Help for PTSD?

I have PTSD from a near death MVA and an mugging, both near death experiences. My best results were EMDR therapy that also answered other traumas in my life. I would recommend to anyone to research for a therapist that can do EMDR it is a lifesaver for me.

I don't think people with PTSD need help. I think they need to tell their stories and be heard by the rest of the country.

I have a lot of respect for people who have unique experiences, and some of them make you a better, stronger, wiser person of more use to society than most education can ever yeild.

Hope for the best for you, though.

(I've had two near death experiences myself, and I appreciate them for what they were. Not the same as yours, though, so I hessitate to judge you.)

very good and the best of luck.

Good on you for following through, EMDR is a valid treatment for those who 'take to it.

There are specialist PTSD therapists, it's not a field that the untrained should try, including those who have undergrad training [Social work, Psychology, Psychiatry.

I certainly DON'T agree with Shibbole, people with PTSD do need help, the sooner the better, it can be devastating to ALL the family/friends.

people with PTSD do need help...all the help they can get....its hard to live thru that and to face life every day. my son in law now is in Iraq has it and it probably stems from when he was in Afghanistan a year prior.....didn't start getting help till two months ago. and yes I think they should tell their stories, I would love to hear them, but do they even know what is bringing this on???? It might be the smallest little thing that is doing this to them, but they have to work on it and find it in order to cure it.....or learn how to deal with it. May God bless all of our soldiers and bring them home safe.....

i have been doing emdr for quite a while and am finally getting to the core of my adult relationship problems resulting from the violent death of my mother and then never allowed to grieve for her or rarely speak her name, as though she had never existed. being unable to trust or attach to another person. already having low self esteem i pick a man that is sure to lower it even more. A warning to anyone - the therapy gets way harder before it gets better, i never cried for years despite an verbally abusive husband. now the littlest criticism or raised voice sets me off. But I'm getting stronger. i hope for a better future anyway.

I must admit, when I first read about EMDR, I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard of. Since then, however, there has been a some amount of research to believe it is probably helpful in PTSD, and carries a qualified recommendation by the American Psychiatric association, so I will eat crow.

That being said, in the most recent review of research, almost every type of psychotherapy has had fairly similar results. CBT, psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and others all seem to help about as many people by about the same amount. In addition, subsequent research on EMDR has suggested the eye-movement component is neither necessary nor sufficient to produce any benefit.

In the end, there are several types of psychotherapy that appear helpful, not just EMDR; anyone will want to discuss this with their psychotherapist.

Another important point is to realize that trauma does NOT equate to PTSD. Current studies suggest that between 50-90% of ALL people will experience such trauma as defined by psychiatrists in the course of their lives. However, only about 10-30% of those people will go on to develop PTSD. This is important, because for many people who experience trauma, but not PTSD, they may assume their experience is similar to someone with PTSD. Likewise, those with PTSD may assume their experience is similar to someone else who has experienced trauma without PTSD. This can result inaccurate and, sometimes, unfair comparisons in discussions when, in fact, it is like comparing apples to oranges.