<\/p>\n
Olfaction is one thing that distinguishes UCF\u2019s Trauma Management Therapy (TMT) Program from other post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment programs.<\/p>\n
Dr. Deborah Beidel, director of the UCF Anxiety Disorders Clinic, uses olfactory stimulants such as \u201cMoroccan marketplace,\u201d \u201cbody odor\u201d and \u201cweapon fire\u201d to stimulate the same part of the brain (the limbic system) that handles memories and emotions.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn our diagnostic scale, the average score before treatment was 80, which indicates severe PTSD,\u201d says Beidel. \u201cAfter treatment, the average dropped to 40. That\u2019s going from \u2018I\u2019m having nightmares every night\u2019 to \u2018I have a nightmare once a month.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Beidel and her team use stimulants to replicate traumatic events experienced by PTSD sufferers. Visual, audio and tactile components are also used, but according to Beidel\u2019s patients, smell acts as the most powerful trigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point is not to make people comfortable with these events, but to decrease the emotion that has gone along with them,\u201d says Beidel. \u201cSo someone stops being afraid to drive under an overpass because it triggers a reaction related to a bridge attack they lived through in Iraq.\u201d<\/p>\n
John, a soldier who is halfway through treatment, says, \u201cI think the program will give me insight and tools to deal with my anxieties. I\u2019ve just gotten to the point where I can sit in a restaurant without having to face the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
While TMT was designed as a 17-week program, the U.S. Army recently granted an additional $1.5 million to UCF to develop a three week intensive program for active-duty soldiers. The grant\u2019s coverage includes patient lodging, which enables soldiers from across the country to participate.<\/p>\n
The researchers plan to accept a total of 180 soldiers for treatment, and are now taking applications. For more information, visit anxietyclinic.cos.ucf.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Olfaction is one thing that distinguishes UCF\u2019s Trauma Management Therapy (TMT) Program from other post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment programs. Dr. Deborah Beidel, director of the UCF Anxiety Disorders Clinic, uses olfactory stimulants such as \u201cMoroccan marketplace,\u201d \u201cbody odor\u201d and \u201cweapon fire\u201d to stimulate the same part of the brain (the limbic system) that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":3422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[13,22,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-psychology-departments","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n