What Should I Expect From Stress Inoculation Training for PTSD?

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) feel overly anxious and frightened, causing an elevated state of sensitivity that makes them jumpy or quick to anger. The hyperarousal may lead to the avoidance symptoms of PTSD that trigger the stress response.

Stress inoculation training (SIT) is a form of talk therapy that helps change the perception and reaction to stress. For PTSD, SIT helps develop healthier coping techniques that lower the stress response, making it easier to work on the intrusive thoughts and avoidance symptoms.

At Reviv Functional Psychiatry & TMS Wellness Center, our compassionate and skilled psychiatrist, Dr. Hina Sidhu, uses many forms of therapy to help people recover from PTSD, including SIT.

Read on to learn more about what to expect from stress inoculation therapy for PTSD.

What is stress inoculation training?

Stress inoculation training is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to improve stress management. For PTSD, SIT helps you identify stressful situations that trigger your symptoms and learn new ways to cope that lessen the stress reaction. 

Stress inoculation training is a customized form of therapy that exposes you to your stressors while teaching you strategies to change how you perceive and react to stress. It builds up your resistance to stress through gradual exposure in a safe and supportive setting. 

SIT gives you the skills you need to respond to PTSD triggers in a productive manner that helps you feel more in control. 

What to expect

We customize SIT treatment so your experience is unique to you. However, stress inoculation training is done in three phases that build on each other and include:

Education phase

Training starts with education. We explain the nature of stress and how it affects your physical and emotional well-being. Together, we identify your stress and PTSD triggers and discuss your typical reaction.

During this phase, you track your stress level, gaining a better understanding of your triggers and how they affect you. 

Skill development phase

For the skill development phase, you’ll learn healthy ways to cope with stress, reducing its effects on the body. Coping mechanisms may include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness.

Application phase

After identifying your stress triggers and learning new ways to manage stress, we practice your new skills in a controlled setting. We start out with mild forms of stress, giving you time to practice the relaxation techniques until you feel comfortable and then increase the stress.

We encourage you to practice your new skills at home so they become familiar and natural. Your training may also include cognitive restructuring, identifying and changing unhealthy thoughts to improve your thinking pattern. 

The length of treatment varies, but to gain the most benefits, you may need weekly sessions for about three months.

Can SIT help me?

Early research shows that SIT reduces PTSD and depression symptoms, increases stress tolerance, and improves social and work life. Furthermore, you don’t need to talk about your trauma during stress inoculation training.

Therapy focuses on easing symptoms rather than processing trauma. If talking about your trauma is difficult, then SIT may help your PTSD.

We customize PTSD treatment plans after completing an initial assessment. Your personalized plan includes therapeutic techniques that provide the most benefits. We may also prescribe psychiatric medication to ease your symptoms so you’re more responsive to therapy.

Don’t let PTSD take over your life, you can get better with expert support. Contact our office today at 714-868-8514 and schedule a consultation with our psychiatric experts to learn more about stress inoculation training for PTSD.