CBD oil not only helps reduce the fear response in patients with PTSD, but also has many other tangible benefits.
As with other psychiatric medications, giving CBD before therapy sessions can help to calm patients down and enable them to respond better to treatment.
What is PTSD?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental state that develops after experiencing, in person or as a witness, a traumatic event. People with PTSD experience flashbacks, severe anxiety, nightmares and uncontrolled relapse of thoughts about the event.
They often feel stressed and in danger, even though there is no real danger. Symptoms characterizing PTSD occur in three classes: re-experiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal (this translates into flashbacks, social isolation and insomnia, respectively).
The persistence of posttraumatic stress over time is attributed to changes in the brain chemistry that occur at the time of injury, when adrenaline and stress hormones react in an excessive way. PTSD occurs primarily in veterans of war, but it can also develop after all kinds of traumatic events, such as an assault, kidnapping, car accident, air crash, physical attack or natural disaster.
Currently, the disease is often treated with various psychotherapeutic means, and antidepressants are often prescribed to relieve feelings of sadness, anger, distress and numbness. These medicines can sometimes cause side effects such as headache, nausea, insomnia or drowsiness, agitation and sexual problems. Therefore, CBD oils are often used, which smoothen the symptoms of PTSD.
Benefits of using CBD in patients with PTSD
One of the benefits of CBD is the way it affects PTSD. It supports the treatment of anxiety, depression and stress. It is said that the physical and mental symptoms of PTSD are deeply connected, and CBD oil reaches deep into the nerves to soothe physical discomfort and ultimately cure psychological stress. This way, it works strategically, slows down current thoughts and provides relief.