So, you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or C-PTSD (Complicated PTSD), now what? Here are a few reputable websites about the disease, as well as a very brief introduction to trauma-informed modalities to treat PTSD and C-PTSD, and books or workbooks you might find helpful. These are all workbooks or books that I recommend to my patients. I hope you find this list useful on your way to wellness and recovery!
Helpful Webpages
- The Veteran’s Administration (VA)’s Description of C-PTSD
- NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) talks about PTSD
- PDF from the VA: Understanding PTSD and PTSD Treatment
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was created by Marsha Linehan, PhD for treatment of people who felt that their lives were not worth living. DBT is the gold standard of therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and the skills it lays out have also been found to be helpful for many mood and anxiety disorders as well as Complicated PTSD. The goal of DBT is to make your life “A Life Worth Living.”
Reclaim Joy Medical does not offer the complete DBT treatment program. The psychiatrists of Reclaim Joy Medical are trained in DBT skills and practice them in our daily lives. Dr. Freerksen wrote a blog post with more in-depth information about DBT.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness meditation is when you are doing something with the intention of being in a mindful, meditative state. It is also called “formal sitting practice” although this is something of a misnomer. Mindfulness meditation can be done while walking, running, or stretching and is a vital part of yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong.
When a person is able to live in the fullness of the present moment with minimal attachment and judgement, the way they think on a daily basis has been changed to be more present-focused with less frequent and less severe negative emotions and more frequent positive emotions. The negative emotions are still there, but they are tolerated and do not linger.
Dr. Freerksen has a blog post with more information and resources about mindfulness.
Poem about interrelational childhood trauma
This Be the Verse, by Philip Larkin (has two f-bombs)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- EMDR International Association – EMDRIA
- EMDR Institute – Founded by Francine Shapiro, PhD. This is where Dr. Freerksen received her EMDR training
- Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy, by Francine Shapiro (book, paperback)
Model of Developmental Immaturity by Pia Mellody
- Pia Mellody’s Website
- The Model of Developmental Immaturity in a single chart
- Facing Codependence: What it is, Where it comes from, and How it sabotages our lives (book, paperback)
- Breaking Free (workbook, paperback)
- The Intimacy Factor (book, paperback)
- Facing Love Addiction: Giving yourself the power to change the way you love (book, paperback)
- Podcast Episode with Pia Mellody and Alanis Morrisette
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)
This is a psychotherapeutic technique that focusses on getting in touch with different facets or “parts” of the self. One part of the self might be a scared child, and another part might be an angry part that is a Protector of the scared child. There are angry parts, tired parts, even suicidal parts within ourselves. IFS tries to help someone find Self and from that inner, instinctively unique and wise Self interact and talk to the other parts. Through work with a therapist, Self can befriend these parts and by dialoguing with them, heal any hurt, traumatized, or scared parts.
- IFS Institute (Organization founded by Richard “Dick” Schwartz, PhD, the originator of IFS)
- Self Therapy by Jay Earley (book, paperback)
- Self-Therapy Workbook: An Exercise Book For The IFS Process by Bonnie J. Weiss (workbook, paperback)
- No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz (book,paperback)
