Anniversaries of Traumatic Events, PTSD Monthly Update - November 2018

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PTSD Monthly Update

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Feature Topic

For Providers

Research at the Center

PTSD in the News

November 2018 Issue

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Feature Topic

Anniversaries of Traumatic Events

Anniversaries of Traumatic Events Can Be Tough. Treatment Helps.

Do you remember the day – the actual date – of your trauma? When that time of year comes around, do you feel more on edge or stressed? Whether the event is something specific only to you or one that gets a lot of attention – like D-Day, 9/11, or Hurricane Katrina – you may feel sad and on edge. These feelings are called an “anniversary reaction” and they may be hard to deal with.

You may feel like you are going through the event again, as if you were back in the past. You might go out of your way to avoid people, places, and things related to the trauma. Negative beliefs and feelings – like guilt or shame – may be more common. Or, you may feel more on high alert, nervous, and on edge.

Anniversary reactions are different for everyone, and there are many ways of coping with them. Here are some strategies you could try:

  • Reach out to friends and family ahead of the anniversary
  • Plan relaxing activities that you enjoy
  • Mark the occasion by visiting a memorial or the grave of a loved one
  • Volunteer in your community

Remember that there are good trauma-focused treatments that can provide a long-term solution to the PTSD symptoms that anniversary reactions can bring up. Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR all address the beliefs and feelings that cause so much pain to people with PTSD. They also equip you with tools to use in the moment when an anniversary reaction comes up.

The National Center for PTSD has many resources to help. Videos from Veterans explaining how treatment helped them are available at AboutFace. And you can learn about and compare effective treatments with the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid.

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For Providers

Consult with PTSD Experts

PTSD Consultation Program

The PTSD Consultation Program offers free PTSD consultation to any provider who treats Veterans in any setting.

This program is open to Community Providers.

PTSD Lecture Series

  • December 19: Using Mobile Phone Apps in PTSD Treatment, Pearl McGee-Vincent, PsyD

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Calendar

Third Wednesday of the month at 2pm ET and download a calendar reminder to save the date.

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Research at the Center

Evaluating PTSD Apps for Veterans and Family

Investigators continue to examine how the PTSD Coach and PTSD Family Coach mobile phone apps may help trauma survivors and their significant others. Ongoing studies are testing the apps' impact on Veterans' PTSD symptoms and treatment engagement, as well as relationship quality and family members' well-being.

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PTSD in the News

From Shell Shock to PTSD, a century of invisible war trauma. The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid is featured in this NPR article showcasing effective PTSD treatment. Read more.*


Be sure to forward this update to others so they can subscribe. We send one update per month to keep you informed of the latest PTSD developments.

Thank you,

The Staff of VA’s National Center for PTSD

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Produced by VA’s National Center for PTSD - Executive Division
Email: ncptsd@va.gov | Visit our Website: www.ptsd.va.gov

*Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs website to a non government site.
VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of these linked websites.