ptsd
‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍tualatin, OR

Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is caused by either witnessing or experiencing a scary incident. It is but natural to react to dangerous situations, and as a result, changes occur in the body to defend itself against such dangers. Most of them recover from the initial symptoms caused by the traumatic event naturally. Those who continue to experience problems for long periods of time after the incident may be diagnosed with PTSD. The symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. If the symptoms get worse and last for years, affecting your day-to-day functioning, you may have PTSD. It is therefore essential to get effective treatment to reduce the symptoms and improve your quality of life.

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What are the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

• Patients with PTSD might start getting negative thoughts and feelings of fear, anger, and guilt or feel numb all the time. They may start blaming themselves or others for what happened during or after the traumatic event, may feel cut-off from family and friends, or lose interest in the daily activities.
• They may relive the traumatic event through distressing, nightmares, unwanted memories, or flashbacks. It may cause a person to feel upset, experience heart palpitations, or unable to breathe.
• It may cause people to avoid places, activities, thoughts, or feelings, which might bring back memories of the traumatic event.
• PTSD symptoms also include having trouble sleeping, lack of concentration, feeling angry and irritable, or getting startled easily.
• It may also cause other mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
• Some may even resort to taking alcohol or drugs as a way of dealing with the problem.

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What are the treatment options available for treating PTSD?

PTSD can be treated with medications, psychotherapy, or both. The symptoms of PTSD may vary from person to person; accordingly, the treatment may also differ for them. It is essential for people suffering from PTSD to get professional help to treat their condition. Some people with PTSD may need to try out different treatments and find out what works best for their symptoms.

Medications: The most common type of medicines used for treating PTSD is antidepressants, which may help treat PTSD symptoms like anger, worry, sadness, and feelings of laziness. There are other types of medications for treating specific PTSD symptoms, such as nightmares and insomnia. The doctor and patient can work together to find the best remedy to solve your health condition.  

Psychotherapy: This treatment is also called ‘talk therapy,’ which involves talking with a mental health professional to treat a mental health disorder. Psychotherapy sessions can be held one to one or in a group. Talk therapy treatment for PTSD usually lasts six to twelve weeks, or it can be for a longer duration of time. According to research, the support and help of friends and family can play a crucial role in the patient’s recovery.

Vagus & Stellate Ganglion Nerve Blocks: The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It connects from our brain all the way down to our large intestine.

The stellate ganglion is part of the sympathetic nervous system that controls our increased heart rate, increased breathing, and controls oxygen flow to body areas during intense physical demand. This is commonly referred to as our “flight-fight” response. This is your body’s innate system that responds to stress or danger.

Sometimes this system is stuck in the ‘ON’ position, this can result in hypervigilance, anxiety, insomnia, etc.., a hallmark of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

The Stellate Ganglion and Vagus nerve blocks work synergistically to help ‘RESET’ these nervous systems by temporarily shutting down with anesthetic and allowing them to reboot to a more normal functioning state.

There are many types of psychotherapy to help treat people with PTSD. A health professional may use a combination of different therapies, depending on each individual’s need.