How Does DBT Help with PTSD?

The fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response is a natural human reaction to perceived threat or danger. When trauma happens, this threat system takes over in order to keep us safe. After trauma, if we avoid our thoughts, feelings, and memories or are unable to talk about them with someone we trust, our threat system can stay stuck and lead to PTSD symptoms.

You are not alone. Many trauma survivors struggle with bad dreams and memories, experience strong emotional reactions such as irritability, anger, fear, or numbness, feel badly about themselves, distrust other people, and believe the world is a dangerous place. Others may not remember parts of what happened, are constantly aware and watchful of their surroundings, and have difficulty sleeping. Moments of joy and happiness are fleeting if they happen at all. You no longer have to suffer with emotional pain in silence. You no longer have to be quick to anger and not understand why. You no longer have to feel disconnected from those you love and struggle in your relationships. Often, as adult survivors of childhood abuse, we spend much of our lifetime struggling to cope with trauma symptoms. We deeply bury old memories until something happens later in life to trigger them causing a flood of trauma symptoms that can no longer be ignored. As survivors of violence, accidents, tragic loss, and other traumatic experiences, time seems to stand still and we wonder if we will ever be able to move on and find peace.

DBT and DBT Prolonged Exposure trauma therapy offer the opportunity to quiet your threat system, reduce or even eliminate symptoms, and just feel better in your own skin. It is possible to face your fears and heal. Just as trauma happens in relationship, healing also happens in relationship. You and your therapist will assess your trauma symptoms and develop an individualized treatment plan to meet your personal goals.