Stress Inoculation Training, PTSD, and Case Study Analysis

This report delves into Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma. It examines how SIT prepares individuals to cope with trauma-related fear and anxiety by teaching them various coping skills, including deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and cognitive restructuring. The report also explores other therapeutic methods like Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). It discusses the causes of complex trauma, which can arise from repeated traumatic events, adverse childhood experiences, or violence. A case study of a woman named Mia, who experienced the death of her son, illustrates the practical application of EMDR and SIT in treating PTSD symptoms, including nightmares, obsessive thoughts, and depression. The report highlights the effectiveness of SIT, particularly in reducing PTSD symptoms, and provides evidence supporting its success in clinical trials. The report also includes relevant references to support the findings and provides a comprehensive overview of SIT and related treatments for PTSD.

STRESS
INOCULATIO
N TRAINING

ABOUT STRESS
• When the level of stress becomes high, it affects the
mental or physical functions, that develops a serious
problem (De Bellis & Zisk, 2014).
• When level of the pressure gets very high, the level of
stress will eventually cross the ability of an individual to
cope up with the stress in a more positive manner.
2

ADDRESSING STRESS
3
• Stress can be due any type of physical
or any emotional stimuli or situation.
• Thus, there is a need to have a more
productive and positive manner to
handle the stress.
• Addressing the situation or the person
that is responsible or linked to the level
of stress is very important (Hodges et
al., 2013).

COMPLEX TRAUMA
4
• It arises due to a number of traumatic events
• These events can be due to interpersonal problems, invasive
events, or some wide range of traumatic events.
• Complex trauma is interpersonal and is related to a feeling of
being trapped and has more severe or cumulative effects as
compared to a single event leading to stress.

COMPLEX TRAUMA
CAUSES
• It can arise due to repeated incidents of trauma against a
child (Machtinger et al., 2015).
• In some cases, a parent or the caregiver has
experienced their own set of traumatic events for
example, alcohol abuse, emotional or physical abuse,
which still affects them.
5

COMPLEX TRAUMA
CAUSES
• For a complex trauma to occur the situations need not
be always damaging.
• The generation of complex trauma can be due to child
abuse, adverse childhood experiences, negligence at
childhood, domestic violence, community violence,
civil war, cultural dislocation, trafficking and sexual
exploitation (Shapiro, 2014).
6

COMPLEX TRAUMA CAUSES
• Complex trauma is not always due to the childhood trauma.
• It can also be present due to experiences of an adult that represent
violence in the community. For example, family violence, civil war or
asylum trauma (Jeffries & Davis, 2013)
7

COMPLEX PTSD
• Complex PTSD is seen in children or in adults who have had
frequently experienced the traumatic events, such as abuse,
violence, or neglect.
• It might take several years for the recognition of the complex
PTSD (Sigel et al., 2013)
• It may affect the development of a child that includes their self-
confidence and behaviour that can be changed as they get older.
8

COMPLEX PTSD
Complex PTSD is more severe if:
• traumatic events happen at a preliminary stage in the
life
• abuse was done by a carer or parent
• the individual has faced the trauma for quiet a long time
• the individual was all alone during the trauma
• There is still contact of the individual with the person
who was responsible for the trauma (Dorahy et al.,
2013)
9

TREATMENT OF COMPLEX TRAUMA
• Complex trauma can be treated by the use of number of
therapies (Cook et al., 2017)
• The most common therapy in the treatment of complex
trauma are the trauma-focused cognitive behavioral
therapy or eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing (EMDR) and Stress Inoculation Training.
10

TRAUMA FOCUSED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
• It is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that can
address emotional and the needs of mental health of the
children, adult survivors, adolescents, and the families
who are trying hard to overcome the bad effects of early
trauma (Biederman et al., 2014).
11

TRAUMA FOCUSED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or TF-
CBT is sensitive to the problems of the youth suffering
from mood disorders and the post-traumatic events that
results from violence, grief or abuse(Zovkic & Sweatt,
2013)
12