Final answer:
PTSD is an anxiety disorder stemming from severe psychological trauma, and its treatment includes techniques like adaptive resolution, CBT, and VRET. These methods aid in reframing traumatic memories and changing negative thought patterns related to the trauma.
Step-by-step explanation:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that arises after an individual experiences a severe psychological trauma. In treating PTSD, adaptive resolution is one of the therapeutic goals, which involves helping individuals to reframe and shift their perception of trauma from negative thoughts to positive or neutral ones. Treatment methodologies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), have been employed to help individuals with PTSD confront and reprocess traumatic memories in a safe environment.
CBT focuses on changing the maladaptive thoughts and behaviors associated with traumatic memories. Ehlers and Clark's (2000) cognitive model of PTSD provides a framework for understanding how certain thought patterns can maintain the disorder, and how cognitive restructuring can alleviate symptoms. VRET, as explored by Rizzo et al. (2010) and Gerardi et al. (2010), uses controlled simulations to help patients face and work through traumatic experiences, aiming to reduce the power these memories hold over them.
Such therapeutic techniques challenge existing frameworks of trauma and memory, as seen in the work of Loftus regarding the contentious issue of repressed memories. The ultimate aim is to empower individuals to regain control over their reactions to traumatic memories, enabling them to engage in healthier thought processes and behaviors.