Get Your Life Back: 5 Natural Treatments for PTSD Symptoms

Related: Somatic Experiencing Therapy: How It Works & How to Do It

Causes and Risk Factors

Risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder:

This disorder typically occurs after someone has experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event. These events may include war combat, a natural disaster, abuse or assault, an accident, illness, or sudden death of a loved one.

As mentioned earlier, those who are more likely to struggle with PTSD include:

• War veterans
• Children and adults who have been through physical or sexual assault
• Those who have dealt with any type of abuse, accidents, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, political violence, death of a loved one, a serious illness or injury, or many other types of traumatizing events that seem “out of their control”
• A history of substance abuse or using drugs
• Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, although it’s not exactly clear why. A high risk factor for women is having a history of sexual assault and rape.
• Genetics also seem to play a role in mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression and PTSD. A family history of mental illness can make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others, especially when combined with other risk factors.
• Being middle-aged
• Living in poverty
• Being an immigrant
• Experiencing racism
• Not being able to work
• Having chronic pain

Changes in the brain due to trauma:

Researchers, including neuroscientists (who study the brain) and psychotherapists (who study maladaptive behaviors), have found that people with PTSD display abnormal levels of certain stress hormones, in addition to experiencing changes in brain activity.

• Adrenaline, the hormone that helps kickstart the “fight or flight response” in response to danger, has been shown to remain elevated in people with PTSD long after the event has ended. This reaction is different than what occurs in people without PTSD.
• The perception of danger or fear triggers many split-second changes in the body and brain, evoking the fight-or-flight response. This can cause the person’s heart rate to speed up, breathing to get faster, the pupils in the eyes to dilate, perspiration to increase and digestion to slow down.
• These physiological symptoms tied to stress will continue for many months, even years, in people experiencing PTSD. Stress hormones will also spike very quickly and disproportionately in response to even mildly stressful stimuli.
• Constantly elevated stress hormones negatively impact the entire body, including memory, emotion regulation and attention. The result is high levels of irritability, muscle tension, trouble sleeping, heart problems and many other long-term health issues.

Other neurological and biochemical changes have also been shown to take place in the brains and bodies of those with PTSD, including in the limbic system (the primal, emotional center of the brain). Studies suggest that three of the primary areas impacted by trauma include:

1. Amygdala
2. Hippocampus
3. Pre-frontal cortex

Changes in the brain following traumatic events can even be similar to the types of neurological changes seen in patients with brain injuries due to impact, accidents, etc.

Essentially, PTSD occurs due to loss of normal “executive functioning.” In other words, it occurs due to a loss of the ability to identify cause and effect, grasp the long-term effects of behaviors or actions, and create plans for the future.

Past trauma may make someone less intuitive, emotional, visual, spatial and tactual but more sequential and analytical.

Changes in brain activity, including deactivation of the left hemisphere, directly impact the capacity to organize past experiences, put them into logical sequences, and translate shifting feelings and perceptions into words that can be expressed to others.

Treatment

Conventional Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

• The most studied type of treatment for PTSD is use of prescription medications, especially antidepressants. Most experts believe that medications work best when combined with psychotherapy in order to help patients feel more in control of their recovery.
• Drugs intended for PTSD are used to help patients deal with feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, lack of motivation, feeling numb inside, social isolation, etc.
• Antidepressants for PTSD include several types of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These are used to treat depression in general, including in patients who do not have PTSD but suffer from similar symptoms. One medication called Prazosin is commonly prescribed for PTSD symptoms tied to anxiety and depression, including physical reactions, nightmares and helplessness.
• While side effects are always possible when using medications, they can also be life-saving for some patients. They can also be an important catalyst toward recovery while beginning other natural treatments. Medications will not work for every patient. There are no guarantees, and there is a wide array of reactions depending on the specific drug.

Natural Treatments for PTSD:

1. Therapy and Counseling

If you suspect that you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD, it’s best to reach out for help right away. When feelings become unbearable and interfere with normal life, ask a family member, teacher or your doctor for help.

You can refer to the National Institute of Mental Health’s Help for Mental Illnesses page to find a qualified mental health provider or social services worker in your area. In the case of an emergency (such as during a period of panic or major depression), an emergency room doctor can also provide temporary help.

Various types of psychotherapy (talk therapy) are used to help people overcome PTSD. The type of therapy depends on the situation and access to professional care.

Although many patients report experiencing increased distress during initial therapy sessions, as they get accustomed to discussing traumatic memories, one study found that talking about trauma in therapy sessions resulted in 86 percent of participants showing improvement in their PTSD and psychotic symptoms by the end of treatment.

One type that has been shown to be very effective is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in which thoughts are examined in order to determine how they affect behaviors and self-perception.

