Complex PTSD Treatment Centers

Getting the Help You Need for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Experiencing traumatic events and complex trauma sets the stage for many people to develop complex PTSD. Unfortunately, treating complex trauma is often a bit more complicated than simply attending a weekly therapy session. From medication-assisted therapy to help with other coexisting mental health disorders to talk therapy, you need the best complex PTSD treatment centers.

Icarus Behavioral Health can help you heal from a traumatic event that shaped you. We offer residential treatment based on DBT that gives you or a loved one a safe space to explore what happened, as well as find relief through a full array of holistic therapies.

Keep reading to find out more about how our CPTSD treatment program offers you support and guidance on the path to healing!

Medication-Assisted Treatment to Minimize Complex PTSD Symptoms

First and foremost, trauma treatment centers should explore the use of medication-assisted therapy to help you manage the symptoms of PTSD. Medication could help you to eliminate a mental health condition that complicates your complex PTSD such as anxiety or depression.

While medication may not be appropriate for everyone, it certainly has an important role in a robust treatment plan for many.

Of course, there are also some medications that help with the treatment of CPTSD. They may not be plentiful, but they can play an important role in healing. You will want a treatment center with mental health professionals who are used to dealing with FDA-approved medications like sertraline and paroxetine HCL as well as those that are used off-label.

One-on-One Sessions with Mental Health Professionals

If you experienced prolonged trauma, then you know that you have a lot to unpack. A top-notch PTSD inpatient treatment program should offer you the opportunity to meet with a licensed counselor or therapist. They can walk you through many different treatment modalities to find the skills that you need to manage your symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Alter Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions

One of the first types of treatment that your therapist might work on with you is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This type of therapy is useful for treating PTSD because it homes in on your thoughts and feelings, as well as how those lead to actions.

This can be particularly useful for those who are dealing with substance abuse simultaneously as trauma. You will learn to interrupt the cycle of thoughts and feelings in order to influence your actions and outcomes.

In addition to learning how these pieces influence your decision-making, CBT also works to challenge patterns and beliefs. One research study found that a specific type of CBT, known as trauma-focused CBT or TF-CBT, was helpful in treating youth with CPTSD. While the research is still in its early stages, it is clear that there is some merit to walking through this treatment process.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Mindfulness and Coping Skills

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a great tool in treating borderline personality disorder, and it shows some promise for complex PTSD as well. The goal here is to learn to tolerate and cope with unpleasant emotions. Instead of running from strong feelings and sensations, you will learn to acknowledge them and sit with them.

In a great complex PTSD treatment center, you would learn how to practice mindfulness in order to feel more present in moments of distress. You do not have to think about tomorrow or even yesterday. The present moment is the only thing that matters, and you will learn how to tolerate the distress that it can bring.

As you move through your treatment with DBT skills, you will also learn how to regulate your emotions. While your brain chemistry might have some say in how you respond and feel, you have more influence than you may think. Implementing core coping skills can help you to feel everything without the need to turn to negative things like substance abuse or self-harm.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to Lessen Symptoms

While you are working through your trauma treatment plan, a skilled therapist may bring up the possibility of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR therapy. While EMDR can be quite intense, it helps your brain to re-categorize the events that happened to you.

Much like in REM sleep, eye movements, tones, or tapping help your brain to actually reprocess the traumatic memories. This makes them easier to handle and can minimize the long-term effects of your post-traumatic stress disorder. Early research shows that EMDR can improve a PTSD diagnosis and reduce symptoms. You will definitely want a trauma treatment center that offers this type of therapy.

The best part is that you are not required to actually discuss the details of your traumatic event in this type of reprocessing therapy. This is great for those who want to heal but are not yet ready to dive into the details.

Exposure Therapy to Treat PTSD and Complex Trauma

In addition to the other types of therapy that you will want to look for in a treatment center, you also may want to investigate exposure therapy. In this type of treatment, you will examine your actions and relearn how to engage with your day-to-day life. It can help improve the disabling effects of Complex Trauma and PTSD as well.

One of the hallmarks of complex PTSD is that you may learn to avoid certain situations that make you feel uncomfortable. Exposure therapy encourages you to take the risk and stop avoiding it. The goal is to teach you that your worst-case scenario thinking is often wrong when it comes to some of these activities. This approach can be particularly effective for trauma clients who are experiencing dissociation or feeling disconnected from reality on a daily basis.

As you learn more about yourself and the world around you, you might find that your symptoms of post-traumatic stress (namely, your avoidance) can drastically improve alongside your mental health.

Group Therapy Sessions for Peer Support

In addition to a robust one-on-one therapeutic program, you also need a complex PTSD treatment center that focuses on group therapy. Part of the problem with complex PTSD is that it can make you feel isolated and alone as if you are the only one coping with these struggles. Group sessions can change all of that.

Not only will you start to form real connections with others, but you also have the opportunity to learn from your peers. They may be able to share some of their own coping skills or insights gained through individual sessions. This type of feedback can be extremely helpful and insightful, saving you from doing all of the heavy lifting of therapy completely on your own.

Family Therapy to Give You the Support You Need

Group therapy is not the only way that Icarus Behavioral Health places other people in your treatment plan. We also emphasize family therapy because we understand that the people you live with can both help and hinder your progress. By working with your family to teach them how to best support you, you gain a built-in support system right in your home.

This can be especially useful once you are discharged from a program. Your family will know how to best help you when the uncomfortable symptoms of C-PTSD start to surface. They may offer recommendations or point out areas where you seem to be struggling.

Opening the lines of communication between family members is key to long-term success in the treatment of complex PTSD.

Options for Residential or Inpatient Treatment to Jumpstart Treatment

If you experience C-PTSD symptoms such as night terrors and flashbacks, you might find that your daily life feels overwhelming. Past trauma can make the small daily decisions that you must make feel completely impossible. While some people can benefit from outpatient therapy, you might want to look for a treatment center that can kickstart your healing with residential or inpatient.

While staying in a safe facility, you can learn tips for managing stress without adding to the issue with outside influences. Not to mention, you will have access to medical professionals around the clock. This allows them to observe you and more fully customize your treatment plan to your unique needs.

In addition, residential treatment for complex PTSD takes you out of the daily situation which can be especially helpful for those with ongoing abuse or multiple traumas in the home. You can rest assured that you are perfectly safe — both from others and from yourself. This can help bolster your confidence in relationships, as those with CPTSD in romantic relationships often have issues related to trust and intimacy.

While it might feel restrictive at first, many people find it to be more relaxing and helpful by the end of their treatment.

Choosing Our IOP for Flexibility and Support

When inpatient and residential care seems too far out of your comfort zone, Icarus Behavioral Health also offers an intensive outpatient or IOP program. This allows you to spend your days in a safe treatment center while you get to return home in the evening to sleep in your own bed.

This is a great step-down option that gives you more flexibility and freedom to practice what you are learning in therapy. Many people also enter into inpatient treatment and then transition into our IOP as they progress in their treatment plan.

Choosing the Best Complex PTSD Treatment Center in NM

For those who are dealing with complex trauma, help is on the horizon and within reach for you. From one-on-one sessions to group therapy, you can heal in a way that works best for you. Icarus Behavioral Health offers robust and holistic treatments that can assist you with the daily symptoms of complex PTSD in a setting where you feel comfortable.

Whether you choose residential treatment or partial hospitalization, the traumatic events you lived through do not have to define your days. Reach out to our admissions counselors when you are ready to start healing and move past the traumatic events that led to your complex PTSD.

All calls are completely confidential and discreet, so please reach out in confidence and get options today!