I recently watched an interview on YouTube with you and a woman from Martha's Vineyard. [Ed. Note: This was Anne Bassett hosting her excellent program, Vineyard View. This one-hour interview was broken down into seven YouTube segments.]
It was very informative. I have suffered from PTSD for a number of years (I am 62). I have done EMDR work that helped some, and I am recovered from alcohol and drug addiction for almost 20 years now, but I still suffer from the same nightmare - that someone is after me (a man) and I'm trying to hide, because his goal is to murder me.
What is the best imagery CD to purchase for this recurring experience in my sleep?
Thank you in advance…
Researchers from Leipzig University in Germany mounted a pilot to see if treatment over the internet, with therapist support, could remediate trauma symptoms suffered by Iraqi civilians in conflict areas. (Web-based treatment is badly needed, as ongoing violence has driven many of Iraq’s physicians and mental health professionals out of the country.)
A therapist-supported cognitive-behavioral treatment manual* that has been evaluated in Western countries was translated into Arabic and culturally adapted to the population. The treatment was conducted via the Internet by Arabic-speaking therapists and was evaluated in an uncontrolled pilot study with 15 participants.
Main outcome measures were PTSD (Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale - PDS), depression, anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Check List-25 (HSCL-25)), and quality of life (EUROHIS).
We found this inspiring testimonial to the power of guided imagery on an Amazon review, describing someone’s response to the Healing Trauma imagery. It supports our repeated observation that guided imagery that targets PTS is very effective for old and deep wounds and the painful attitudes and self-percepts that get built around them. Here’s the comment:
“After a lifetime of dealing with a genetic disease that killed half my family, I didn't think any kind of meditation could make any difference at all. I had come to a point of being so depressed and angry and feeling that life is so unfair and hopeless for some people.
“I grew up in fundamentalist churches in the Deep South where I was taught that my ancestors had sinned against God, and God put a curse on my family, and we would all keep dying until God was over his anger. I can't even begin to express what kind of damage this does to a child already struggling with overwhelming circumstances in a family.
“Although I grew up and realized eventually that it was nonsense, I think that kind of teaching takes hold in the subconscious and is very hard to really overcome. I went to bed and started listening to this CD--expecting nothing really, and I don't think I even made it into a full minute before I could feel tears squeezing out & rolling down my face, and before long I was just crying. It happens every time I listen, but I feel lighter afterwards and not so weighed down with pain. I also don't feel so tired. I love this meditation, find it very calm & soothing…”
Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle examined whether an early intervention targeting negative beliefs of female assault survivors could mediate the subsequent development of chronic PTSD.
Ninety recent female assault survivors were randomized to 3 four-week early intervention programs: (1) brief cognitive behavioral therapy, (2) weekly assessment or (3) supportive counseling. Changes in negative beliefs were examined before and after the intervention.
I am working with a woman who is afraid to close her eyes. The very idea creates extreme anxiety, and therefore I cannot use meditation or guided imagery with her, even though both of us believe it could be very beneficial for her. Obviously this has to do with her traumatized past, involving childhood sexual abuse. Any suggestions?
Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA investigated whether trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) could be effective with very young children, ages 3-6, exposed to heterogeneous types of traumas.
A feasibility study with 11 children was followed by a pilot with 64 children, randomly assigned to either a 12-session manualized TF-CBT protocol or a 12-weeks wait list condition.
In the randomized design the intervention group improved significantly more on symptoms of PTSD, but not on depression, separation anxiety, oppositional defiant, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Since the sense of smell plays a prominent role in traumatic memories, investigators from the mental health division of the Israeli Defense Forces conducted an open, prospective study with patients suffering from chronic combat-related PTSD, whose condition had not improved with other treatment modalities, to see if the olfactory sense could be utilized for healing the symptoms of PTS.
A technique called hypnotherapeutic olfactory conditioning (HOC)1 was tested with 36 outpatient combat veterans with chronic PTS that featured resistant olfactory-induced flashbacks. They were treated with six 1.5-hour sessions using hypnosis.
Here’s a dramatic story that came out of Fargo, ND, about Alison Kohler, a woman who was so traumatized, she’d basically shut down her life, and how her therapist, Connie Bjerk, trained in practicing integrative therapies, helped release her from being controlled by fear, and jump-start a very juicy new chapter in her life, filled with hope, romance and possibility.
Every now and then it really does happen this way. You can read more about it here.
I'm a "fan" and I've read your books and have referred clients to your CDs. My question is this: Do you use and or support EFT for trauma and combat PTSD?
[Ed note: EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is a protocol that has people tapping on acupressure points while recalling or retelling their traumatic event(s), a process that somehow releases the trapped energy of those memories and thus reduces or eliminates PTS symptoms – sometimes with surprising speed]
My startle reflex happens maybe 2-3 seconds AFTER someone walks into a room or opens a door unexpectedly. I see who it is, stare at them (usually a family member), and then I jump, scream or cover my face. It is so unsettling when this occurs. Is this a "normal" reaction to years of severe child abuse--that the startle would be so slow to start? Thank you in advance for your response.
Since the sense of smell plays a prominent role in traumatic memories, investigators from the mental health division of the Israeli Defense Forces conducted an open, prospective study with patients suffering from chronic combat-related PTSD, whose condition had not improved with other treatment modalities, to see if the olfactory sense could be utilized for healing the symptoms of PTS. 
Here’s a dramatic story that came out of Fargo, ND, about Alison Kohler, a woman who was so traumatized, she’d basically shut down her life, and how her therapist, Connie Bjerk, trained in practicing integrative therapies, helped release her from being controlled by fear, and jump-start a very juicy new chapter in her life, filled with hope, romance and possibility. 
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