What are the 5 stages of PTSD?

The five stages of PTSD describe the common journey from immediate trauma response to healing, typically including the Impact/Emergency Stage (shock, overwhelm), Denial/Numbing Stage (emotional shutdown), Rescue/Intrusive Stage (confronting trauma, flashbacks), Acceptance/Transition Stage (processing, seeking help), and the final Recovery/Integration Stage (implementing coping skills for long-term management). These stages help frame the intense emotional and psychological shifts experienced after trauma, though not everyone goes through them in the exact same order or intensity, notes ChoosingTherapy.com.

What not to do to someone with PTSD?

Supporting someone with PTSD means understanding their unique neural bridges - those fragile connections between trauma and safety. The worst thing to do to someone with PTSD is to destabilize these bridges further through dismissive words, sudden actions, or ignoring their need for stability.

What is the best therapy for PTSD?

The best therapies for PTSD are evidence-based trauma-focused treatments like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), all recommended as first-line options by major health guidelines. CPT helps challenge negative thoughts, PE involves gradually facing traumatic memories, and EMDR processes trauma with bilateral stimulation (like eye movements). A healthcare provider can help determine the best fit for your individual needs, sometimes combining therapy with medications like SSRIs. 

Do PTSD nightmares ever go away?

Yes, PTSD nightmares can go away or significantly decrease with appropriate treatment, but they often persist without intervention, sometimes for years, becoming chronic. Effective therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and EMDR, along with medications like Prazosin, help process trauma, rewrite distressing narratives (Image Rehearsal Therapy), and calm the brain's hyperarousal, leading to substantial improvement and a return to peace.
 

How to diagnose PTSD?

Diagnosing PTSD involves a mental health professional confirming you were exposed to trauma, then assessing for specific, persistent symptoms (over a month) across four clusters: intrusion (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance (places, reminders), negative thoughts/mood, and arousal/reactivity (hypervigilance, irritability). The process includes a physical exam to rule out medical causes, psychological interviews (like the CAPS or SCID), and sometimes self-report questionnaires (like the PTSD Checklist PCL) to meet DSM-5 criteria.
 

The 5 Types of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

How do doctors tell if you have PTSD?

There is no medical test that can diagnose PTSD. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, how long you've had them, and how much they affect your daily activities. Your doctor may also ask about: The event or events that led to your symptoms.

What medication is used for PTSD?

Medications for PTSD primarily involve antidepressants, especially SSRIs like sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil), and SNRIs like venlafaxine (Effexor), which help rebalance brain chemicals to reduce anxiety, depression, and intrusive symptoms, though other options like antipsychotics or prazosin (for nightmares) are used off-label for specific issues. Treatment usually starts with SSRIs/SNRIs, but doctors might add other medications, like atypical antipsychotics (e.g., quetiapine, risperidone) or prazosin, if symptoms persist or for nightmares, with therapy often combined for best results.
 

What do PTSD dreams look like?

PTSD dreams are intensely vivid, emotionally charged nightmares that often replay traumatic events or their core feelings (fear, helplessness), making them feel intensely real, unlike typical bad dreams, and often involve physical reactions like a racing heart, leading to sleep avoidance and a cycle of exhaustion, irritability, and increased PTSD symptoms. They can be direct replays, bizarre distortions, or symbolic, but always bring overwhelming emotions and significant distress, sometimes lasting years after the actual trauma.
 

What happens when PTSD is triggered?

When PTSD is triggered, the brain perceives a threat, launching a "fight, flight, or freeze" stress response, causing intense physical reactions (racing heart, shaking, sweating, shortness of breath) and emotional/mental responses like flashbacks, panic attacks, severe fear, anger, or dissociation, making someone feel like the trauma is happening again, even in a safe environment. Triggers can be sounds, smells, places, dates, or feelings that connect to the original trauma, bringing back overwhelming memories and sensations.
 

What is the best medicine for PTSD nightmares?

1 Prazosin is recommended for treatment of PTSD-associated nightmares. Level A. The rationale for the use of pharmacologic reduction of CNS adrenergic activity in the treatment of PTSD has recently been reviewed by Boehnlein and Kinzie.

What is the fastest way to calm PTSD?

10 ways to relax when you have PTSD

1. Drip Cold Water On Your Wrists. ...
2. Meditate. ...
3. Eat some Chocolate. ...
4. Try Aromatherapy. ...
5. Progressive Relaxation. ...
6. Write It Down. ...
7. Give Yourself a Hand Massage. ...
8. Run on the spot.

