Phase 2 Treatments

PTSD

Phase 2 treatments

Three Evidence-Based Treatments

Please click on each arrow to learn about each treatment

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Cognitive Processing Therapy(CPT)

Prolonged Exposure

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

• 12 weekly sessions
• First 7 are standard CBT
• Last 5 are specific to PTSD
• Can do it individually or in small groups of people

Outcomes

• The person learns to examine their "stuck points" and change their beliefs

changes the way someone thinks

Prolonged Exposure

• 10-session treatment
• Session 1-4: In vivo exposure
• Session 5-10: Imaginal exposure
• Good treatment for simple PTSD

Outcomes

• The person learns to become numb to their trauma and change their behavior to said trauma

Changes the way someone behaves

The body holds the distress that comes with trauma, so paying attention to points of the body that are feeling distressed or any discomfort while experiencing emotions during EMDR is important.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

• Helps people pay attention to an image that represents their trauma, a negative belief they developed about themselves as a result of their trauma, and the emotions and body sensations they feel when picturing/thinking about it
• Must perform bilateral stimulation to change the brain

Outcomes:

• The person's anxiety goes down (desensitization)
• The person learns to rethink trauma in a way that no longer distresses them (reprocessing)

changes the way the brain is organized