Acute stress disorder is a life-threatening emotional condition caused by memories of trauma. Some events that cause this mental health condition include assault, natural disasters, wars, or fatal accidents. Visiting a mental health therapist allows for early alleviation of anxiety and other symptoms before they progress and cause long-term emotional complications. Here are some treatment options for acute stress disorder:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy technique where patients are guided to move their eyes in particular ways as they reprocess and heal from traumatic memories. During therapy, the brain processes information from past traumatic events. Over time, the brain starts forming new, positive, and more balanced beliefs about these memories. Clients begin to feel more safe as the brain continues to replace negative thoughts and emotions with positive ones.
This therapy may also utilize methods like tapping and bilateral sound to help stimulate the victim’s senses, aiding the reprocessing of traumatic memories. When visiting a psychotherapist, they may ask questions to understand your background and severity of the disorder. If you’re looking for this kind of support, you can search for ‘trauma therapy near me‘ to find qualified professionals who provide EMDR therapy sessions in your area. Therapists can also teach you about EMDR and its process to provide a sense of safety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Mental health therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to provide psychoeducation to clients suffering from acute stress disorder. Psychoeducation helps clients become aware of their need to acknowledge aggression, irritability, depression, and other harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors caused by trauma. A therapist also teaches strategies like cognitive restructuring, grounding exercises, self-compassion practices, and mindfulness. The practices help boost emotional resilience, making it easier to overcome overwhelming thoughts and emotions.
Therapists may also teach problem-solving skills and goal-setting strategies to help clients handle routine demands without being overwhelmed. Self-compassion or self-kindness is a strategy psychotherapists teach to help individuals develop positive images of themselves. Positive self-perception can help promote self-acceptance and the ability to socialize with others during and after recovery. CBT may introduce clients to coping strategies by creating imaginary exposure to situations related to the client’s trauma. This helps minimize the intensity at which the brain responds to traumatic memories.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
During dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), a psychotherapist creates a safe environment to encourage clients to speak about their emotions. By talking, they can learn effective ways to control intense anger, fear, and anxiety and reduce isolation. During DBT, clients also learn to build healthy friendships and relationships with others. Learned communication skills help build support networks and resolve conflicts. Mental health therapists also teach clients distress tolerance skills, including paced breathing, grounding practices, mindfulness, and positive talk.
Contact a Psychotherapist for Trauma Treatment
Trauma is a broad emotional condition that may cause more serious emotional conditions like acute stress, reactive attachment, and adjustment disorders. If you experience depression, nightmares, sleeping difficulty, or uncharacterized aggression, treatment for acute stress disorder might be right for you. Visiting a psychologist regularly allows for close monitoring of your recovery progress and necessary treatment adjustments. Book an appointment with a mental health therapist today.