Emotional Processing Theory Analysis

Many theories have been produced in the psychological field to try and explain the phenomenon that is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, known most commonly by its acronym, PTSD. Many psychologists and field researchers have tried explaining why many people have gone on to experience traumatic events but only a certain percentage develop this illness. Most of it is tied solely to the trauma survivor’s personal experiences, in terms of thoughts, memory, emotions, and behavior in underlying processes in which the survivor is largely unaware. One theory that I will be discussing in this essay is the Emotional Processing Theory developed by Edna B. Foa and Michael J. Kozak in 1986 and the second is Ehler and Clark’s cognitive theory of 2000. Before …show more content…
It evolved from the widely used theory of prolonged exposure which is a form of trauma-related psychotherapy that involves a gradual approach to trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations most commonly avoided by PTSD patients. It is said that both emotional processing theory and theory of prolonged exposure “is more of a product of the cognitive revolution with its emphasis on the computer as a metaphor for the human mind” (Portland PsychoTherapy, 2016). My take-away from reading about emotional processing theory is that fear is activated through connected networks in the brain. Information neurons that carry fear receptors hold the stimuli to which the patient reacts with the usual escape or avoidance technique. Fear is a very common emotion but within patients with PTSD it tends to be such an intense feeling that it gets in the way of everyday functions even when there is no immediate threat of danger present to them. And in this way it becomes problematic and creates maladaptive fear structures leading to avoidance and an actual prolonging of symptoms. Emotional processing offers the possibility of new mental learning and reprogramming of the brain to associate the feelings of trauma. Physicians of Portland PsychoTherapy(2016) say “Emotional processing theory proposes that exposure can alter the relationships between the fear stimulus and these networks. …show more content…
It is a very situational disorder that depends largely on the individual, their brain and emotional process, along with their trauma and how they internally perceived their experience. In my experience, developing PTSD was unavoidable. I was sexually assaulted at two different, very young ages which led to me developing delayed onset PTSD at the age of sixteen after being triggered by a bad experience with the drug K2. I became stuck in a “trip” for what felt like days, when in reality it was about 45 minutes, and in that trip my mind ran over some very sensitive past experiences that my brain had unconsciously buried in the bad of my psyche. After becoming “unstuck” and after coming down from my high I was constantly thinking of those events and reliving those emotions along with dealing with the after-effects of the drug itself. For months after I was riddled with constant anxiety, depression, and was having random outbursts of anger followed by inconsolable panic attacks. I was unable to sleep or focus in school and my grades started suffering for it. I became very distance from my family and wanted nothing more than for the feelings to go away so I started doing anything I could to make that happen which included abusing pills and drinking. My parents and my best friend, who had been attending sessions with a psychologist since age 12 for chronic anxiety

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