Does PTSD Ever Go Away?

1/17/2025

Many times the people I work with find me when they’re needing help for anxiety that just won’t go away or problems in their relationships with others that seem to continue repeating. They’ve tried handling these issues on their own, sometimes for years, often not realizing that the symptoms they’re experiencing are tied to past traumatic events. It’s often extremely validating when we assess for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder together and they find that the symptoms they’ve been facing have a root cause and are typical for PTSD. 

The next question is usually “Will PTSD go away?” The good news is that we have several effective treatments for PTSD. These treatments can greatly diminish if not eliminate PTSD symptoms, sometimes to the point that a person will no longer meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Offering this hope to clients is one of the best parts of my job. 

The role I play in treating PTSD is offering Cognitive Processing Therapy or CPT. The two other talk therapies that are also recommended for PTSD treatment by the National Center for PTSD are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Prolonged Exposure (PE). I gravitate toward Cognitive Processing Therapy because it is a relatively short treatment, averaging 12 sessions, and has a strong evidence base. Another bonus: when clients leave, they take the skills learned in CPT and can do those for themselves outside of counseling- effectively becoming their own CPT therapist. 

If you want to learn more about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its treatment options, I’m happy to connect with you. PTSD can be isolating and exhausting, but there is hope and relief available. 

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