FIND RELIEF AND RECOVERY FROM PTSD

Many people associate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with horrific and violent experiences such as war. While PTSD is common among veterans, the reality is that trauma can take many forms, affecting people of all backgrounds and often quietly impairing mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), individual trauma is an event, series of events, or circumstances that results in physical harm, emotional harm, and or life-threatening harm. Moreover, traumatic experiences harm your mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. As the National Council notes in “How to Manage Trauma”, 70% of people have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. Trauma and PTSD can happen to anyone regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

Experiencing or witnessing trauma can lead to emotional distress, flashbacks, and other challenging symptoms that may develop into PTSD. Despite the challenges of overwhelming PTSD symptoms, recovery is possible with comprehensive treatment services. With trauma-informed therapies, you can learn the necessary skills to regain control, manage your symptoms, and begin to heal.

At Spark Wellness, we provide PTSD treatment in Portland for individuals who are ready to move forward from the pain of the past. As a trusted trauma treatment center in Portland, our team is committed to helping people heal from post-traumatic stress disorder through compassionate, evidence-based care.

WHAT IS PTSD?

According to “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” from the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.9% of the world population has experienced a traumatic event at some point in their lives. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. However, there are a variety of factors that can contribute to the risk of PTSD. One of several important risk factors for PTSD includes the type of traumatic event you experienced. Listed below are some of the types of traumatic experiences that can contribute to an increased risk for PTSD:

Exposure to violent conflict or war
Sexual violence in childhood and or adulthood
- Sexual assault and sexual abuse
Intimate partner violence (IPV)
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional abuse
Community violence
Racial trauma
Natural disasters
Serious accidents
- Car accidents
Life-threatening injuries and illness
- Cancer
- Chronic health conditions

These experiences can lead to traumatic memories, flashbacks, emotional dysregulation, avoidance, intrusive thoughts, and even dissociation. Some individuals develop complex trauma (C-PTSD), often resulting from long-term or repeated trauma like childhood abuse. C-PTSD can lead to additional challenges, such as emotional instability and relationship conflict. When left unaddressed, PTSD and C-PTSD can increase your risk for other disorders like substance use disorder. Therefore, recognizing and understanding trauma is invaluable to finding the right treatment program to support your individual needs.

Without treatment, PTSD can significantly disrupt your life, but healing is possible with the right treatment program.

How Does PTSD Affect Your Life?

PTSD can significantly impair your quality of life, relationships, work, and mental and physical health. Many experience challenges with hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, avoidance of trauma reminders, and emotional numbness. The symptoms of trauma and PTSD can make everyday life feel overwhelming.

The symptoms of PTSD often interfere with your ability to feel safe, connected, and in control. You may experience:

Hypervigilance and sleep disturbances
Nightmares and panic attacks
Emotional numbness and avoidance
Difficulty with work, relationships, and daily tasks
Increased risk of substance use or other mental health disorders

Finding the right treatment program for you is invaluable to your overall healing. We are here to help you start healing and rebuilding a life that feels whole and fulfilling again.

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Is PTSD Treatable?

We know your symptoms can make you feel disconnected from yourself and others, but you are not alone. PTSD is a treatable condition, and many individuals find relief through a combination of talk therapy and medication management. PTSD treatment in Portland, Oregon, at Spark Wellness combines the latest evidence-based practices with a holistic approach to healing. We help you uncover the root of your trauma, build coping skills, and develop a treatment plan that supports your mental, emotional, and physical recovery.

Some of the therapies and modalities you can find in our Portland treatment center include:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is highly effective for PTSD to help process traumatic memories that can trigger negative emotions and unhealthy behaviors
- Helps you reduce emotional triggers, pain, and distress
- Many patients experience significant symptom reduction after just a few sessions of EMDR
By reprocessing negative beliefs, EMDR promotes emotional healing and symptom relief
- Helps you regain control and improve your overall well-being
Trauma is often linked to substance abuse in co-occurring conditions
- EMDR can be an effective component of dual diagnosis treatment

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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

An effective therapy to help you dismantle negative thinking and behavior patterns to regain control over your life
You learn how to recognize the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behavior
- Helps you process traumatic memories
- You learn how to build adaptive coping skills to manage distressing emotions
Learn how to recognize and challenge thought distortions about your traumatic experiences
- Symptoms from trauma, like abuse, can convince you that you are somehow responsible for what happened to you

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

An effective therapy for addressing emotional dysregulation, low distress tolerance, and relationship conflict
- You learn how to build adaptive coping skills to manage symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, and disconnection
- Helps you reduce maladaptive coping strategies
- Increase emotional resilience to cope with life stressors
- Improves communication skills for healthy relationship dynamics
- Teaches you how to set healthy boundaries with others
Build mindfulness to learn how to accept your thoughts and emotions without judgment

