PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Self-Help and Coping

Self-help tools build coping skills.

Learn to manage troubling symptoms following trauma, such as:

• sleep
• trauma reminders
• anger

Our video coaches will guide you.

Also see the PTSD
Coach Mobile App

GET STARTED

This section provides you with information on what to expect following a traumatic event and how to manage stress reactions. Most people experience some stress reactions following a trauma, such as nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, and feeling detached. The fact sheets below can help you learn how to cope.

Coping after Trauma

• Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions | Cómo Afrontar las Reacciones de Estrés Traumático
  Discusses active ways to cope with traumatic stress, with tips for coping with specific PTSD symptoms.
• Negative Coping and PTSD
  Ways of coping with PTSD that cause problems and should be avoided.
• Self-Care After Disasters
  Discusses ways to cope when you have been through a disaster.

Self-Help Options

• PTSD Coach: Mobile App
  With you when you need it, PTSD Coach is a free iPhone app that can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma. Also available for Android.
• Lifestyle Changes Recommended for PTSD Patients
  Discusses changes in your way of life that can help with PTSD.
• Mindfulness Practice in the Treatment of Traumatic Stress
  Discusses changes in your way of life that can help with PTSD.
• Mindfulness Coach
  Grounding yourself in the present moment can help you cope better with unpleasant thoughts and emotions. The Mindfulness Coach app will help you do this.
• Peer Support Groups
  Describes peer support groups and gives suggestions on how to locate a group to help those diagnosed with PTSD or caring for someone with PTSD.
• Dogs and PTSD
  Describes dogs as pets, service animals, and emotional support animals and discusses what is known about the role of dogs in PTSD recovery.
• PTSD, Work, and Your Community
  Explains why people who do not understand PTSD may treat you differently (stigma). Read about how you can use community services or a job to change their minds.

Thinking about Professional Help

• Course: Considering Professional Help
  Learn what to expect, hearing from others who have been there. Decide if you would benefit from professional help.
• What's Stopping You? Overcome Barriers to Care
  Describes barriers to getting care for PTSD, such as stigma. Suggests ways to overcome things that may prevent help seeking.

PTSD Site Map | Public Section | Professional Section | About Us: National Center for PTSD

The National Center for PTSD does not provide direct clinical care, individual referrals or benefits information.