PTSD
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS IS TIED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that stems from a life-threatening event or psychological trauma. PTSD can manifest as nightmares, intense remembrances of the event, challenges in falling or staying asleep, feelings of unreasonable anger, and constant edginess.
PTSD Can Affect Us All
Although Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is often associated with soldiers, police officers, and other emergency personnel involved in life-threatening situations, the disorder can be triggered by any overwhelming experience. The fear felt during traumatic events can have lifelong consequences. Individuals who experience sudden, unprovoked and disturbing memory flashbacks or find themselves having repeated nightmares may be suffering from PTSD.
Many individuals will silently suffer from PTSD, and seek to minimize its effects through self-destructive activities, such as medicating traumatic memories with drugs, alcohol, food, or sexual behaviors.
PTSD and Intimacy Disorders
Willow Healing Center at The Meadows has examined how trauma affects psychological and biological processes, and how the damage caused by overwhelming life experiences can be reversed. An important component of the new Willow Healing Center program is treating both intimacy disorders and trauma, given the intricate connections between these two. On the one hand, intimacy disorder treatment that addresses trauma has proven to be more effective and successful than clinical practices that do not take trauma into consideration.
And, on the other hand, the rate of recidivism when intimacy disorder treatment that is not trauma-informed is significantly higher than other modalities of treatment that do not take trauma into consideration. Our research findings reveal that more than 90 percent of the Willow Healing Center at The Meadows patients report experiences of severe trauma and a significant number endorse symptoms of adult post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD and the Military
Military personnel thrive in a structured environment with a scheduled day and required tasks. Willow Healing Center at The Meadows’ inpatient treatment process is a task-centered model that military personnel can relate to. This structured environment also makes sense to an addict because their lives have usually become convoluted and chaotic. The daily regimen of the Willow Healing Center at The Meadows’ program is tailor-made for the treatment of intimacy disorders in military personnel.
PTSD can manifest as:
- Repeated nightmares
- Intense remembrance of the event
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Feelings of unreasonable anger
- Constant edginess
- Avoidance of situations that may produce thoughts or recollections of the traumatic event
Many individuals will silently suffer from PTSD and seek to minimize its effects through self-destructive activities, such as medicating traumatic memories with drugs, alcohol, food, or sexual behaviors.
Effective Treatment for PTSD
Willow Healing Center at The Meadows treatment program is designed to treat and work with complex issues related to PTSD and intimacy disorders. In our program, women are guided on their journey of recovery by examining the underlying causes of addiction and co-occurring disorders in a safe and nurturing community composed of their peers. The goal is for these individuals to gain the courage to face difficult issues, including grief and loss; heal from emotional trauma; and become accountable for their own feelings, behaviors, and recovery. We provide an intensive, experiential-based 45-day treatment program for women with complex issues surrounding PTSD and intimacy disorders.