Which is the best medicine for PTSD?

There are 3 SSRI/ SNRI medications that are recommended for PTSD:

• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)

What treatment is not recommended for PTSD?

The following have been found to not be recommended for use in treatment of PTSD: Risperidone, quetiapine, olanzapine, and other atypical antipsychotics. Divalproex, tiagabine, guanfacine, ketamine, hydorcortisone, D-cycloserine. Benzodiazepines (Causes harm)

What do people with PTSD avoid?

Avoiding reminders—like places, people, sounds or smells—of a trauma is called behavioral avoidance. For example: A combat Veteran may stop watching the news or using social media because of stories or posts about war or current military events.

What does yelling do to someone with PTSD?

Yelling at someone with PTSD can be extremely damaging, often triggering intense fear, flashbacks, or a "fight, flight, freeze, or fawn" survival response because their brain perceives the loud, angry voice as a genuine threat, worsening their symptoms, eroding trust, and making them feel unsafe, leading to increased anxiety, shame, withdrawal, or even aggression. It activates their trauma-response system, making them feel attacked rather than heard, hindering healing, and potentially escalating conflict.
 

How to calm someone with PTSD?

To calm someone with PTSD, stay calm yourself, create a safe space, gently guide them to the present with grounding techniques (like naming 5 things), reassure them they are safe, and offer patient, non-judgmental listening, but never dismiss their feelings or force them to talk; instead, ask what they need and suggest professional help.
 

What helps PTSD the most?

The most effective treatments for PTSD are Trauma-Focused Psychotherapies, primarily Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), often combined with medications like SSRIs (Sertraline, Paroxetine) for symptom relief, though therapy is the first line. These therapies help you process trauma, change negative thought patterns, and gradually confront triggers, while medications manage symptoms like depression, anxiety, or nightmares, with prazosin sometimes used for nightmares.
 

What is a trigger warning for PTSD?

Identifying and addressing trauma triggers is an important part of treating PTSD. A trigger warning is a message presented to an audience about the contents of a piece of media, to warn them that it contains potentially distressing content. A more generic term, which is not directly focused on PTSD, is content warning.

What can PTSD turn into?

Untreated PTSD can worsen into severe, chronic issues like major depression, anxiety disorders (panic disorder), substance abuse, eating disorders, and social isolation, significantly damaging relationships and work life. Physically, it elevates risks for heart disease, chronic pain, obesity, and other stress-related illnesses due to constant stress. It also increases the risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, making timely treatment crucial for preventing these severe outcomes.
 

What does PTSD look like in sleep?

In addition to nightmares and insomnia, other sleep disorders and disruptive nocturnal behaviors are prevalent among trauma-exposed individuals, including persons with PTSD. Sleep disordered breathing, periodic leg movement disorders, and other parasomnias are common in trauma-exposed samples.

Do people with PTSD cry in their sleep?

Signs and Symptoms of PTSD Night Terrors

Screaming or Shouting: People may suddenly start crying or shouting in their sleep, often in a state of intense fear. Physical Movements: Thrashing, kicking, or even jumping out of bed can occur during a night terror.

What does real PTSD look like?

PTSD looks like intense reactions to trauma reminders, including intrusive memories (flashbacks, nightmares), avoiding triggers, being constantly on guard (hyperarousal), and negative changes in mood and thinking, leading to social withdrawal, irritability, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating, often accompanied by physical symptoms like a racing heart or shaking. It manifests as being "frozen" or suddenly scared/angry, feeling disconnected from reality (derealization/depersonalization), and engaging in self-destructive behaviors, impacting daily life significantly.
 

What triggers can worsen PTSD?

Here are some common triggers:

• Anniversaries of the event: Dates that remind a person of the trauma.
• News reports: Seeing or hearing about a similar event in the news.
• Certain people or places: Reminders of the trauma through places or people associated with it.
• Stress: General stressors can exacerbate PTSD symptoms.

What is the new treatment for PTSD?

New PTSD treatments focus on immersive therapies, neuromodulation, and psychedelics, moving beyond symptom management to address trauma's root, with promising approaches like Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) for safe trauma reprocessing, Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) to reset the nervous system, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for brain balance, alongside ongoing research into psychedelic-assisted therapy (like psilocybin) and novel medications.
 

How is PTSD officially diagnosed?

A series of verbal and written tests assesses a person's thinking, behaviors, and emotions. These tests provide detailed information about a person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. After an evaluation is complete, our specialists hold a feedback session with you to discuss findings and treatment recommendations.