PTSD Treatment for Men: A Trauma Therapy Guide
As a therapist that works primarily with men, I find that many of the clients I work with don’t realize that what they are experiencing is PTSD. You might feel on edge, irritable, have a difficult time focusing, and not be able to do the things you were once able to do. You might feel confused about what’s happening and even feel disconnected from yourself. Men who experience PTSD have a unique set of circumstances to deal with because they’ve been trained already to believe the lie that they don’t have emotions or to “just get over it.” Unfortunately, PTSD isn’t something you can throw some dirt on and just get over. Trauma impacts the functioning and wiring of our brain, so without proper treatment and skill, there is no getting over it on your own.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Unwanted upsetting memories that don't seem to go away
Nightmares about the traumatic experience
Feeling on edge and irritable
Difficulty focusing
Flashbacks of the traumatic incident
Having a hard time remembering the details and experiences of the traumatic experience
Diminished interest in things you once enjoyed
Feeling isolated and alone
Difficulty sleeping
Increased symptoms of anxiety and depression
Aggressive or destructive behaviors
Increased startle reaction
Feeling disconnected or “floaty”
Why does trauma impact men in these ways?
It can be confusing and frustrating to feel these symptoms, and it seems like nothing seems to change no matter what you do. Our brains are complex machines, and it can be hard to explain why they respond in the ways they do. As a trauma therapist, there is no way for me to predict what will be traumatic from person to person. It’s less about the event and more about your reaction to it. It’s easy to try and logic out why what happened isn’t a big deal and why it shouldn’t be impacting your life in this way. Trauma can occur when the event or crisis exceeds our ability to cope effectively. It can occur because we are experiencing different developmental stages and might be more vulnerable and sensitive to developing PTSD than others. It can be difficult to overcome regardless of why our brain reacts the way it does. PTSD doesn’t disappear independently and requires help from a trained professional with experience in treating trauma.
What can men expect from PTSD treatment?
PTSD treatment, just like all therapy types, is a process. It’s not always quick and easy. It is a process to get you to a place where you a truly feeling better. You can expect to commit to weekly therapy sessions while doing trauma therapy. Before diving into your trauma, you can expect that we will spend some time ensuring you have proper coping skills and support while undergoing PTSD treatment. This type of therapy is a gradual process of feeling better and better. The most important part of trauma therapy is that feel safe with and trust your therapist. Nobody wants to dive into one of the worst experiences of their life with someone they don’t know or feel comfortable with. It takes time for you to build rapport and trust with your therapist.
You can expect that trauma therapy will be difficult but that you will find lasting relief. You gradually start feeling better and better week by week. You can trust that it will be effective and that you won’t have to continually be going to therapy for the rest of your life if you don’t want to.
How long will PTSD therapy take?
Timelines are always difficult when it comes to trauma treatment. Without knowing the type of trauma, It’s hard to speak about the length of time it will take to recover. Some men have complex trauma where multiple events have occurred, resulting in PTSD. If you have one traumatic experience to work through, it might take several weeks; if you have multiple traumatic experiences, it can take several months. Each person and scenario is different.
Does PTSD therapy actually work?
I could assure you that I would not be working with those with PTSD if I hadn’t seen it be safe and effective. The trauma therapy models I use to help my clients find relief from PTSD symptoms are well researched and studied. It’s important that you work with a therapist that specializes in trauma to get the results you want. Trauma therapy can help decrease your PTSD symptoms and help you respond to the people in your life in the way you want to.
I often find that the clients I work with don’t realize how heavy their trauma has weighed on their shoulders until they go through the process or working through their trauma. The more committed and more you attend therapy, the more likely you will see a reduction in your PTSD symptoms. Attending therapy sporadically is not an effective or efficient way of finding relief from PTSD. The more effort you put into therapy, the more positive results you will receive.
What are the results of therapy for PTSD?
The biggest thing you can hope for when it comes to treating your PTSD is to feel relief from the distressing experience that resulted in your symptoms. The clients I work with tell me after completing PTSD treatment, they feel like they can function better in their daily life. One challenge of experiencing PTSD is your relationships suffer. Because trauma impacts make you feel on edge, irritable, and isolative, the relationships with the people you love decline in quality and satisfaction. You may have less patience with your kids and lose your cool faster than you would like. After completing trauma therapy, my clients report being able to deal with stressors far better than they were able to do before.
Some of my favorite things to see my clients experience due to treatment are they sleep better, feel less anxious and depressed, and no longer feel overly upset about the trauma. When you have fewer nightmares and don’t feel like you always have to watch your back, you can give more energy and attention to the things you want in your life.
Will I need medication to manage my PTSD symptoms?
