PTSD Treatment Services
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the common disorders that we work with at Harmony Counselling. At our Whitby and North York locations we offer specialized trauma therapy and PTSD treatment. We help Whitby and North York residents who have been inflicted by one or many traumatic events in their life. This may include the following:
- Physical, emotional, or psychological abuse that happens in childhood, or adulthood
- Viewing or dealing with a traumatic incident(s) such as a car accident or violence
- Losing a loved one
- A near fatal experience for you or someone close to you
- Significant life transitions that are unexpected or do not go according to plan
- Being bullied and pressured by peers, or put an a situation that decreases your self confidence
- Periods of your life where you feel shut down or overwhelmed
- Being a loved one of someone who is going through trauma
What Is PTSD Treatment?
PTSD symptoms manifest linearly, it ranges from a relatively small trauma response such as an increased heart rate or irritability when you’re reminded of the trauma, to a big trauma response that can be defined as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Whitby and North York PTSD treatment is one of many areas of our specializations for the team at Harmony Counselling.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment consists of techniques our counsellor’s use that can help you process the trauma, and decrease or even get rid of the trauma response from your body or mind. Our counsellors use a number of different post-traumatic stress disorder therapy techniques including psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. The techniques we use most often is called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, that is often referred to as EMDR
How Does Whitby and North York EMDR Therapy Work?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, which is often referred to as EMDR, is an empirically validated PTSD treatment for Whitby and North York residents who have dealt with trauma. The trauma may have been physical, such as being on a battlefield, a passing of a loved one, illness, injury, or a physical attack. The trauma may have been emotional or psychological, such as dealing with neglect in your childhood, feelings of abandonment or unworthiness, or feelings of intense guilt. The trauma may be in the past or it may be happening on a continual basis. It is also considered a specialized PTSD treatment.
EMDR is used to treat different symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, guilt, anger, resentment, phobias, irrational thoughts, and other post-traumatic stress disorder reactions including continual thoughts and nightmares. It can also be used to increase emotional resources such as confidence and self-esteem. Recent research has also shown EMDR to be an effective PTSD treatment technique for individuals who deal with chronic pain and addictions.
There are more controlled research studies on EMDR for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder than there are for any other type of therapy.
What Are The Benefits And Goals Of PTSD Treatment?
Before you start any kind of PTSD treatment it’s important to consult with a harmony counsellor/psychotherapist or have some understanding of what you want to accomplish. There are a different number of goals that can be targeted with PTSD treatment but some of the most common include:
- Coping with the realities of the past without letting it bring you down
- Minimizing or eliminating trauma symptoms
- Focusing on the present and not letting the past hold you back
- Getting over addictions that have been caused by trauma
- Taking back control
- Developing new skills and preventing a relapse
Are you looking for more information about PTSD treatment? Need to schedule an appointment? You can use the form on the website or visit our contact page to talk to one of our service providers.
