Abnormal Psychology Final : Animals Have Been Used From Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )

"PTSD is a whole-body tragedy, an integral human event of enormous proportions with massive repercussions." This is a quote from the wonderful author Susan Pease Banitt. Susan's view on PTSD is as raw and realistic as it gets. PTSD is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. The causes of PTSD can range from sexual assault to fighting in the war. It is a common occurrence for soldier to obtain some type of psychological disorder, such as PTSD, due to the insane events that take place on the battlefield. Disorders like PTSD, and other similar, often play with the victim's thought process, actions, and emotions.

PTSD is a psychological disorder that develops in some people that have experienced a scare, shocking, or dangerous event even though it's natural to feel afraid during or after a traumatic situation (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Some people with PTSD don't show any symptoms for weeks or months and PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more anxiety disorders. Fear triggers changes in the body that help defend against danger and avoid it know as the “fight-or-flight” response. People with PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger. Almost everyone will experience different reactions after trauma, but most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Not everyone with

PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition that is generally classified as an anxiety disorder. It is often caused by a traumatic events or emotional trauma in one’s life that leads to terrifying flashbacks, nightmares and extreme anxiety. The main cause of this disorder is the conscious and subconscious fear-memories that have developed. In essence the ‘fight or flight” response that we all have is severely damaged, even when not in a stressful or dangerous situation those suffering from PTSD may feel stressed and in danger.

Those who have studied PTSD have traced the cause back to a haunting event in an individual’s life. “A traumatic event is one where you see that you are in danger, your life is threatened, or where you see other people dying or being injured” (RCPSYCH.uk). PTSD creates a type of anxiety, and this type of anxiety prevents the patient

PTSD is defined as an "anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or happens to you” (United States). In these types of events one can feel that they are not in control of what is going on around them and may feel helpless or in great danger. The Department of Veterans Affairs has listed various life threatening events that can evolve into PTSD. These events include but are not limited to "Combat or Military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, such as a car wreck, natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake” (United States).

In short, PTSD is a mental illness that occurs after one has either experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. The negative effects on the sufferer are immense, psychological effects include avoiding reminders of loss, numbness, reduced fun doing things that were previously enjoyable, loneliness, nostalgia, severe anxiety, and having suicidal thoughts. Moreover, the physical effects include insomnia, exaggerated startle, drowsiness, which can lead to intense nightmares and flashbacks of the trauma.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.

People wonder what can cause PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). There are multiple things such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and military combat. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder victims deal with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts on a regular basis if they are not getting treatment which can be as simple as therapy once a month or as complex as taking medications daily and going to therapy on a regular basis even then victims can still experience anxiety and depression.

PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is defined as an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a traumatic event or occurrence in which severe physical harm occurred or was potential. Traumatic ordeals that may trigger PTSD include aggressive personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat, by Psychology Today.

A woman with posttraumatic stress disorder said, “It was such a breakthrough. I think I’m a very different person having had these experiences” (Meinersmann et al., 2008, p. 39), while discussing her therapy program. However, no traditional therapy program brought this response; instead, it was equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). Equine assisted psychotherapy is a form of treatment, which uses horses as facilitators to improve mental health. Though some people dismiss EAP as a developing approach, horses may offer opportunities to heal that human therapists cannot. First, the horses encourage engagement in therapy sessions through the opportunities they offer and the equine environment (Bachi et al., 2012; Masini, 2010). Second, horses may

All different kinds of animals have been used for therapy. But why are horses on the top of that list? These 2,200 pound animals are used all across the world to help people with autism, kids with behavioral issues, criminals, drug and alcohol addicts, and even the average stressed out teenager. psychologists say that horses are so therapeutic because they mirror your actions and give people an insight to their inner feelings. Many psychologists also say that people do not feel like they are involved in a therapy session. Instead, horses provide them with a sense of accomplishment and trust. If the human is tense and not willing to let go of their feelings, horses can help release those pent up emotions.

A little background: PTSD is a psychological disorder formed from traumatic experiences that involves physical harm or the threat of physical harm that make the person feel stressed or frightened when they are no longer in danger. Signs and symptoms of PTSD can be grouped into three categories: Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper arousal symptoms . The main treatment for this is psychotherapy or

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger this anxiety include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.

Animals of all kinds have been known for their positive impact on humans. Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) was first incorporated into the mental health institutions in the late eighteenth century to help increase socializations among the patients. As of today, a number of AAT programs have mainly targeted populations of patients with PTSD or those who have experienced trauma. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is classified as an anxiety disorder characterized by the common symptoms avoidance, intrusion, alterations in mood and cognition, and alterations in arousal and reactivity (O’Haire, M.E,. Guerin, N.A., & Kirkham, A.C., 2015). The presence of an animal is thought to encourage a safe and open environment, elicit positive emotion and warmth, increase socializations, and increase the release of oxytocin, which aids in the relaxation process. Perhaps that’s why PTSD or trauma patients respond so well when AAT is included in treatment. AAT is not a therapy used alone, but rather coupled with other treatment to enhance the therapy process. (Dietz, T. J., Davis., & Pennings, J. 2012).