documented to contribute to a PTSD outcome in adulthood when a severe and sudden stress event occurs. Another adult exposed to the same event may cope successfully after mentally processing the traumatic experience due to inner resilience built up over a lifetime. However, the strength of a child or teen is known to become undermined when their childhood has been negatively impacted by abuse or other stressors.
Diagnosis of PTSD is usually by both patient history and the evidence of symptoms such as reliving the trauma, avoidance of triggering situations, and feelings of paranoia, hypervigilance and being irrationally on “high alert” for danger. Unfortunately, unmanaged PTSD that has persisted for some years rarely presents alone, but often features secondary issues such as alcoholism and other addictions as the patient seeks to self-medicate in negative ways.
New Evidence-Based PTSD Treatment Methods
Surprisingly, newly proven recovery procedures include allowing controlled exposure to the perceived fear. With the therapist guiding the patient’s response, the event is deliberately re-processed in light of the objective information the client now sees in the trauma event. This new non-victim role is skilfully scripted by a specially trained therapist and is a technique that has been demonstrated to be effective in relieving symptoms of PTSD.
As the patient receives specialized care, he is trained to revise his view of himself as he integrates his pain, sense of guilt, anxiety, and depression. He is taught to own his healing and mitigate episodes of irritability or rage to create a long-term plan of symptom management and recovery. The milestones along the way to a fully rebalanced life include regaining control over negative behaviors, choosing to remember and work through past trauma events, learning to narrate a new positive history, and developing the capacity to experience freedom from fear and pure joy.
Targeting a full recovery for each trauma patient is the goal of Dr. Mark Schwartz of Harmony Place Monterey, and his experienced practitioners. Dr. Mark Schwartz is deeply involved in the radical recovery potential of each client and is passionate about helping his patients through his clinic and others through his published books. If you know of any person in need of sensitive help, direct them to call the Harmony Place Monterey Treatment Center for a free and confidential phone consultation.