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As a society, we praise certain people for the work that they do. For example, we tend to laud military personnel, police, firefights, EMTs, medics, and other “first responders” for good reason, but we don’t actually give back or provide the type of real assistance these people need.
It doesn’t matter what you think about the idea of the vocation, the reality is that these workers incur more stress, emotional turmoil, depression, and other issues due to their jobs. Even the most positive person is affected by the things around them. It’s natural for people with emotionally and physically taxing jobs to need their own kind of help. Below are four treatments for this demographic.
What treatments are available for those with emotionally and physically taxing jobs?
EMDR for PTSD
There are few treatments for PTSD, but one of the most effective is eye movement desensitization therapy or EMDR. EMDR is a physical therapy that changes the way the brain interacts and engages with trauma. About a half a dozen sessions take the movement of the eye and its connection to the brain to the next level. It helps the patient become desensitized to the trauma and pain they’ve been through. It is also a great treatment for people who don’t want to talk about their feelings that much.
Psychedelic Therapy
When it comes to PTSD and trauma more generally, psychedelic therapy has shown great promise. While MDMA and ketamine therapy aren’t legal everywhere, they have proven remarkable for trauma patients. They can help the patient see their trauma in a new way, sometimes literally out of their body in the case of ketamine. MDMA provides a new perspective on traumatic events and allows the mind to engage with the trauma and heal from it without being triggered.
Other psychedelic therapies like psilocybin and LSD have shown a lot of promise too. Depending on the person and their life, psilocybin therapy is particularly effective for terminal patients who are coming to terms with the end of their lives. Psychedelic therapies are very effective, but if the person has a history of substance abuse further caution is advised.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse, dependence, and addiction are probably the most common mental health issues in the world. However, substance abuse is typically a way to self-medicate a co-occurring mental health issue. This is treated with dual diagnosis treatment, which doesn’t just treat the dependence and substance abuse but it also works to treat the underlying issues. This is particularly common in first responder addiction treatment for people self-medicating PTSD.
There are a lot of different treatments, rehabs, and approaches for addiction recovery. The first step is to stop using it. Once the mind is clear, then the deeper issues should be tackled. When you have a stressful job that impacts you emotionally, it’s easy to seek refuge in the bottle or in other kinds of drugs. Luckily, the ability to treat substance abuse and dual diagnosis has never been more effective.
Psychotherapy
Sometimes when your life is stressful and you are dealing with a lot in your day-to-day life, you just need to talk to someone. Talk therapy shouldn’t be overlooked for anyone at any age. If the person doesn’t like talking about their feelings and emotions, that’s even more of a reason for them to seek this type of treatment. Psychotherapy helps us rework things we learned when we were younger. It helps us process trauma and learn better coping mechanisms. It helps us learn what we want out of life. When you are dealing with traumatic events in your job, it’s always a good idea to talk to a professional about it.
There are a lot of different ways to deal with mental health issues, it all depends on the person, who they are, what their experiences have been like, and what they need out of treatment. When someone works a stressful job interacting with traumatic situations, violence, injuries, and turmoil, it will always have an impact.
Luckily, the modern world has led to all kinds of different therapies and treatments that can really make our lives better and happier. When you want to be healthier and more content with your life and work, think about trying one of these treatments. If your life is hectic and chaotic—leaving a physical and emotional impact—you should think about one of these treatments.
