Your life unfurls a bit more each day, and the present moment in your life can be plenty stressful. Add a tendency to worry about the future to the mix, and it would seem like one of the best things you can do for yourself would be to leave your past in the past. However, for some people—perhaps you—the past never seems to fade away. For those who have experienced something traumatic in the past, those difficult moments can arise again and again in the present, disrupting day-to-day life over and over.
Sure, even if you have had some difficult experiences, you likely have plenty of positive memories to look back on (we certainly hope so). Still, for a person who has experienced trauma, that trauma can feel as though it is still happening—and threatening to take over your life entirely.
If you find that experiences from your past seem to take up an outsized amount of space in your present, you may be dealing with a mental health disorder centered on the trauma you have experienced. If that is the case, the best thing you can do to build a better future that is less at the mercy of your past is to seek out treatment in the present.
When It Comes to Trauma, Therapy Can Be Effective
You might be thinking that your past is just your past and there is nothing you can do about what happened—or how you feel about what happened. And you might be absolutely sure you do not want to dredge up what happened to you for the purpose of sharing the details with someone else.
That is an understandable position. But the fact is that pursuing therapy can be an effective way to lessen the power of a traumatic past in your present. And the best time to pursue that treatment is always right now. After all, the sooner you can get relief from the difficult feelings and thoughts related to your trauma, the better.
A Closer Look at Two Therapeutic Options
When you seek out mental health treatment, you and a mental health professional will work together to determine what approach to therapy might serve you best. When it comes to treating a mental health issue like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, there are options, including two approaches we will detail here.
The first is dialectical behavior therapy. This form of therapy—often abbreviated as DBT—is related to cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT). Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on functional analysis and skills training to help you set goals and solve problems. Dialectical behavior therapy adds concepts like mindfulness, acceptance, and distress tolerance to the process. DBT can help you change your thoughts and your behaviors so that you are better able to address the trauma from your past. (You can learn more about CBT and DBT in this previous entry.)
Another therapeutic option would be eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR). This approach is based on the idea that traumatic experiences are processed differently than our other memories. The difference seems to make those memories more difficult to access and heal.
An EMDR therapist directs a person who has experienced trauma through a series of specific eye movements as the person being treated recalls traumatic events. The combination of the eye movements and this approach to recalling the memories makes it easier to heal the damage done by the trauma.
Both DBT and EMDR—as well as other therapeutic approaches—are offered at Peak View Behavioral Health.
Medication Can Be Helpful, Too
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In some cases, your doctor might prescribe antidepressants like fluoxetine (Prozac) or venlafaxine (Effexor) or other medications that may be appropriate to your specific needs. Different people respond to medications differently, and it may take some time to find the best medication or medications to treat your trauma-centered mental health disorder. Having patience during this process can lead to excellent results.
Your Journey to Better Mental Health Can Begin Here
Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Peak View Behavioral Health is ready and able to address a range of mental health challenges—including trauma, suicidal thoughts, schizophrenia, the various kinds of depression, and a dual diagnosis involving a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder. Our goal is always to help the people we serve restore balance and renew hope in their lives.
Too often, people struggling with a mental health disorder try to muddle through without seeking out the help they need. They may be embarrassed or stubborn or in denial—or some combination of these things and more. The decision not to pursue treatment can have serious consequences. Getting help, on the other hand, can lead to significant improvement—and that improvement can be sustained over time.
If you or someone you love is in need of mental health treatment, do not wait. Pursue treatment right away. Reclaiming one’s life from a mental health disorder is a wonderful thing. When you are ready to move forward, we are ready to help you do so.
