Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and TMS Therapy for PTSD

Certain antidepressants are commonly prescribed to treat PTSD and its associated symptoms of anxiety. These medications include Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Tricyclic antidepressants, Mood Stabilizers, and Atypical Antipsychotics. Additionally, some blood pressure medications, like Prazosin for nightmares, Clonidine for sleep issues, and Propranolol to mitigate the formation of traumatic memories, are used off-label for PTSD treatment. 

At Neuro Wellness Spa, our psychiatrists collaborate with you to assess whether psychiatric medication is suitable for your individual needs and symptoms. We tailor treatment plans to provide personalized care aimed at alleviating PTSD symptoms effectively.

Our master’s level clinicians are skilled in a variety of therapeutic modalities to treat PTSD. We work with you to develop a treatment plan that is unique to you.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help change the negative associations to PTSD triggers, which in turn can improve emotional regulation. Through CBT, you will learn how to address negative thinking patterns that PTSD can cause and develop coping skills to combat those negative thoughts through evidence finding, positive coping skills, and behavior modification.
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy involves reliving the traumatic event in a safe and controlled environment. Your therapist will work with you to ensure that you develop positive coping skills and protective factors before starting and will work at your pace to ensure your safety and comfort. Prolonged Exposure Therapy helps you face your fears and gradually become more comfortable with frightening or anxiety-inducing situations.
• Psychodynamic therapy helps you examine your values and how your values were affected by your trauma.
• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is a complex therapy that stimulates both hemispheres of your brain to assist you in reprocessing your traumatic memories. EMDR allows you to process your traumatic memories without talking through the trauma and instead helps you access the memories in a very specific way. Combined with eye movements and guided instructions, accessing those memories enables you to reprocess and begin healing from the traumatic memories. 

Research shows that PTSD impacts three key brain networks: the default mode network, the executive control network, and the salience network. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) specifically targets the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, stimulating the production of neurotransmitters that may be deficient in PTSD. While TMS is not FDA-approved specifically for PTSD, it has demonstrated significant success off-label in alleviating the depressive and anxious symptoms associated with the disorder. 

At Neuro Wellness Spa, we can collaborate with you to assess whether TMS therapy is a suitable option for managing your PTSD symptoms effectively.

When medication and weekly therapy are not enough to effectively treat and manage your PTSD, a higher level of care might be the more appropriate course of treatment. We can work with you to determine if the residential or outpatient programs at our partner Clear Behavioral Health are a good fit. Clear Behavioral Health offers PTSD treatment in a structured environment designed to facilitate focused healing. Clear Behavioral Health is managed by the same experienced mental health clinicians as Neuro Wellness Spa. It provides residential as well as in-person and virtual outpatient programs (PHP and IOP) for PTSD.