According to some new studies available, facing fears with the guidance of a psychologist may be the ticket when trying to recover and heal from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The full article is here: link

Here is the important point within the article:

DeQuardo said that while that may seem counterintuitive - to send people back into a situation that caused them to become afraid - it’s been shown that denying those fears doesn’t help cure the PTSD that can re-surface later with serious problems on the job, with families or society.

Goodwin explained that often people can be re-exposed to those fear triggers without putting them in danger, if it’s something simple like just getting into a vehicle or the soldier who avoided the chow hall. He said that some Veterans Administration hospitals are even using virtual reality to accomplish that exposure in a safe environment.

This should be interesting. I can say from my own experience that one of my triggers are fireworks… Especially the low booming ones. It took me two Fourth of July’s to even be in the same general vicinity of fireworks. I am “okay” when it comes to fireworks today and it isn’t because I had the guidance of a psychiatrist, it was because I was preoccupied when I heard fireworks going off. I was so busy with whatever I was doing that when I finally tuned into the fireworks, it didn’t phase me.

I find this research interesting, but very early when it comes to understanding it.