Treating Trauma, Part 1: How Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Helps You Get Unstuck
Chanderbhan Psychological Services
In recent posts, we’ve discussed how our thoughts influence our emotions and behavior. In this post, we want to begin a two-part discussion on evidence-based treatments for trauma. We’ll start by focusing on Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), one of the most researched and effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Trauma is difficult to recover from in part because our reactions are automatic. During a traumatic event, your survival systems activate quickly. Fight. Flight. Freeze. These reactions are not weaknesses; they are built-in responses designed to keep you alive.
After the event is over, however, your mind may continue reacting as though danger is still present. Certain sights, sounds, smells, or reminders can trigger intense reactions. You may feel constantly on edge, or you may feel emotionally numb, as if your feelings have been turned down or turned off.
Beyond these reactions, trauma often disrupts the way we understand the world.
Most of us carry basic assumptions about life: that good things happen to good people, that we are generally safe, that we can trust certain people, or that we have some control over what happens to us. Trauma can shatter these assumptions.
When that happens, we try to make sense of what occurred.
Sometimes, we try to change the memory of the event to fit our prior beliefs. You might find yourself thinking: “If I hadn’t gone there, this wouldn’t have happened.” “I should have known better.” “If I were stronger, this wouldn’t affect me.”
Changing the event may feel easier than changing your entire belief system about the world, safety, or responsibility. But these interpretations often lead to self-blame and shame.
Other times, we change our beliefs about the world.
Sometimes this shift is balanced and realistic. You may come to accept that the world contains both danger and safety, or that you are not responsible for what happened, even if you wish things had been different.
At other times, the shift can go too far. You may begin to believe that no one can be trusted, that intimacy is unsafe, or that you must remain constantly guarded. While these beliefs may reduce vulnerability, they also reduce connection and quality of life.
Trauma also produces two types of emotions: natural and manufactured.
Natural emotions are directly related to what happened. Fear during a life-threatening event. Grief after loss. Sadness about what was taken.
Manufactured emotions arise from the meanings we attach to the event. For example, if you think, “I should have rescued everyone,” you may feel shame. If you think, “I’m weak because I can’t get over this,” you may feel anger toward yourself. These emotions are not based on the facts of the event, but on your interpretations of it.
CPT focuses on identifying and modifying these meanings, often called “stuck points.”
A stuck point is a thought that keeps you from recovering. Sometimes they take the form of an “if-then” statement: “If I hadn’t gone there, this wouldn’t have happened” or, “If I let my guard down, something bad will happen.”
These beliefs can become so automatic that you may not even be aware you’re having them. Yet they strongly influence your mood, your behavior, and your relationships.
In CPT, we work together to identify these stuck points and examine them carefully. We help you learn to distinguish between facts and interpretations. You learn how to question beliefs that may be inaccurate, overly broad, or rooted in self-blame. Over time, you develop more balanced ways of understanding the event, yourself, and others.
The goals of CPT are straightforward:1) To accept the reality of what happened.2) To feel the emotions connected to it.3) To develop balanced and realistic beliefs about the trauma, yourself, and the world.
How CPT Is Structured
The treatment typically involves twelve sessions. In the first half of treatment, we focus on the trauma itself and the thoughts surrounding it. You learn specific skills and use structured exercises to examine your interpretations. In the second half, we address broader themes often affected by trauma, including safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy.
CPT Focuses on Building Practical Skills
One of the strengths of CPT is that it is a skill-based therapy. We teach you practical tools to address the impact of trauma. These are skills you continue to use after therapy has ended, and many people find they can apply these skills to other areas of their lives as well.
CPT Is One of the Most Effective Treatments for PTSD
Research consistently shows that CPT is one of the most effective treatments available for PTSD, including combat-related trauma. In practice, people often report not only a reduction in symptoms, but also a clearer and more balanced understanding of themselves and what happened. CPT has also been widely used with veterans and first responders experiencing trauma symptoms.
If you’d like to get a sense of what CPT can look like, we encourage you to listen to this podcast, where you can hear a journalist’s therapy sessions.
Trauma changes how we see the world. In CPT, we work with you to examine those changes and determine which beliefs deserve to be kept, and which need to be revised.
In our next post, we’ll discuss another highly effective trauma treatment, Prolonged Exposure (PE), which approaches recovery from a different but complementary angle.
Therapy for Trauma in Laredo, TX
At Chanderbhan Psychological Services, we provide evidence-based trauma therapy and counseling in Laredo, TX for adults, as well as online trauma therapy and counseling across South Texas. Our clinicians are trained in structured treatments for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms, including Cognitive Processing Therapy.
We also have experience working with first responders and public safety professionals, who often face repeated exposure to high-stress and traumatic events.
If you’re wondering whether trauma counseling could help you, we’re available to talk through your questions and help you determine the right next step. You can reach out through the Contact Form on our website.
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Cognitive Processing Therapy, or CPT, is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms. CPT helps people identify trauma-related beliefs, often called stuck points, that keep them feeling distressed or emotionally trapped. In therapy, we help clients examine these beliefs and develop more balanced ways of understanding what happened, themselves, and the world.
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Trauma often changes the way we think about safety, trust, responsibility, and ourselves. These beliefs can continue to create distress long after the traumatic event has ended. CPT helps by teaching people to recognize these patterns of thinking, question beliefs that may be inaccurate or overly broad, and develop healthier perspectives. As these beliefs shift, many people notice reduced PTSD symptoms and improved functioning.
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Yes. Research has shown effective outcomes for PTSD, including combat-related trauma. CPT is also commonly used with first responders, veterans, and others who have experienced repeated exposure to traumatic events. Because the treatment is structured and skill-based, many first responders and veterans appreciate having practical tools they can continue using after therapy ends.