Honestly, maybe. I can’t speak for every person or every situation. It’s not my job to push anyone into taking medication, but it can be a helpful tool to help you get through treatment temporarily. Medication isn’t the only tool you need to combat your PTSD symptoms, but if you feel too upset to talk about and process the trauma, it might be something to try. People are awfully resistant to taking medication when it comes to mental health because they don't want to be dependent on it. The reality is in this life, we are dependent on a lot of things maybe we don’t want to be like: food, sleep, using the bathroom, etc. Meeting with a psychiatrist may help determine if medication is right for you.
EMDR Therapy for PTSD symptoms in Men in Utah
If you haven’t heard of EMDR before, let me share some thoughts with you. EMDR is a form of trauma therapy that has been well researched and utilized for people with PTSD for many years. EMDR involves stimulating both hemispheres of the brain using something called bilateral stimulation. That probably sounds more complicated than it really is. Forms of bilateral stimulation include snapping your fingers back and forth, alternating tapping each of your knees with each hand, typing, dancing, running, etc. The bilateral stimulation used in EMDR to reprocess trauma is fast to help you recall memories and experiences. EMDR involves thinking about the trauma while using bilateral stimulation to find relief from your trauma.
EMDR therapy can help men learn to cope
Even after you complete EMDR, you can use the skills you learned in EMDR to help you calm and soothe yourself. As I mentioned before, bilateral stimulation is part of EMDR reprocessing when it’s done quickly, but when bilateral stimulation is done slowly, it can help calm and soothe. Tapping your knees back and forth underneath your text can help calm your nervous system if you are in a stressful meeting with your boss.
EMDR therapy can help men change negative beliefs
One thing you might not realize about having PTSD is your negative beliefs about yourself, others, and the world in general. It’s common for the men I work with to believe that the trauma is their fault or that they aren’t good enough. It can be hard to persuade people who have experienced trauma to believe anything different. Other common beliefs resulting from trauma are that people will be out to get you and the world isn’t safe, and EMDR helps challenge these beliefs to develop more accurate and helpful beliefs.
EMDR Therapy can decrease distress and disturbance in men around a traumatic memory
Not only can EMDR help you learn to cope with stressful situations and change negative beliefs about yourself, and its job is to decrease the overall disturbance you have with a traumatic memory. EMDR can take a memory that is a ten on the disturbance scale and lower it to a one or zero. I’m sure reading this makes it hard to imagine how that could be possible but trust me, it is, and there’s plenty of research to back it up.
EMDR Therapy is an efficient trauma therapy
My greatest love for EMDR lies in the fact that is that it can help you find relief faster than other trauma therapies. EMDR is compared to fast forward on a DVD player regarding reprocessing trauma. It can take 1-3 therapy sessions of EMDR per traumatic memory to find relief. This is much faster and more effective than all the months and years you have tried to shove PTSD away.
Begin PTSD Treatment near Provo, Utah
Trauma may be part of life, but it doesn’t have to be permanent. Trauma impacts everyone differently, but it’s always disruptive and difficult to deal with. You don’t have to keep suffering. There is help for what you are experiencing, and you deserve to get it. As a man, I know it’s even more difficult to reach out for help, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. This Utah County Counseling Clinic can help you find the relief through working with a trauma therapist. To begin therapy follow the steps below:
Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation
Complete online forms and book a first session with a trauma therapist
Begin PTSD treatment
Online Therapy in Utah
It’s hard to find the time to attend therapy. I totally get it. I also strongly believe therapy is worth the time and investment and want to do anything I can to make it possible for you for you to receive it. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah as a safe and convenient way for to work through your trauma. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy and sometimes even more effective.
Online therapy also means I can work with you all over Utah. It means if you are located in Heber, Logan, St. George, or Cedar City, we can still work together and help you to heal your trauma.
Other Mental health Services Offered by Marcus Hunt Therapy
PTSD treatment for men and trauma therapy aren’t the only services I offer at this Spanish Fork Counseling Center. Other services offered at Marcus Hunt Therapy include therapy for men, premarital counseling, marriage counseling, LDS marriage counseling, and anxiety therapy.
About the Author
Marcus Hunt is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and trauma therapist at Marcus Hunt Therapy in Utah. Marcus received his Bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science from Utah Valley University and his Masters's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University. Marcus specializes in providing therapy for men who experience anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. The clients Marcus most often works with are men who have experienced LDS mission trauma, relationship issues, and more. Marcus has had training in EMDR therapy, an evidenced-based therapy practice created by EMDRIA in treating PTSD and traumatic experiences. He is dedicated to helping his clients find greater peace and confidence in their lives throughout the therapy process.