Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma

Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma is a specialized type of therapy used to treat patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, or exposures to violence and/or abuse. It was developed in the 1980s to treat victims of sexual abuse and since that time, has been used successfully and world-wide to treat persons who have experienced a variety of traumatic and stressful events. Trauma and PTSD don’t just happen to soldiers. Cognitive Processing Therapy has helped millions of trauma sufferers from all walks of life to find relief and healing from their symptoms.

This evidence-based patient psychotherapy includes twelve, structured sessions, and has the patient question the trauma itself and the beliefs about the trauma and what caused it to occur. The patient is asked to reflect on how the trauma impacts their views on relationships, family, work, social interactions, themselves, and the world at large, using progressively detailed worksheets. The therapist tries to bring resolution to a conflict between what the patient believed about the world pre-trauma and what they know about the world post-trauma – it is this conflict in the brain that causes the symptoms of PTSD. Goals will be set, and impact statements will be taken from the patient at the beginning and end of the twelve sessions.

Over the twelve weeks, the patient will fill out worksheets whenever they are confronted with situations (triggering event) that cause them severe stress, anguish or an emotional response that is unpleasant. In doing so, the patient must write statements on how their emotional response to the triggering event affects them, if they feel they are making judgments based on emotions or fact, if they are allowing feelings to drive decisions vs. logic, etc. The therapist is trained to guide the patient through these worksheets to help them uncover emotional triggers and obstacles to healing their trauma. These areas are then discussed in detail. When patients must present “evidence” to substantiate their beliefs, the brain is challenged to do so, even when it “believes” something to be true. The therapist is then able to work with the patient to change thinking about certain aspects of the trauma, using the brain’s neuroplasticity. Over time, the patient will notice symptoms beginning to lessen and their thinking about the traumatic event will start to change. This will happen differently for each patient and at varying times during treatment.

To schedule an appointment for a Trauma Assessment for Cognitive Processing Therapy, please call 757-596-1900. You do not have to be an Orthopaedic or Interventional Pain Management patient at OSC to schedule a consultation with Dr. Martin.