PTSD Treatment in Newport Beach From a Psychiatric Perspective

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By Kimberly Brown, MD, Psychiatrist at Lido Wellness Center

 

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that often occurs in patients who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic incident. The cause of PTSD can be anything from a natural disaster, an act of war, a criminal or terrorist act, or a personal assault, be it mental, emotional, or physical. High quality PTSD treatment in Newport Beach is the bridge to healing for many individuals.

There are answers for patients and families seeking psychiatric care for trauma treatment. Orange County mental health treatment center, Lido Wellness Center, answers the top questions related to PTSD psychiatry and trauma treatment.

How is Someone Diagnosed with PTSD?

For an adult to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must consistently exhibit all the following symptoms for at least one month.[1] Any or all of these symptoms can affect the patient’s ability to conduct routine tasks.

  • One or more re-experiencing symptom
  • One or more avoidance symptom
  • Two or more arousal and reactivity symptoms
  • Two or more cognition and mood symptoms

Re-experiencing symptoms include trauma flashbacks that may or may not include physical symptoms such as racing heart, nightmares, and startling thoughts.

Avoidance symptoms include avoiding places, people, objects, conversations, and thoughts that remind them of the traumatic event. If the event was a natural disaster, the patient might be triggered by any type of weather event.

Arousal and reactivity symptoms include feeling “on edge,” being easily startled, having trouble sleeping, and having angry outbursts.

Arousal symptoms are usually constant instead of being triggered by things that remind one of the traumatic events. These symptoms can make the person feel stressed and angry.

Cognition and mood symptoms include foggy memory of the initial traumatic event, negative thinking, distorted assignment of shame or guilt, and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. They may feel alienated from family or friends.[1]

Some of the symptoms are normal after someone experiences trauma. However, if symptoms continue or intensify after a month or if the symptoms hinder one’s ability to function as usual before the event, it could be a strong indicator that professional PTSD treatment is needed.

What Are the Different Types of Therapies and Treatments For PTSD?

PTSD treatment in Newport Beach will vary depending on the patient’s needs and disorder severity. Either a psychiatrist or a therapist trained in trauma can be the primary mental health provider for trauma treatment.

For severe symptoms, medication and therapy combine for the best outcome. Orange County patients and patients across the county have succeeded with various psychological methods.

Some of the most effective interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder are medications that only a licensed psychiatrist (MD or DO) can prescribe. Other non-prescription methods that professionals employ include “talk therapy,” exposure therapy, and cognitive restructuring.

Why Some People Develop PTSD After a Traumatic Event and Others Don’t

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects everyone differently; most people do not develop the condition. The frequency of PTSD in the United States is 8% to 9% and affects roughly 25% to 30% of victims who experienced a significant traumatic event.[2]

Certain risk factors make a person more likely to develop PTSD than others. Common risk factors include injuries, witnessing another person’s injury or death, buried or repeated childhood traumas, history of substance abuse, extreme fear and helplessness, a history of mental illness, and lack of support after the traumatic event.[3]

Are There Physical Problems Associated with PTSD?

Adults who have been diagnosed with PTSD may experience elevated rates of several physical health conditions, including:[4]

  • Chronic aging disorders
  • Reduced physical functions
  • Gastritis
  • Radiating chest pain
  • Arthritis

Can You Prevent PTSD?

One cannot prevent trauma or the symptoms that may follow. However, studies have shown that several supporting factors aid in resilience and recovery following a traumatic event and can help prevent long-term PTSD symptoms.[5]

Remaining in continual contact with a support network and sharing their trauma experience can be beneficial. Identifying oneself in the survivor role instead of a victim will give a stronger sense of empowerment.

Finding ways to experience positive emotions such as laughter and looking for positive meaning in the experience can shift the perspective. Helping other survivors navigate their own healing process and believing in their ability to cope can positively affect post-traumatic events.

Consult Lido Wellness Center: PTSD Treatment in Newport Beach

If you or a loved one are struggling with symptoms of PTSD, we can help. At Lido Wellness Center, we’re dedicated to providing whole-person, patient-first PTSD treatment. Contact our offices today.

