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What difference will a few months make? We might ask ourselves this question in exasperation. For years, perhaps a lifetime, we have suffered as a result of trauma which occurred in our life. Trauma happens to most people at some point, but how it happens, and the response of each person, is unique. We feel alone. We feel exhausted. Our hope for a better future feels like it is at the mercy of a past we can never make better. Going to treatment is the wavering illusion of a mirage- the glimmer of healing we can’t entirely trust. Could a few months in treatment really make a difference in our lives? Research says that therapy for PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, has benefit for the long-term.

A study conducted by Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland published in Clinical Psychology Review found that people with PTSD benefit from short-term treatment which utilizes psychotherapy approaches. A meta-analysis was conducted on 32 different studies relating to the treatment of PTSD. Seventy-two individual treatment conditions were included, as well as follow ups at six months post-treatment and two years post-treatment.

At six months post-treatment, there may have been some improvement among the patients in the reviewed studies. What researchers found to be significant was that two years post-treatment, patients had experienced a reduction in the intensity of their symptoms. Psych Central reports on the study, citing that trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy were effective for both the short-term and the long-term.

One of the co-authors of the study explained that the longer period of time between the end of treatment and a follow up could have yielded better results due to the ability to practice. Immediately after treatment, the rubber has only just met the road, so to speak. People who graduate treatment often use terms like “learning how to walk again” and “feeling reborn”. Standing on one’s two feet, new in recovery, takes getting used to. At two years, one has had time to put their newly gained skills into practice and develop a holistic lifestyle of recovery, as well as allowed their treatment to completely sink in.

Going to treatment for trauma does make a difference in your life, for the long-term. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by taking time to take care of yourself, allow professionals to take care of you, and learn how to live again, free from the shackles of trauma’s imprisonment.

The Guest House Ocala offers concierge style customization for residential trauma programs, as well as treatment for related issues like addictions and mental illness. Our private estate offers you the privacy and comfort you need to do the work and heal your mind, body, and spirit. For information on life at the estate and our programs for healing, call: 1-855-483-7800