Who would have thought that an iPod could hold the treatment for sufferers of post traumatic stress?
I certainly didn’t, but research conducted at Duke University and the Durham, NC Medical Center suggests that guided imagery on an MP3 player can successfully treat symptoms resulting from military sexual trauma. No pharmaceuticals, no therapy, just a guided imagery soundtrack – and the subjects of the study reported a huge decrease in symptoms across the board.
Treatment approaches for post traumatic stress vary widely, but new research suggests that the classical method of talking about the incident can actually backfire. Many survivors of PTSD can be re-traumatized by being pushed to discuss a traumatic event.
Guided imagery works where traditional approaches might fail because it affects the parts of the brain that are directly impacted by trauma. The brain stem and the mid-brain are connected with survival and are in essence, cordoned off by trauma.
Imagery goes straight to those areas, reengaging them and also helping the whole person recover.
The usefulness of guided imagery doesn’t end there. Smoking cessation? Guided imagery can help with that. Stress? A new study indicates that guided imagery might be beneficial in reducing cortisol levels.
There is so much going on in the field of guided imagery, and that is only one of the techniques out there for trauma treatment.
You can learn more techniques by checking out our treating trauma programs.
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