TREATING HYPERAROUSAL IN CLIENTS WITH PTSD

Dr Grace Graham

Introduction Dr. Grace Graham has served as a psychologist and

consultant at Charis Counseling and Psychological Services since she founded the practice in 1992. In the following decades, Dr. Grace Graham has treated a number of individuals affected by PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, may occur when an individual experiences an extremely frightening and typically life-threatening event. The symptoms of this condition often include hyperarousal, a symptom cluster that includes increased anxiety, extreme guardedness, and a heightened startle response. Individuals with this symptom set may also experience difficulty concentrating, irritability, or sleep disturbances.

PTSD Hyperarousal can be difficult to treat, as it manifests in so

many different ways. Many clinicians find that prolonged exposure therapy makes an effective base treatment, as contact with a dreaded stimulus can over time help to reduce the fear response. As this response diminishes, the patient's alert mechanism becomes less intense as well.

Meanwhile, cognitive therapies can help a client to address and change the emotional responses that occur when the individual thinks about the trauma. By consciously re-forming responses, clients can redirect themselves away from hyperarousal responses. In many cases, these therapies work in conjunction with a medication regimen that addresses the neural processes affected by trauma.