Curing PTSD
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updated Thursday, 21-Aug-2008 19:39:43 MST
1. Adrenaline (epinephrine)
2. Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
3. Dopamine
These fight-or-flight hormones are released when the body perceives danger - "a threat to life, bodily integrity or sanity." Post-traumatic stress occurs when an individual experiences a situation that causes these chemicals/hormones to be released at highly elevated levels. This becomes a "disorder" when the body continues to release these chemicals at higher than average rates even after the danger has passed. (For more information on trauma, see "What is Psychological Trauma" by Esther Giller of the Sidran Institute.)
To understand the two-step intervention for the PTSD cure, one must first understand the biology of our brains. To continue the car analogy from our section on catecholamines, let's look at the pathways in our brains as roads on a map. Just like on a map, the brain is crisscrossed with numerous roadways. Some of these are roads we drive everyday. They become ingrained as part of our daily routines so much that we may find ourselves driving down them even when we mean to take a new direction. Much like the famous poem, our brains would rather take the beaten paths rather than the road less traveled. While this is an efficient process for our daily lives, it does not always serve our personal goals. For instance, if we want to learn a new language, we may get frustrated because our brains keep driving down the freeway when we want it to take the side streets. Because our brains want to take the fastest and most direct route, getting the cruise control to change directions can be a battle. Ultimately, it is easier to learn a new driving routine by relocating entirely. For this analogy, it would be easier to learn Spanish by plopping our brains in Mexico where all the roads are new and strange. Under these circumstances, the brain realizes it must adapt in order to survive. Instead of fighting the change, it happily reorganizes and downloads a new navigation system in order to efficiently navigate this new world.
Study abroad is a classic example of manipulating the brain’s structure by changing our physical environments. By changing our surroundings, the brain becomes dependant on new input to get where it wants to go. Basically, we force the automatic pilot to disengage and allow us to drive manually.
Understanding that the brain follows pathways and uses the most traveled roads is key to understanding post-traumatic stress disorder. While it is possible to develop post-traumatic stress after a single event, most people develop PTSD due to prolonged stress. Furthermore, our surveys suggest that while PTSD can be triggered by a single instance, individuals in these cases are already operating with elevated levels of catecholamines from previous traumas. If true, then those brains were already operating at a high gear and the single incident was the trigger for throwing the rod in an engine that was already overtaxed. Due to repeated trauma exposure, the brain misunderstands the situation. Instead of starting in first gear, it heads straight to 6th and runs at 120 miles an hour. Because of prolonged exposure to trauma, the paths for gears 1-5 have overgrown with weeds. This is acceptable in a crisis but, for daily living, this is clearly overkill and will lead to burn out. So, the goal becomes to retrain the brain to run at lower levels. The only way to break this habit is to replace it with a new one. We change habits by getting our brains to drive down a new path. Because it takes approximately 21 days to create a new habit, this would indicate that it takes 21 days to create a new neural pathway. Therefore, it would take at least 21 days without triggers for a permanent change to take place. There is the catch-22 of PTSD. How can one create a new habit when the fight-or-flight chemicals are constantly being set off? How can one control the physical response long enough to practice the skills that will shut off the release of those chemicals?
To cure PTSD, one must get control of the symptoms so that he/she can focus. Ideally one would take medication that stops the release of the three catecholamines. Unfortunately, we have yet to discover a medication that can block these hormones at their source. However, we can do the next best thing and block the reception of the fight-or-flight chemicals. This will alleviate symptoms and give those with PTSD the ability to focus enough to manipulate their environments. For this step, we recommend the PTSD Cocktail. By itself, it will not cure PTSD. However, it is a giant leap towards daily functioning and a key component towards healing. Geodon alone has been shown to be 89% effective in treating PTSD.
The second step for curing PTSD is to change the environment. One must be totally free of triggers. Clearly, if trauma continues, it is impossible to get the brain to cooperate and try new pathways. Instead, the catecholamines will continue to elevate and it is possible for these chemicals to jump the blockades of the PTSD cocktail, finding a whole new gear. Just like in the analogy of learning a new language, the ideal situation is to remove one’s self from the problem environment and enter a whole new situation. Ideally, this means participation in an inpatient programmed designed specifically to treat PTSD. Creating this type of program that is available to anyone with PTSD, whether insured or not, is the number one goal for Carrot of Hope. A treatment center designed for post-traumatic stress would focus on holistic care that would lower catecholamine levels.
The ideal treatment program to cure PTSD would include, but not be limited to:
* The use of calming exercises, such as Yoga and Tai Chi, to slow the heart rate and increase oxygen to the muscles.
* Meditation programs in which patients learns body awareness and response control. Meditation is also excellent for controlling heart rates.
* Alternative treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy and neuromuscular therapy.
* A nutrition program designed to eat foods which moderate blood sugar, adrenaline release, tyramine levels and increase monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes. MAO-A breaks down catecholamines and is a powerful tool in decreasing the concentrations of adrenaline, norepinephrine and dopamine in the body.
* Animal therapy which is known for its calming effects.
* Individual therapy such as EMDR, EFT, DBT, hypnosis and psychotherapy.
* Group therapy because sharing experiences is powerful and keeps us from feeling isolated and alone in our experiences.
Life does not happen in a vacuum and neither does PTSD. While some may say that PTSD is incurable and, like cancer, the best we can hope for is remission, at Carrot of Hope, we strongly disagree. Just as no cancer survivors or their families are willing to give up on a cure, neither are individuals with PTSD and their families willing to give up hope. We believe that through a comprehensive medication and inpatient program PTSD can be cured. We believe that the brain can heal by taking new pathways. Most importantly, we believe our determination is strong enough to create a whole new gear – neutral.
Do you believe?