Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment

After a traumatic experience, it’s normal to feel shaken, anxious, or overwhelmed. For many people, these feelings fade over time. But for others, the distress lingers, or even worsens. When avoidance, fear, and intrusive memories start to disrupt daily life, relationships, and a sense of safety, it may be a sign of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD develops when the brain and body remain stuck in survival mode long after the danger has passed. It can lead to powerful emotional reactions, negative beliefs, and patterns of avoidance that make it hard to move forward.

At CBTAA, we provide evidence-based treatment that helps individuals break out of this cycle and begin healing with confidence. Most people who receive proper care for PTSD experience lasting relief, and we’re here to help you get there.

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What Is PTSD?

PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. It’s more than just a strong emotional response.

People with PTSD are often caught in a cycle of avoidance and emotional distress, while also remaining on edge– as if the trauma could happen again at any moment. They may try to push away reminders of the trauma, only to find that the avoidance deepens their symptoms. This pattern can lead to emotional numbing, difficulty sleeping, irritability, reckless behavior, and a growing sense of disconnection from others—and from themselves.

What sets PTSD apart from a typical stress response is that these symptoms don’t improve with time, and often become more disruptive without intervention.

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Understanding PTSD

PTSD alters how the brain processes threat, safety, and memory. The nervous system gets stuck in overdrive, reacting as if the danger is still present. This can lead to hypervigilance, intense emotional swings, and trouble concentrating or relaxing.

At the same time, many people begin forming “stuck points,” like rigid, often negative beliefs about themselves, others, or the world. These beliefs might include “I should have stopped it,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “The world is dangerous.” These stuck points fuel distress and prevent the natural recovery process from taking place. They can affect core areas of life, including safety, trust, power and control, intimacy, and self-esteem.

Trauma memories may be avoided or suppressed, but they don’t disappear. Without processing them safely and intentionally, the emotional and physiological toll often grows over time.

Symptoms of PTSD

PTSD symptoms typically fall into four main categories, but each person’s experience may be different, and symptoms can change over time.

Intrusive Symptoms

These include unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks, or intense emotional distress when reminded of the trauma. Intrusive symptoms can feel like the event is happening all over again. For example, someone might hear a loud noise and suddenly feel transported back to the moment of a car crash, or wake up from a nightmare drenched in sweat and disoriented. Even subtle reminders, like a smell or sound, can trigger an overwhelming wave of fear or panic.

Avoidance

People with PTSD often go out of their way to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma—places, conversations, emotions, even certain people. This can lead to isolation or disconnection from important parts of life. For instance, a person who experienced a traumatic medical event might avoid hospitals completely, even when they need care. Avoidance may feel protective in the short term, but it often reinforces the fear and keeps the distress alive.

Changes in Thinking and Mood

PTSD can lead to negative thoughts about yourself or the world, persistent feelings of guilt or shame, difficulty feeling joy, and loss of interest in previously meaningful activities. Some people begin to believe they’re to blame for what happened or that the world is unsafe. For example, someone might stop trusting others or believe that bad things are inevitable, making it difficult to connect with loved ones or feel hopeful about the future.

Hyperarousal

Many people with PTSD experience hypervigilance, being easily startled, irritability or anger, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating. Some also feel emotionally detached or “numb.” Many people have trouble sleeping or concentrating, and small frustrations can lead to outbursts. For example, a person who experienced combat or violence might instinctively scan every room for exits or sit with their back to the wall in public spaces. Over time, this heightened state of alertness becomes exhausting.

How PTSD Develops

PTSD doesn’t develop just because someone experienced trauma—it develops when the mind and body stay stuck in a loop of avoidance and fear that blocks recovery.

Immediately after a traumatic event, it’s common to have distressing memories, difficulty sleeping, or changes in mood. These symptoms typically resolve over time. But when a person avoids processing the event and suppresses the emotions associated with it, that avoidance can solidify. This is when PTSD begins to take root.

Avoidance might look like skipping certain places, staying busy to avoid thinking, or using substances to dull emotional pain. But this relief is temporary. Over time, avoidance strengthens the brain’s perception that those thoughts and feelings are dangerous—making them harder to face and harder to escape. This is why treatment focuses not just on the trauma itself, but on the behaviors and beliefs that keep people stuck.

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PTSD vs. Trauma: What’s the Difference?

While PTSD is rooted in trauma, not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD. Trauma is common, most people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives. It’s natural to feel fear, sadness, or emotional shock in the aftermath. But for many people, these symptoms fade with time, support, and self-care.

PTSD is different. It involves clinically recognized symptoms that last more than a month, interfere with daily life, and don’t improve without intervention. If you’ve experienced trauma and are struggling to function or feel safe, you don’t need to “wait and see.” Help is available, and early treatment often leads to better outcomes.