 

Sources:

[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd#part_2239

[2] https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2003/1215/p2401.html

[3] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd#part_2239

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3288257/

[5] https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/how-prevent-trauma-becoming-ptsd

5 Lifestyle Tweaks that Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

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Our very own Dr. Lesley Tate-Gould was interviewed by Candice Georgiadis of Medium and Authority Magazine as part of their “Women in Wellness” series. In addition to Dr. Tate-Gould’s story and how she co-founded Lido Wellness Center, the two discussed effective and practical ways to support one’s journey to wellbeing. Lido Wellness Center is a premier wellness Center in Orange County California. We work with patients all across the US.

Here is a summary of Dr. Tate-Gould’s top 5 lifestyle tweaks! You can also read the full interview on Medium.com.

Lean Into Discipline

Change doesn’t happen to a person; it’s a choice. Taking that bold step and going into therapy signals to themselves and others that they’re taking their wellness seriously.

However, negative beliefs around how we experience difficult situations can stifle any crucial early momentum before it really gets going. Promoting personal discipline removes how one “feels” from the equation, so they can focus on what they need.

Select a project or behavior that you desire to begin or stop in your daily life. Create and commit to practical, actionable steps that will move you closer to your goal every day.

It’s important to choose attainable goals. Even small habit changes can be transformative.

Meditation Practice

This topic always gets mixed responses, but it’s one Dr. Tate-Gould always comes back to. Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes progress. Meditation is no different. Meditation is not a technique that will magically cure one of anxiety, trauma, or stress.

Meditation is simply the act of creating space your mind, body, and spirit need to discover how often you operate in one channel over another. Space mediation happens most successfully when you can focus on the space itself.

Dr. Tate-Gould says, “For example, when I have a very busy week ahead, I may notice that my thoughts during meditation are louder, more involved, walking me through my long list of items needed to see me through the week. Whereas, when I practice meditation at other times, I may notice greater access to a feeling or sensing state. These access points have delighted me when I will be greeted with a spontaneous solution to a problem that has been rolling around my mind for days, even weeks.”

The goal of meditation practice is to experience a greater sense of connection to ourselves and the divine. This is one of the most fulfilling ways to navigate life on this Earth.

Though not everyone will want to meditate, we do urge our patients to at least give meditation a try at our wellness center in Orange County. They may just find that meditation was something they were missing out on all along!

Reconnect To Play

As adults, we often lose that sense of play and wonderment we experienced as children. Many adults are surprised to learn that we require the art of play for survival, just as much as children.

“Play” isn’t something that someone can just teach someone else. It’s inherent. Adults just do not permit themselves to participate in playful activities.

We can still learn so much just from observing the antics and imaginations at work in the lives of children at play. Instead, adults often try to use the opportunity to play as a reward after another accomplishment.

Play should be viewed as the restorative nourishment it is. Something essential to life, not something optional you must earn. Quench the thirst for play and reinstate it as a normal and necessary activity.

Nature For the Win

It’s no coincidence that when people adventure and plan a vacation, they choose places that are inherently abundant in natural beauty. When we connect with the Earth, we are fulfilled and restored.

  • Feeling the dirt between our toes…
  • Watching the sunset over the horizon…
  • Seeing the creatures scurry about in their natural habitat…
  • Soaking in and feeling part of vast bodies of water…
  • Enjoy the natural paintings flora and fauna create…

We have been built to enjoy and take inspiration from the great outdoors. Our wellness center in Orange County takes this into consideration during mental health treatment. We aim to connect with nature as often as possible.

Prepare and Eat Meals with Your Family

Sharing a meal is a cross-cultural experience. Every tongue, nation, culture, and people can understand the connectedness that occurs when you share a meal.

This same experience is propelled even further when the preparation and work are also shared. This custom is a simple and healthy way to practice mindfulness and patience while waiting for delicious food to take shape.

Parties share in a mutual anticipation and experience a sense of accomplishment that is also enjoyed in eating the meal.

A Better Journey Towards Better Wellbeing with Lido Wellness Center

There was so much more unpacked in this wonderful interview; if you’d like to read the whole thing, you can check it out at medium.com.

At our premier mental health and trauma treatment center in Orange County, Lido Wellness Center practices a whole-body, holistic approach to wellbeing. Everyone’s mental, physical, and emotional needs are different, and so should their wellness journey be. To learn more, contact our offices today and schedule a consultation.

