Memories are a part of everyone’s life, they help make us who we are today. Memories can be happy, sad, funny, or in some cases traumatic. Sometimes we wish we could hold on to the happy memories forever and forget all the sad or traumatic ones in an instant. Alas this is just wishful thinking, but what is this were possible, think about how different your life would be.

Imagine you are reliving a memory everyday, constantly. Think about how you would feel and maybe what you would do differently. Now imagine for a moment that memory being a traumatic one, which puts you in a state of extreme anxiety and stress. Imagine reliving this awful memory each day for the rest of your life, this is what people with post traumatic stress syndrome go through each and everyday. The memory consumes them, often they are not able to hold jobs, have healthy relationships, or simply cease to function all together. Anyone can suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome, a soldier from war, a rape victim, a battered child, or it could be from something as simple as a car accident.

Post traumatic stress syndrome can cause people to of depressed, dysfunctional, stressed and anxious just to name a few. Sometimes the person may not know they are suffering form post traumatic stress syndrome, sometimes they find out because of a trigger such as a honking horn or a certain song. The reaction to a memory or trigger can often be severe. Typically people turn to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. But like most addictions, they begin to consume the person only adding to their stress.

Instead of self destructive behaviors for post traumatic stress syndrome, there are new treatments being explored. One of those new treatments is hypnosis. Hypnosis or behavior modification works with the mind in a unique way. While undergoing hypnosis, you are able to revisit the traumatic memory and learn to look at it in a different way. You learn to deal with your feelings toward the memory in a different more positive way instead of letting the feelings consume you and those around you. In some cases you may even be able to forget the memory all together.

There are other treatments in development to help with post traumatic stress syndrome, such as Propranolol, a drug which is used in patients with hypertension, as well as other anesthesias. According to an article in Ottawacitizen.com, a Canadian newspaper, when a drug is injected at the precise moment a person is thinking about a bad memory, studies show that memory can be replaced. This treatment is still in early developments and research but could hold promise in the future. Unfortunately, people with post traumatic stress syndrome, those memories are like a jail for the mind. They need help now.

Hypnosis offers a safe, non invasive, and readily available treatment for those suffering from painful, traumatic memories. No one wants to feel like a prisoner in their own mind or have one memory control everything in their daily lives. These painful memories make everything more difficult, even if they memory it self seems trivial. There are new treatments on the horizon for people who suffer from this condition, there is no need to wait when there is something available to help you now.