The Surprising Purpose of PTSD Symptoms
Channel: Doc Snipes
Date: 15/03/2017

The Surprising Purpose of PTSD Symptoms  A direct link to the CEU course is available here https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/product/id/59/c/
PTSD and Functionality of Symptoms 
#PTSD #trauma #counselingskills

Purpose
~ By understanding the function of symptoms we can
~ Normalize the behavior
~ Identify alternate ways to meet that same need or address the issue
~ Re-Experiencing
~ Trying to replay it to figure out how to integrate into your schema (like fitting a puzzle piece)
~ Reminding the person of similar situations to “protect” them
~ Avoidance
~ The system is already over taxed.  Avoiding upsetting stimuli by blocking out most stimuli, memories of the event.  
~ Avoiding unnecessary use of energy by not getting “excited.”
~ Changes in Beliefs
~ Protects against future “surprises”
~ Tries to assimilate the experience into schema
~ Increased Arousal
~ Protects the individual

Re-Experiencing
~ You re-experience things every day
~ Access schema that guide your actions
~ When you go to work
~ When you encounter a particularly volatile client
~ When you approach a stop light
~ Re-Experiencing in PTSD
~ The context is often overgeneralized
~ The precipitating factors are often unknown
~ In many cases the resolution was not one of empowerment, resulting in trying to continually figure out how to not be disempowered


Hypocortisolism
~ Cortisol is the stress chemical
~ After extreme stress and/or under chronic stress the brain may reduce the responsiveness of the stress response system by reducing the cortisol
~ This is protective, it keeps the organism from using precious resources by getting “excited” about anything (including pleasure)
~ Due to fear conditioning, when a stressor is detected, the stress response is exaggerated.
Changes in Beliefs
~ Purpose: The need for order and meaning (Regaining control, Ability to predict)
~ Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world
~ “I am bad”
~ “No one can be trusted” 
~ "The world is completely dangerous" 
~ Persistent, distorted blame of self or others about the cause or consequences of the traumatic events


Changes in Beliefs

Beliefs Interventions
~ After a trauma people’s lives are changed forever.  
~ It is often necessary to grieve the loss not only of tangible things like property, but also existential things like belief in a just world and the goodness of people.
~ Identifying the threats and associated thoughts the person had/is having
~ Addressing cognitive distortions using Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT Challenging Questions

Increased Arousal
~ Irritable or aggressive behavior 
~ Anger/threat reaction to continue to self-protect
~ Interventions: 
~ Help the person identify and address triggers
~ Develop skills to address emotional and behavioral dysregulation (STOP Stop Think Observe Participate)
~ Reckless or self-destructive behavior 
~ Stop the pain (I don’t care if I die, because…)
~ Distract (Numb through thrill)
~ Regain control (Lightening doesn’t strike twice)

Final Thoughts
~ Tormenting thoughts and feelings and attempts to stop or avoid those thoughts and feelings are central to PTSD
Summary
~ Increased Arousal
~ The traumatic threat was unpredictable, ergo future events are unpredictable.
~ Increased arousal keeps people alert to potential threats.
~ Using CPT Challenging Questions help the client examine his/her beliefs about the event and his/her current safety
~ Avoidance and numbing helps the person survive since nobody can be “alert” and agonizing for that long
~ Helping the person understand that during a traumatic event, certain chemicals in the body prevent effective memory formation.  This is protective.
~ Numbing helps preserve precious energy.
~ Changes in beliefs 
~ Keeps the person from being vulnerable again
~ Helps the person try to make sense of it.
~ Re-Experiencing
~ Like trying to fit a puzzle piece, the brain is trying to make sense of how this fits into current schema
~ The brain may have to develop new schema based on likely faulty memories from the trauma, so many stimuli are overgeneralized and cause “triggers” for anxiety to be everywhere.


AllCEUs provides #counseloreducation and CEUs for LPCs, LMHCs, LMFTs and LCSWs as well as #addiction counselor precertification training and continuing education.

Podcast: https://www.allceus.com/counselortoolbox/

#AllCEUs courses are accepted in most states because we are approved as an education provider for NAADAC, the States of Florida and Texas Boards of Social Work and Mental Health/Professional Counseling, the California Consortium for Addiction Professionals and Professions.

This was recorded as part of a live #webinar

0:00 Introduction
0:39 Objectives
2:25 Purpose
16:54 Re-Experiencing: Assimilation or Accommodation
22:33 Avoidance
29:30 Hypocortisolism
30:43 Changes in Beliefs
35:55 Beliefs Interventions
42:31 Increased Arousal
51:27 Final Thoughts
52:58 Wrong Side of Heaven
55:56 Summary