Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Hundreds of studies over the last 30 years have shown cognitive behavior therapy to be effective at addressing a wide variety of psychological problems. At the core of cognitive behavior therapy lies the concept that you can change your feelings by changing your thoughts.
Exposure Therapy One of the most common cognitive behavior therapy treatments for PTSD is exposure therapy. Exposures can be imaginal (picturing the event) or "in vivo” (exposing oneself to direct reminders of the event). By intentionally experiencing the thoughts, sensations, and feelings associated with reminders of the event this allows one to learn to tolerate and eventually be less affected by the memories and symptoms of trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) During EMDR a clinician will guide their client through a process of focusing on an image or thought associated with a traumatic event while simultaneously performing a series of lateral eye movements. This treatment has been found to be effective in numerous studies, however, it is not quite understood how this treatment reaches this efficacy.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ACT is a form of cognitive behavior therapy that utilizes both mindfulness and acceptance techniques in an attempt to increase psychological flexibility. One of the primary ACT concepts is that difficult feelings are an integral part of life and cannot be avoided. Clients are encouraged to commit to live life according to their values and not allow difficult feelings to control their life and behavior.