Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment

Fast and Effective Elimination of Severe Trauma Symptoms

Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment serving Sonoma and Surrounding Counties.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a cluster of symptoms that may develop after experiencing life-threatening situations such as war, other acts of violence, serious accidents or natural disasters, those who have witnessed deaths or violent acts towards others, and survivors of child abuse, torture or rape.

Watch this video of War Veterans being successfully treated with EFT:

Symptoms of PTSD may include:

  • Startle easily
  • Feel emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom you used to be close)
  • Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
  • Trouble feeling affectionate
  • Irritability
  • Aggressive impulses/Agitated mood
  • Some people may become violent when triggered
  • Avoidance of situations, places, activities or anything that reminds you of the original incident
  • Symptoms worsened on anniversary of the original incident
  • Repeatedly relive the trauma in your thoughts during the day (flashbacks)
  • Insomnia or nightmares at night
  • Other possible symptoms and related issues may include depression, alcohol or drug abuse or other addictions, personality changes, hopelessness, paranoia, restlessness, fear, inability to focus, dissociation, and severe anxiety.


What are Flashbacks?

Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming, the tone of a person's voice, or a car backfiring on the street. Anything related to the original trauma may be a trigger, and these triggers may not always be in your conscious awareness. A person having an intense flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again. This can be terrifying and debilitating. Often those suffering from PTSD will avoid triggering situations, such as crowded places, or driving, and may end up becoming very isolated and limited as a result. Those with PTSD are also more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs as a way to try to cope with the intense anxiety and overwhelming fear that they experience. Substance use is only a short term relief, and will actually worsen the symptoms of PTSD and anxiety. Some drugs may actually increase emotional instability and cause further distortions of reality, making treatment more difficult. 

When do Symptoms First Appear?

Acute Stress symptoms may appear within days of a trauma. However, full-blown symptoms of PTSD often don't show up until several months after the original traumatic experience. For some people, obvious symptoms may not occur until years after the event. Symptoms that last for more than one month meet the official criteria for PTSD. Chronic PTSD sufferers often become depressed due to the stress, fear and isolation that they experience day after day.


Treatment of Trauma

Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment offers effective therapies for all levels of trauma. Acute Stress Disorder, which is common after a near-death situation, natural disaster such as a fire, or a sudden catastrophic loss, is best treated early. When left untreated, Acute Stress Disorder can worsen and become chronic. Acute Stress Disorder may be diagnosed 3 days after a trauma, or within one month of a trauma.

Typical Symptoms may include:

  • A subjective sense of numbing, detachment, or absence of emotional responsiveness
  • A reduction in awareness of your surroundings or feeling dazed.
  • Derealization (feeling the world is unreal or dream-like)
  • Depersonalization (feeling disconnected or separate from one's body).
  • Dissociative amnesia (the inability to remember important aspects of a traumatic incident)

Even severe and chronic PTSD symptoms can usually be greatly alleviated with treatment. I primary use EFT (Tapping) - a powerful, evidence-based mind-body treatment that usually improves symptoms more rapidly than traditional talk therapy.  EFT Tapping involved a routine of self-applied tapping on acupressure points on your own upper body while focusing the mind on the specific PTSD symptom (thought, feeling, or memory). Layers of traumatic memories can be systematically resolved with this process.

For example, a vivid, repetitive image or scene associated with a terrifying experience can often be reduced until not only does the image seem to fade or go blank, but the associated emotions and body-memories also typically are eliminated. When a specific trauma memory is resolved, the mind and body return to a normal balanced, calm states, even when thinking about the traumatic incident.

Book a Session online for Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment


Meditation and Guided Relaxation are other very effective tools that can soothe the nervous system, reduce the triggering effect of memories and environmental cues, and aid in developing a state of calm, focused awareness.

I also may at times use EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which is also recognized as an effective approach for relieving PTSD symptoms. Since I began using EFT however, I've found EFT to be more versatile as well as gentler than EMDR (my experience only).

Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment is an individualized approach that combines all the above modalities as needed for each client's unique needs.


"By using different set-up phrases I have had more success in obtaining a more focused and relaxed mental state through EFT than any other relaxation method I’ve tried. I was a able to have long-term relief from a fierce, daily hatred of someone, after only one session of tapping with Ben... I feel a great peace inside after only a few brief rounds of tapping.

I’ve read Ben’s book and listened to the audio book. I especially like the chapter about re-writing your childhood, and I have tapped away many old negative experiences and drawn a positive outcome and mental picture, where before there was only fear, sorrow and regret.

I’m looking forward to more sessions with Ben, and I would recommend Ben’s EFT methods to anyone seeking to squash old fears, regrets or negative past experiences regardless of how intense the experience."

-Allen Danley, Owner, Sure Thing Carpet Care


Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment offers a free 30 minute introductory consultation. Please complete the form below for more information, or call Benjamin Schwarcz, MFT:

707.326.5566

Calls are normally returned within 1 business day or less.

Contact Info for Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment


Booking for Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment can be done online here.

All victims of the Santa Rosa fires will be served to the best of our ability regardless of ability to pay. Scheduling dependent on our time and availability.

Here's another good resource website for learning about holistic and alternative treatment of PTSD:

www.healingcombattrauma.com


Santa Rosa PTSD Treatment advises that all medical and other treating health providers coordinate their care in order to provide you with the best outcome. This site is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The use of this site does not constitute a therapist-patient relationship.

More than 80 peer-reviewed published studies on EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) as of 2017  demonstrate extremely positive outcomes for a variety of issues, especially for trauma. For more information on current research of EFT, please visit the research page at the Association for Energy Psychology:

ACEP - Research

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