PTSD: A working format

• Mission Statement by Georg Eifert, 3/7/98
  • How to Use This Forum by Georg Eifert, 3/7/98
    • PTSD by M. Evola, MS, CSW-R, 9/9/98
      
      

As a practicing hypnotherapist with some experience with PTSD and the associated anxiety responses, I must point out that the usage of desensitisation processes is not usually recommended, however, in the particular context which you describe, a certain amount of desensitisation may be beneficial to the client should they wish to continue their association within the judicial system. In working with such symptoms of PTSD, I have found it of value to create a process format for work in this area which you may find useful in formulating your own client specific suggestions.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may be caused by any stressful life situation such as war, surgery, accident, natural disaster, rape, malnutrition, and childhood abuse, that stimulated excessive arousal by the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine systems, and can lead to varying manifestations of problematic physiological symptomology in the future, which can seem to appear without any apparent cause, up to years later. This leads to, and supports the theory of, State Dependant Memory, Learning, and Behavior, by implying that dissociated or state dependant memories, can remain active at unconscious levels, giving rise to the complexes that are the source of psychological and psychosomatic problems.

Processes and techniques:

Retrospective Self Nurturing: Allows the subject to revisit their younger self at a time when emotional support was needed. In effect, it rewrites the clients history in a very positive and self directing manner.

PTSD Collapsing Anchors: By collapsing the anchors in this process, the current feelings about the remembered trauma undergo a change which will effect the amount of emotional impact these memories retain.

Ideodynamics: The use of ideomotor responses to investigate other possible unconscious sources contributing to the clients overall stress levels, and to set up unconscious "Yes /No" responses.

Metaphors: The use of metaphor or metaphorical statements for the release, reduction and balance of stress related feelings, and the absolution of feelings of guilt and shame, that may be out of reasonable and normal proportion to a particular situational context.

Direct suggestions: Direct suggestions of calmness and relaxation as a general format covering all and any situations, as the client goes about their day to day activities.

Process Instructions/Process Metaphors: Instructions for initiating inner search to facilitate a change, in response patterns related to remembered feelings, and patterned problematic symptomology by causation.

Dumping the Rubbish: Visualisations for the reduction of problematic emotions carried over from other situational contexts in the past such as anger, resentment , guilt and embarrassment.

Response Anchoring: The installation of an appropriate kinesthetic anchor coupled with a generated relaxation and coping response, to be triggered by the client in particular stress producing situations as required.

Self Hypnosis Training: Training to allow the client to reduce feelings of residual stress that may have built over a period of time, by utilising their own inner resources within the learned abilities for entering trance.

Ego Strengthening: The use of a generalised ego strengthening format to enhance general coping abilities, reinforce self reliance, improve positive self image, and minimize anxiety or worry.

Reframing: The reframing of particular stress producing situations into learning experiences, and problematic situations into challenges through direct suggestion and process instructions.

New Pattern Generator (NLP): The utilisation of the New Pattern Generator within the trance state to facilitate a change in the clients response patterns in those periods of higher pressure.

Moving Hands Accessing of Inner Resources: For finding a suitable self regulated solution to any problematic emotional responses by utilising the clients own inner resources.

Ego Assertive Training: Suggestions and metaphors to produce within the client greater feelings of independence while increasing the clients self abilities, to stand up for themselves in an appropriate manner.

Therapy Compression: By the utilisation of the hypnotic phenomena of Time Distortion, to access the clients ability to shorten the duration of preconceived therapy time required, for the amelioration of the problem.

Age Regression: To bring into conscious memory any useful information that may be retained in dissociated or state bound memory, while taking care to dissociate the client from the full impact of those memories.

The Angry Room: To facilitate the releasing of any repressed anger towards a particular past situation, that may be causing an undesirable effect on the clients overall stress levels.

The Inner Advisor: Having the client create in an appropriate setting, a special advisor of their own choosing, to assist them with their difficulties through direct suggestion.

These processes and procedures can be mixed and matched to suit the particular client and the clients current conditions over the course of the therapy program decided upon.

• (No title) by Michael A. Evola MS, CSW-R thanks for reply, 2/25/99