Medication Management

A comprehensive component of a PTSD treatment program to help reduce symptoms
- PTSD is associated with changes in the brain that impede stress management
  - Medication can help restore the chemical balance in your brain to manage symptoms
    - Reduce stress
    - Decrease hyperarousal symptoms
    - Help decrease sleep issues
Various tested medications have been used in conjunction with talk therapy to treat PTSD
- Antidepressants
  - SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
    - Sertraline (Zoloft)
    - Paroxetine (Paxil)
  - SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors)
    - Venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Some anti-anxiety medicines
- Other medications like Prazosin, an alpha-blocker used to manage nightmares in PTSD

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

An effective therapy to address experiential avoidance and rediscover your sense of self, and live alongside your traumatic experiences
- Harmful avoidance of thoughts, feelings, and sensations related to your traumatic experiences
  - An inability or unwillingness to acknowledge distressing experiences can lead to maladaptive avoidant coping strategies
    - Emotional suppression
    - Self-isolation
    - Substance abuse
    - Other mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression
You learn how to engage in psychological flexibility to acknowledge your negative internal experiences from trauma
- Helps you learn how to accept those distressing experiences, while still building a meaningful life in the presence of that discomfort
  - Through mindfulness practices, you can acknowledge and accept your trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and memories rather than avoid or suppress them
  - Mindfulness in ACT also helps you accept without judgment, the full breadth of your life experiences
Supports connection to your values
- Helps you recognize the difference between trauma-driven and values-driven behaviors
Empowers you to commit to actions that align with your values in the face of distressing thoughts, feelings, and sensations
- You learn how to set clear goals that lead you closer to your values
Through defusion strategies, you learn how to acknowledge when your thoughts are unhelpful, detach from them, and move forward
You gain insight into yourself for greater self-awareness and self-understanding of yourself and life
- With a greater sense of self, you can develop more psychological flexibility and learn to view your experience not as a threat to you

While PTSD can have a lasting impact on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, they do not have to control your life. Even years after a traumatic experience, effective treatment services can reduce symptoms and help you move through your trauma. Your journey to recovery is not a predetermined path, but rather a profoundly personal and dynamic process. We are committed to delivering personalized care tailored to your individual needs and circumstances. Our team works closely with you to develop a plan that supports long-term healing and recovery. You will learn strategies to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Comprehensive Care and Support

Our PTSD treatment in Portland helps you address both past trauma and current triggers. With a comprehensive, holistic approach to care, you can build skills to navigate your life with confidence and resilience. Additionally, our dedicated team provides continuous care throughout your recovery journey. Spark Wellness offers continuous care because we want to empower our patients to thrive beyond their time in treatment. We are here to listen, support, and guide you with empathy and compassion at every stage.

There is a wide range of therapeutic tools designed to meet you where you are on your recovery journey. For instance, our support groups are a foundational part of our commitment to the power of connection and community for healing. Our support groups for childhood trauma, anxiety, and phobias create a safe and supportive environment. In our safe and supportive environment, patients are empowered to share experiences, learn coping skills, and receive emotional support from their peers who understand their challenges. This collective healing fosters resilience, symptom management, and healthier ways to process traumatic memories.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does Spark Wellness provide dual diagnosis treatment?

Yes, we specialize in dual diagnosis treatment to help patients dismantle underlying challenges to their health and well-being, such as the impact of traumatic experiences on mental health and substance use disorder.

What are the staff’s credentials?

Our highly trained staff are either licensed or certified in various fields, including MDs, NDs, PMHNPs, LPCs, CADCs, QMHPs, and CRMs. Additionally, all our staff are trained in trauma-informed care.

How do I get started?

Trauma may feel overwhelming, but it does not have to define your life. We are here to provide the support and care you need to rebuild your future. You have already endured so much — now, let us help you find the strength to move forward, reclaim the life you deserve, and begin your journey toward healing. We are here to remind you that you do not have to carry this weight alone — there is a way forward.

Take the next step in your recovery journey and spark change in your life with our easy three-step admission process. We will walk you through a confidential evaluation, free insurance verification, and a 30 to 60-minute intake assessment. In addition, we provide 24/7 admissions availability, so you can call or email us today to start your journey toward healing and long-term recovery.

The symptoms of PTSD can leave you feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from yourself and loved ones. However, long-term recovery is possible with a comprehensive and holistic approach to treatment. At Spark Wellness, you can find knowledgeable and compassionate care in a safe and supportive environment to heal as a whole person. Call us at (971) 359-4753 to learn how you can spark change in your life today.