EMDR and CPT Therapist in Houston
Trauma Therapy
You have been feeling on edge for a while.
You have had trouble doing your regular daily activities, like going to work, or school. It’s been even harder to spend time with your kids or your partner. You find yourself easily annoyed or triggered at anything they say or do. It’s hard to sleep. The flashbacks and nightmare’s make it hard to stay asleep. The memories you have make it hard to feel normal.
This has been going on for months and you are at the end of your rope.
You may be experiencing PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.
“This sounds like me, but how do I know if I have PTSD?”
The only way to know for sure is to talk to a mental health care provider. We will ask you about your trauma, your symptoms, and any other problems you have.
If you think you might have PTSD, answer these questions.
Sometimes things happen to people that are unusually or especially frightening, horrible, or traumatic. For example, a serious accident or fire, a physical or sexual assault or abuse, an earthquake or flood, a war, seeing someone be killed or seriously injured, or having a loved one die through homicide or suicide.
Have you ever experienced this kind of event?
o Yes o No
If yes, please answer the questions below.
In the past month, have you:
Had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you didn’t want to?
Tried hard not to think about the event(s) or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of the event(s)?
Been constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
Felt numb or detached from people, activities, or your surroundings?
Felt guilty or unable to stop blaming yourself or others for the event(s) or any problems the event(s) may have caused?
If you answered “yes” to 3 or more of these questions, talk to a mental health care provider to learn more about PTSD and PTSD treatment. Answering “yes” to 3 or more questions does not mean you have PTSD. Only a mental health care provider can tell you for sure.
You are not alone.
At least half of Americans have had a traumatic event in their lives.
Of people who have had trauma, about 1 in 10 men and 2 in 10 women will develop PTSD.
There are some things that make it more likely you’ll develop PTSD — for example, having very intense or long-lasting trauma, getting hurt, or having a strong reaction to the event (like shaking, throwing up, or feeling distant from your surroundings). It’s also more common to develop PTSD after certain types of trauma, like combat and sexual assault. But there’s no way to know for sure who will develop PTSD.
Many people who have PTSD also have another mental health problem
— like depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, or thinking about harming themselves or others. It’s also common to have problems at work, in relationships, or with your physical health. Sometimes, these problems happen because of your PTSD symptoms. For example, feeling numb and avoiding places can make it hard to have good relationships with your friends and family.
Getting treatment for PTSD can help with these other problems, too. We can help.
We can help.
We have several therapists who have been trained in both Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
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CPT is focused on teaching you a new way to think about your trauma. Trauma can change the way you think about yourself and the world. You may believe you are to blame for what happened or that the world is a dangerous place. These kinds of thoughts keep you stuck in your PTSD and cause you to miss out on things you used to enjoy. In this specialized therapy, you will learn skills that can help you decide whether there are more helpful ways to think about your trauma. You will learn how to examine whether the facts support your thought or do not support your thought. And ultimately, you can decide whether or not it makes sense to take a new perspective.
You can read more about CPT here.
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EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.
You can read more about EMDR therapy on the EMDRIA Website.