When to Consider Seeking Help for PTSD Treatment

PTSD can develop soon after a traumatic event or emerge months, or even years, later. It’s time to consider treatment if you:

• Feel stuck in fear, guilt, or shame related to a past event
  
  
• Avoid reminders of the trauma or find yourself emotionally shutting down
  
  
• Experience flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts
  
  
• Struggle to relax, sleep, or feel safe
  
  
• Have difficulty trusting others or connecting in relationships
  
  
• Notice patterns of reckless behavior, anger, or irritability

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Evidence-Based Treatment for PTSD

PTSD is highly treatable. At CBTAA, we specialize in trauma-focused interventions that help reduce distress, rebuild emotional safety, and restore a sense of control.

The right treatment can help you process trauma, shift stuck beliefs, and reconnect with your life in a way that feels meaningful again. Below are several evidence-based therapies we use or support, depending on each individual’s needs and preferences.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the foundation for many of the most effective PTSD treatments. This approach helps clients understand how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are deeply connected, and how those patterns can become reactive or distorted in the aftermath of trauma.

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One of the most powerful aspects of CBT is that it doesn’t just focus on insight, it helps you take action. By learning to identify unhelpful thoughts and emotional triggers, clients can begin to shift their behaviors in meaningful ways. Over time, these behavioral changes support greater emotional stability and a renewed sense of agency. CBT also provides a strong foundation for trauma-focused therapies, and can include additional CBT methods including Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy, offering both structure and flexibility throughout the healing process.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

CPT focuses on the trauma and the impact of the trauma. This includes beliefs that often develop in the aftermath of trauma, especially those that feel stuck or self-blaming. These “stuck points” might include thoughts like “I should have stopped it,” “I can’t trust anyone,” or “I deserved what happened.” In CPT, clients work with a therapist to examine these beliefs, understand where they come from, and replace them with more balanced, accurate alternatives. Depending on client preference, CPT is an excellent route for those who do not necessarily want to talk about the traumatic event in great detail. CPT is particularly helpful for addressing guilt, shame, and shifts in identity that often follow trauma.

Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Prolonged Exposure Therapy is one of the most rigorously tested treatments for PTSD. It helps clients process the trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and memories they’ve been avoiding—rather than continuing to suppress them. PE doesn’t rush or retraumatize. It creates a safe, structured environment where you can begin to revisit what happened, stay with the emotions that come up, and allow those feelings to reduce naturally over time. This process helps retrain the brain’s fear response, breaking the cycle of avoidance and restoring a sense of control.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is another evidence-based treatment that has been shown to reduce the emotional impact of trauma. It involves recalling distressing memories while engaging in guided bilateral stimulation, typically eye movements, tapping, or tones. This process is believed to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories and integrate them in a less emotionally charged way. While EMDR is not a core treatment modality at CBTAA, we recognize its value and refer clients to trusted providers when appropriate.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for PTSD (DBT-PE)

For some clients, it can be helpful to first build skills in emotional regulation and distress tolerance before beginning direct trauma work. At CBTAA, we may incorporate elements of the DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) protocol, developed by Dr. Melanie Harned, depending on client need and presentation. DBT-PE combines the evidence-based structure of prolonged exposure therapy with DBT’s focus on skill-building, helping clients strengthen their ability to manage intense emotions and reduce impulsive behaviors. By bolstering coping skills in advance, this approach can make trauma processing safer and more effective, especially for clients who struggle with self-regulation or who have co-occurring challenges like self-harm or chronic emotion dysregulation.

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What to Expect in PTSD Therapy

Your first sessions at CBTAA will focus on understanding your story, goals, and current symptoms. There’s no pressure to talk about everything right away, we begin with building safety and trust.

Depending on your needs, treatment may include learning regulation skills, practicing grounding exercises, identifying stuck points, or gradually processing trauma memories through structured approaches like PE or CPT. We’ll move at a pace that feels supportive and manageable.

Our goal is not to relive trauma, but to help you regain control over how it affects you, so you can live more fully in the present.

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PTSD Therapy That Fits You

All of our clinicians at CBTAA are highly trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and receive ongoing supervision from national leaders in the field. Many of our therapists are also trained in specialized PTSD treatments such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

We offer therapy for adults, teens, and children, both in-person and virtually, for clients across New York City, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Whether your symptoms are recent or longstanding, our team is ready to help you build a personalized treatment plan that works for your life.

Whether you’re seeking support for PTSD treatment yourself or a loved one, we offer personalized and evidence-based care for children, teens, and adults. Book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our Clinical Coordinations and they will match you with a therapist who best fits your needs and goals.