Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (return to psychoneuro.com)
PTSD is a fairly common disorder that occurs after exposure to major and often terrifying events, threatened or actual, with
physical, mental or sexual harm. It is considered to be an anxiety disorder,with symptoms including flashbacks, memories,
nightmares, obsessive and intrusive thoughts related to the trauma and perpetrator(s). There are also frequently symptoms
of dissociation, anxiety, anger, irritability and depression. PTSD can also masquerade as an eating disorder with symptoms
of bulimia and/or anorexia. The usual treatment of this disorder includes cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, group
therapy, and psychotropic medications. PTSD is commonly associated with neuroendocrine changes including low cortisol
and high norepenephine levels. This is in contrast to major depression which is frequently associated with high cortisol
levels. In my experience, a combination of hypnosis and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reconstruction)
facilitates treatment. Under hypnosis, the subject re-experiences the original past trauma(s) and this traumatic experience is
brought from the past into the present consciousness with EMDR. This leads to a release of traumatic memories with all
sensory modalities including visual, emotional, body, and even olfactory (smell) memories. Often following the
hypnosis-EMDR session(s), a reworking of the original traumatic experience occurs. This progresses to a healing of the
original trauma. In my practice, the symptoms of PTSD often recede following sessions of hypnosis and EMDR, thus
shortening the overall treatment.