Those who have survived a traumatic event often develop disabling symptoms associated with the trauma. This program identifies the criteria for having acute and post-traumatic stress disorder and examines how it can evolve into a more chronic condition. Learn about the challenges of this disorder and what you can do to help those who have endured a traumatic event.

"While the therapeutic relationship is very important, and an important substrate to the patient doing his or her work, in some ways we may have to be more like plumbers than like priests. And the task of the plumber is to unplug the toilet, not to have a warm relationship with the person whose toilet is plugged. And so maybe the task of the therapist is to provide the patient the skills that allow them to manage their lives." Bessel van der Kolk....

Introduces post-traumatic stress disorder and explains why it can occur in family members, its symptoms, and how to live with an individual affected by PTSD.

Over the past several years, many therapists have found that working with clients to identify where and how they hold trauma in their body and helping them to release it can be far more effective than traditional talk therapy alone. They've learned that somatic approaches can help trauma survivors to befriend their body, which they so often have come to see as the enemy. In this three-part series, researchers and clinicians share their perspectives...

"The field of mental health has changed from a deficit model to a strength model. And that's what psychological first aid does. It says that we don't have to look at the deficits and dysfunctions. Instead, we should look at the strengths that the individual has and build on them. " Chris Dunning, PhD. Many mental health professionals volunteer their time as first responders in the wake of large-scale disasters. All too often, they've found that their...

"A successful trauma therapy is about more than just not having symptoms. It's really about having a life, a life that's about pursuing dreams, pursuing happiness. But especially it's about the right to have a present and a future that are not completely dominated and dictated by the past." Karen Saakvitne. Given the controversy that has surrounded the field of trauma therapy in recent years, it's important to be reminded of how valuable the work...

"We saw that things like intractable smoking, things like promiscuity, use of street drugs, heavy alcohol consumption, etc. , these were fairly common in the backgrounds of many of the patients. . . These were merely techniques they were using, these were merely coping mechanisms that had gone into place." Vincent Felitti, MD. When Dr. Vincent Felitti, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, began to delve...

Despite advances in understanding and treatment for trauma-related problems, PTSD still goes undetected in most individuals who have it. Parents are being inappropriately blamed for their children's problems because of misinterpretations of the research data. Patients are being told extraordinary stories that trauma has damaged their brains. And treatments that work are being ignored by clinicians. Dr. Scheeringa understands the desperation many parents...

At fifteen, Amanda Grace was abducted on her way home from school. 738 days later, she escaped. Her 20/20 interview is what everyone remembers: Amanda describing the room where she was kept, the torn poster of TV heartthrob Chase Henry on the wall. It reminded her of home and gave her the strength to keep fighting. Now, years later, Amanda is struggling to live normally. Her friends have gone on to college, while she battles PTSD. She's not getting...