Some of the primary goals of therapy for PTSD include:

• Training a patient to better access the “emotional brain” that has been cut off. Many with PTSD feel “numb” and cannot tie events to emotions. A therapist can help patients open up about how they’re really feeling and form connections.
• Increasing self-awareness. A therapist can teach patients skills to understand how trauma changed their thoughts and feelings, in addition to how it impacts their bodies and health.
• Regaining a feeling of having control over one’s own life.
• Helping develop coping strategies for dealing with difficult emotions.

Therapists often work with patients with PTSD to help them learn to become more aware of their inner experience and to begin to befriend what is going on inside themselves. This includes physical sensations, emotions and thoughts.

Learning from past experiences and better vocalizing of feelings are other important areas to address. This is because helplessness and social withdrawal are both very common with PTSD.

2. Desensitization and Exposure to Fears

In addition to common types of talk therapy, several forms of exposure therapy are also used to desensitize patients to perceived threats, relieve stress and help them to face fears directly. A professional therapist usually conducts exposure therapy. The therapist can be a guide as the patient gradually faces situations, objects or locations that bring up strong feelings of the traumatic event.

• Prolonged Exposure — This is a type of therapy that involves discussing, facing and recalling the traumatic event in detail in order to gain control over upsetting thoughts, physical reactions and feelings about the trauma. The idea is that the more someone discusses the upsetting event, the more familiar it becomes and therefore the less feared. There are different ways to expose the patient to their fears. These include using imagining, writing, drawing or painting, or visiting the place where the event happened.
• Cognitive restructuring — This approach is similar to CBT and other forms of exposure therapy. It helps people make sense of the bad memories by discussing them. Feelings of regret, guilt and shame are often a central component to talk about since they can contribute to the patient feeling “stuck.”
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) — EMDR therapy involves having the patient focus attention on physical movement or sensations (like breath, sounds or hand movements) while he or she recalls the trauma and talks about it openly. By doing this, the patient has something to ground her/his attention in order to help the brain work through the traumatic memories.

3. Yoga and Meditation

In research supported by the National Institutes of Health, patients who took part in a 10-week program including yoga and mind-body practices on average experienced markedly reduced PTSD symptoms, even patients who had failed to respond to any previously used medications.

Yoga has been shown to change the brain by helping increase “happy” neurotransmitters, reducing the effects of stress, helping improve coping mechanisms for negative feelings and more. Participants in the study learned ways to help increase five specific types of positive, comforting feelings.

These feelings are GRACE:

• gratitude and compassion
• relatedness
• acceptance
• centeredness
• empowerment

Research suggests that another reason yoga and other forms of mind-body practices work so well for reducing PTSD symptoms is because they positively impact the nervous system. This is because they can change chemical signals sent via the vagus nerve back to the brain, helping promote relaxation.

Some of the ways that PTSD patients can directly tap in to their bodies’ “relaxation response” include:

• controlled breathing
• stretching or moving in purposeful ways (i.e., yoga asanas)
• chanting songs or mantras with a group
• practicing dozens of styles of meditation

There is also a lot of emerging data supporting mindfulness and meditation as an effective treatment approach for patients with PTSD due to how “neuroplasticity” (the brain’s ability to change itself based on repetition and focused attention) can improve neurological processes.

4. Social and Family Support

One of the strongest predictors of being able to overcome symptoms of PTSD is “building resilience” through social support and close relationships. Certain factors can help increase resilience, including:

• Joining a support group, which helps decrease feelings of isolation and alienation by opening up to others and forming compassionate relationships
• Visiting a family therapist in order to increase support from family, spouses, children or close friends
• Finding a spiritual or faith-based support group that can offer encouragement, an outlet, hope and positive feedback
• Social support also helps reduce aggression. It teaches those with PTSD how to respond to fear or other negative feelings without shutting others out. It also can give life a sense of purpose or meaning.

5. Self-Care and Stress Management

In addition to getting support from others, self-care is crucial for managing stress and triggers. Experts recommend some of these strategies:

• Eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar and processed foods but high in fiber (such as from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds)
• Engaging in regular, but usually mild, physical activity or exercise
• Getting enough sleep and downtime
• Being patient, including having realistic goals for how long it can take to feel better
• Reducing work-related stress and not taking on too much at once
• Spending more time in nature and with other people who help you feel comforted
• Becoming more knowledgeable about the condition through reading, journaling, speaking with a professional, videos, podcasts, etc.

Related: Systematic Desensitization Benefits + How to Do It

Conclusion

• PTSD is a mental health disorder that affects 7 percent to 8 percent of the population, including children and teens.
• It typically occurs after someone has experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event. These events may include war combat, a natural disaster, abuse or assault, an accident, illness, or sudden death of a loved one.
• PTSD symptoms include anxiety, depression, social isolation, sleep trouble and nightmares, guilt and shame, aggression, and avoiding talking to anybody else about thoughts or feelings.
• Treatments for PTSD include use of medications, therapy or counseling; group and family support; yoga; exercise; meditation; and other forms of managing stress through self-care.