Counseling for PTSD with Empower Counseling in Birmingham, Alabama
What Is PTSD?
Roughly 6 out of every 100 Americans will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) at some point in their life. PTSD is the mental aftereffects and learned danger responses to having been through a traumatic experience. A traumatic event can be anything from a car crash, to being assaulted, to repeated verbal abuse, and much much more.
Having PTSD does not mean you are weak, it means you have survived something horrible and your body is trying to make sure it does not experience it again.
However, our brain often over corrects with trauma and ends up causing us to feel we are not in control of our thoughts and emotions, especially when something triggers us and puts us into fight or flight mode.
These triggers can be loud noises, being in certain places that remind us of the traumatic event, and an almost infinite number of things that can be different for each person.
Other symptoms of PTSD can include, but aren’t limited to: intrusive memories, avoidance of things related to the trauma, negative thoughts about oneself, feelings of hopelessness for the future, changes in how our emotions regulate, always feeling on guard, and many more that involve a noticeable change to our behavior and thoughts.
How Empower Counseling Can Help with Counseling for PTSD
Here at Empower Counseling we practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT), a type of therapy that takes a different approach to dealing with the effects and causes of mental illnesses like PTSD. ACT focuses on stopping avoidance of negative thoughts and emotions, and learning to separate ourselves from the thoughts and feelings that sometimes can feel like they just appear in our head. Instead we want to learn how to deal with these and remind ourselves that we are the ones that control our mind and body, not the thoughts that we experience.
Often times trying to avoid negative thoughts or triggers just ends up giving them more power, making them something to be afraid of instead of something we can control.
At Empower Counseling we look to see what the causes of these automatic thoughts are and help our clients train themselves to accept these negative experiences and commit to taking action that improves their lives and deals with the source of the issue. Its important to remember that although the thoughts brought on by PTSD may “feel” true to us and feel like we have no control of the, at the end of the day they are not a reflection of reality and we do not have to let them make our choices for us. Learning how to face these negative thoughts and slowly expose ourselves to the things we have been trying to avoid is an important part of the healing process.
With ACT we will begin the process of dealing with the underlying causes of what you are struggling with, and teach you how to take back control of your life!
Contact Adam, Kathryn, or Kristine at Empower Counseling and begin taking back your life. At our Birmingham area counseling clinic we offer teen counseling, counseling for college students, counseling for young adults, counseling for professtionals and addiction counseling. We are all trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy, proven effective for anxiety counseling, counseling for depression, and counseling for difficult transitions in life.
We have daytime, evening, and weekend appointments. Call today to schedule your appointment at 205-730-6570.
Post by Adam Elliott