How Somatic Experiencing Therapy Can Help with Trauma

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The following are several common questions we hear about somatic therapy: “What is somatic experiencing therapy?” “How exactly does a somatic therapist help?” and “Does somatic therapy actually work?”

For those unfamiliar with trauma healing, this may be a new practice. Perhaps you or a loved one are ready to heal and wish to take a more holistic approach rather than relying solely on prescription medication. The Lido Wellness Center multidisciplinary team is here to help you answer all of these somatic therapy questions and share what you need to know about this insightful treatment.

What is Somatic Experiencing? (SE)

Somatic experiencing is a type of trauma therapy. This practice operates on the principle that past trauma can become trapped in the body and eventually lead to symptoms such as PTSD. Through this somatic experience, practitioners work to release that stress from the body.

First developed and practiced by Dr. Peter Levine in the seventies, somatic experiencing is designed to help patients increase their sense of awareness of their internal experiences. Dr. Levine, along with several researchers, conducted a study that demonstrated somatic experiencing helped restore core response network functionality (CRN) while considering the instinctive and natural reactions and protective mechanisms.[1]

They found that this practice proved effective when dealing with trauma and stress by using the patient’s attention to interoceptive, proprioceptive, and kinesthetic sensations. In laypeople’s terms, attention to gut instincts, physical movement, and tactile feeling.[1]

The human body possesses natural ways of regulating trauma response and the nervous system. Somatic experiencing practices natural release techniques of the negative symptoms of trauma.

Somatic practitioners and therapists believe the body’s inability to fully process a potentially traumatic event causes negative symptoms such as anxiety, shame, and aggression. Unresolved trauma can influence more serious physical, emotional, and mental health issues.

What To Expect During A Somatic Experiencing Session

Somatic Experiencing is a whole-body-focused therapy, so professionals may apply it across various disciplines such as psychotherapy, medicine, psychiatry, physical therapy, and even teaching.

A patient’s first somatic experiencing session will often be different from the sessions that follow. A commonly practiced form of somatic therapy involves the patient discussing their concerns, similar to other mental health therapies.

Going beyond discussion, somatic experiencing guides the patient’s focus toward the underlying physical responses. Moving the focus from the body, we strengthen the mind-body connection through exercises such as visualization, grounding, breathwork, meditation, dance, and massage.

There are also several subgroups of somatic experience that may be employed at the discretion of the practitioner including bioenergetic analysis, biodynamic psychotherapy, and brain-spotting. These are therapies that blend body, medical, and analytic modalities together for an even more comprehensive approach.

Somatic Experiencing Techniques

Each somatic experiencing session will be unique. However, there are several common threads to give a clearer picture of what to expect.

The therapist will help the patient develop a stronger awareness of their body, summon emotional resources, or encourage emotional release.

Grounding is a technique that requires contact with natural elements such as earth, fire, wind, and water to receive the positive electrical charges that can improve mental health.

Alternating the patient’s focus from a stressor to something that relieves tension is an effective way to help release tension.

Does Somatic Therapy Really Work?

Trauma is captured not only in the mind but in the memory banks of your physiology. Think of the common “fight, flight, or freeze” mechanism that can be triggered by a myriad of different events that all vary from person to person.

A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that somatic experiencing was an effective treatment for people with PTSD. Over 44% of patients included in the study reversed their PTSD diagnosis. Those who didn’t reverse the diagnosis experienced a reduction in negative symptoms.[2]

Somatic experiencing has been closely associated with other successful mindfulness techniques. But it takes a unique therapeutic stance by promoting healing without forcing an explicit retelling of past trauma.

Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Orange County’s Best

At our premier trauma treatment center in Orange County, Lido Wellness Center employs a whole-body, holistic approach to health, including mental, physical, and emotional wellness. Our center is a compassionate, patient-centered treatment center and a haven for people suffering from a variety of disorders and conditions.

If you or a loved one would like to learn more about somatic experiencing therapy and mental health treatment, contact our offices today for a confidential assessment.

 

Sources:

[1] https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093

[2] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.22189.1002/jts.22189