Trauma and PTSD following a discrete traumatic event(s) is something the mental health field does well in treating. Mountains of research has found that prolonged exposure (PE) for PTSD has been considered one of the most effective treatments in all of mental health. This is especially the case for fear-based PTSD. Prolonged exposure therapy training is also available.
Prolonged exposure is highly structured, while validating extremely difficult client experiences. (Counter to some claims, it does not harm or re-traumatize clients). It helps clients build specific skills to approach things they most fear (e.g., memories of a traumatic event). It also teaches clients to break patterns of avoidance that maintain PTSD. This helps clients re-learn that events thought to be harmful or threatening (e.g., having a difficult memory) are not inherently threatening. It’s classic “learn to face your fears”!
Effective prolonged exposure therapy training is available! There is also a seminal good book explaining theory and methods of prolonged exposure therapy. Other therapist resources and workbooks out there can be provided for clients.
Pros: Prolonged exposure is extremely effective. It can treat something clients can struggle with for years and decades in just a few months. Learning a highly effective treatment for PTSD also puts clinicians at a great advantage for helping clients (and it even helps for practice marketability).
Limits: Prolonged exposure can be difficult for patients/clients. Due to this, the client can start to avoid treatment (the treatment itself has ways to address this). But the treatment is highly effective.
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD is also highly effective! Especially when patients/clients experience many negative beliefs and shame about their role in a traumatic event (e.g., “It was my fault”).
Each PTSD client is different in this respect (e.g., fear-based versus shame-based PTSD), so there is not always a cut and dry way to know whether PE or CPT is better to learn (or maybe train in both?).
