Trauma & PTSD Treatment Ontario
Trauma & PTSD Treatment Ontario
Trauma is a form of psychological damage that occurs to the brain after one or more painful experiences. These events create an ongoing sense of anxiety, fear and stress. People with trauma may be reacting to situations in an extreme fashion, due to past experiences that have impacted how they think, feel and relate overall to the world. Individuals with trauma can re experience the same physical sensations that they experienced when the traumatic event occurred. The brain can respond as if the event is happening in real time. Trauma can lead people to develop behaviours such as isolation to protect themselves from the harm they may face, even if no threat is present.
Trauma is often broken down into stages:
Acute Trauma: Often occurs as a result of a single event. If an individual witnesses a gruesome scene, for instance a vehicle collision or a violent crime this can be described as acute trauma. The person may show all the signs of trauma and experience the same type of symptoms, but the experience and trauma may begin to dissipate in you mind. This may lead to a recovery from the event.
Chronic Trauma: This is often from numerous experiences in highly stressful situations or events. Chronic trauma often leads to numerous symptoms that may hinder the quality life for the individual. The person may have symptoms related to the event that they witnessed or were directly involved with.
Complex trauma: Often occurs when an induvial is involved in events where escape is not possible. This may involve a person being trapped or involved in a situation where escape from the situation was not an option.
Secondary or vicarious Trauma: Can arise from the exposure to other people’s trauma. This form of trauma often affects doctors, paramedics, police officers, military, nurses and other first responders. After numerous experiences, people may make a conscious effort to not care as much, in order to protect their own mental health.
Simcoe Addiction and Mental Health has a variety of different treatment options that can put you on the road to recovery.
Trauma & PTSD Treatment Ontario
How the body responds
When people are feeling triggered, the part of the brain known as the amygdala responds. This is the part of your brain that we use for survival and responding to threatening situations. When the traumatic experience occurs that brain is alerted and a response follows. At times that may involve “flight” which is removing yourself from the situation, “fight” which involves taking on the threat, or “freeze” which you stop and not respond. The body produces adrenaline which prepares it for either of the three responses. People often find themselves moving faster and admitting to having more strength. This is due to the adrenaline response. Tightness of the muscles, teeth grinding, sweating, increased heart rate may all occur as a result of the sudden release of adrenaline.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
People who suffer longer term effects of traumatic experiences may have post traumatic stress disorder. Emotional disturbances that may have been caused by the events in a persons life may be consistent or constant. The amygdala may be activated in situations that may not be threatening, which in turn releases stress hormones and prepares the person to defend themselves. Small situations that may not be threatening could cause the individual to withdrawal or respond with fight. A common example for most people to understand is the back firing of a vehicle. For individuals who have had trauma surrounding firearms, they may respond to the sound as if it was a firearm. Hitting the floor, running for cover or running away could be examples. The body experiences the same physical sensations that the original event produced.
Inpatient Trauma & PTSD Treatment
Treatment may involve different approaches for each issue. At SAMH, Our therapists are trauma informed professionals that treat trauma and post traumatic stress disorder. Therapists can sit with you and address the events that lead to your ongoing struggles and can assist you to develop better coping strategies. Skills will be introduced to you that will make the healing process easier for you. People may feel anxious about the idea of sharing these events with another person, but rest assure that our team is patient and considerate of how challenging these issues are to discuss and our team will begin the process when you’re ready. We meet you where you are in your recovery and support you accordingly.
EMDR Treatment
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing may be suggested for people with post traumatic stress disorder. This treatment is only performed by trained professionals. EMDR training is additional training for professionals in the psychotherapy field. This treatment can be requested or recommended to help people with post traumatic stress disorder. There are certain requirements that are needed to take part in this form of treatment.
Please contact us to learn more about this treatment.
Trauma & PTSD Retreat in Ontario
Trauma & PTSD Therapy in Ontario
Stress
Trauma & PTSD Retreat in Ontario
Each of our clients gets matched with a counsellor that has a solid background in trauma therapy. We also have a multidisciplinary team on staff that includes social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists.
We offer small intimate sessions because these have the best results. These smaller groups help to build up trust and safety.
We also look after helping patients develop particular strategies that manage their symptoms. The various therapies that we use here include stress inoculation and dialectical behavioural remedies. These are both designed to help our patients regulate the kind of emotions that will help them to deal with distress and increase interpersonal skills.
These are specifically designed to reduce the symptoms associated with PTSD. They also give our patients the skills that are needed to regulate severe emotional reactions. This helps to reduce their dependence on alcohol and/or drugs.
Trauma & PTSD Therapy in Ontario
Managing the symptoms associated with this disorder is a big part of what we offer. Our patients work with an occupational therapist in a systematic guided approach to activities in situations they once avoided.
Setting weekly goals for exposure to these scenarios is part of Trauma & PTSD Therapy in Ontario. Patients also work their way through a maze of triggers as they progress through this type of therapy.
All of our patients have ample opportunity to leave the property in groups or alone to further their recovery. They also attend Cognitive Processing Therapy groups focusing on feelings and thoughts that relate closely to the trauma they’ve experienced.
Stress
Cognitive processing therapy is a division of what’s referred to as behavioral therapy. It’s a technique that’s used quite often by therapists and counselors. The patient takes negative behaviors and thoughts contributing to their stress and anxiety and replaces them with a positive variety. It changes both thought and behavior.
Trauma and PTSD are challenging issues to treat. The first part of the treatment we offer involves education. Our therapists will help you to understand exactly how PTSD works. That’s the first step in recovery. We want each one of our clients to understand the relationship between their feelings and thoughts.