Written by: Sheri Johnson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Posttraumatic Stress (PTSD) doesn’t have to be lifelong. I’m here to tell you about a highly effective, emerging, brain-based method of healing, that provides my counselling therapy clients with lasting relief from PTSD within an extremely short timeframe – one to three sessions. This pain-free neuroscience approach to healing is spreading across the US and abroad, showing incredible results for survivors.
THE PTSD STRUGGLE
So many people struggle with PTSD and experience years, or sometimes decades of suffering, including flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, hyper-vigilance, depression, hopelessness, and much more. Despite the government funding that has gone into helping PTSD survivors, many continue to experience disturbing or debilitating symptoms even after all the time, money and energy they invested in therapy. Some survivors are told by professionals that they may always be affected by this injury, that they may never be the same.
How frightening and devastating for anyone to hear. That they may never feel better from PTSD. That the perpetrator who raped them may always linger in their mind, tormenting them. That they may never be rid of the unrelenting turmoil that PTSD can bring to life, relationships and emotional functioning. It’s no wonder there are sadly so many suicide attempts by those affected by PTSD.
The good news though, is that there is a way to fully clear up PTSD within an extremely short timeframe, so people can go on to freely live their lives to their fullest potential. This is a big statement, right!?
LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT PTSD THERAPIES
Neuroscience research has been making great strides in recent years and there are a number of emerging therapeutic modalities that look promising. Until they become more commonly used, and more heavily studied therapies, some of the current mainstream ways to address symptoms of PTSD involve repeated exposure, different talk therapies, and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), all of which require a re-living of the traumatic event. Although many people have invested the time and found great healing through some of these therapies, too many survivors cannot even complete therapy, let alone start it, for fear of the lengthy, daunting, not to mention expensive therapy process that can sometimes be more painful than the traumatic event itself.
It is safe to say that almost all of the primary approaches to trauma therapy these days require the client to re-tell and re-experience the traumatic event in some way. To face it (again) and feel worse before they can feel better. Most approaches only treat the conscious thinking part of the mind, but anyone suffering with PTSD will tell you that if they could think their way out of their symptoms, they would be healed a long time ago. Who can blame survivors of trauma for choosing to just live with the aftermath of symptoms, rather than re-live their worst nightmare again in therapy?
THE SECRET TO HEALING PTSD SO QUICKLY
Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT) is a modality of psychotherapy that is revolutionizing the way therapists are approaching PTSD with their clients. Mental Health professionals all over the US and now internationally are training in RRT, which was created by Dr. Jon Connelly based on his 50 years of education and clinical experience with trauma survivors.
RRT is a unique, innovative process based on neuroscience, multi-level communication and specialized memory reconsolidation techniques, designed to shift how the mind processes information. The process is an artful method that treats the whole mind (both conscious and subconscious simultaneously), resulting in lasting neural changes at the deepest level. Because of this, specific issues such as PTSD can be healed within one session.
QUICK RESULTS IN ONE SESSION
During an RRT session, clients are kept present the entire meeting, allowing their whole mind to get the good news that the event is no longer happening. This way, it can then stop causing reactions that were designed to respond to an event that no longer exists presently, and is in the past. As a result of skillfully keeping clients totally present, they often report feeling light, unburdened, and some even report the session as enjoyable. The therapist applies RRT processes to neutralize the event, and then clients often describe the event like it is a movie they once watched. RRT is not only effective with clearing up PTSD, but it is known to be useful for addressing phobias, insomnia, social anxiety, unwanted behaviors or habits, and much more.
GETTING HELP
In my online private practice FreeMind Therapy, I specialize in treating PTSD for a variety of traumas including veteran/military trauma, sexual violence, childhood abuse, and accidents, to name a few. For my clients presenting with ongoing symptoms from these issues, the results and testimonials are consistently positive, usually within one to two sessions, and my RRT colleagues say the same thing. As a social worker by trade, it is such a gift to watch healing happen before my eyes on a daily basis, and I hope that PTSD survivors across the globe can experience this healing therapy too.
If you or someone in your life has been suffering from PTSD, reach out to me for a free consultation. I always keep space open in my calendar for PTSD survivors so there is no delay in feeling better. If you are a mental health professional or coach, connect with me or check out the online RRT training program.
Interested in learning more about Rapid Resolution Therapy? Stay connected here and watch for Part 2 and 3 about how RRT works, and real-life testimonies of RRT with PTSD survivors.
Sheri Johnson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sheri is the Founder, Clinical Director and Psychotherapist for FreeMind Therapy, the only group practice in western Canada that specializes in a highly effective, short term, and painless PTSD treatment called Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT). Sheri is also the Executive Director for the Institute for Survivors of Sexual Violence, a nonprofit organization she co-developed out of Palm Beach, Florida. Holding a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Calgary, Sheri is working on some PTSD research at the moment, based in Florida.
