Specialized Services

Pain Management

The psychological component of a multidisciplinary approach to managing chronic pain has demonstrated remarkable results. Patients report increased functioning and energy levels than with pain medications alone. Although the elimination of pain is not the goal, since pain serves as an important message to the brain, relief is possible with cognitive therapy and with hypnotherapy to increase relaxation.

Many of our clients who have become addicted to pain medications have been able to significantly reduce while maximizing the benefits of their prescribed pain medication. Our systematic treatment protocol frames pain as a stress-related disorder and helps clients restructure their cognitions and provides coping skills to manage pain.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

About 60 percent of men in our country have faced at least one major traumatic event in their lives while 50 percent of women have faced a major traumatic event. Major traumatic events, called big Ts include: witnessing a murder or other physical assault, victim of a sexual or physical assault, combat, a serious accident, a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack. Of that 60 percent of men, 8% develop PTSD and of the 50% of women, who have experienced trauma, 20% develop PTSD.

Very often, the victim of a traumatic event turns to alcohol or other drugs to numb the pain of traumatic memories.

Help is available. At Harbor House, Inc., we first provide a comprehensive assessment to identify the presence of PTSD. We then offer effective, evidence-based treatment such as cognitive processing therapy to help you understand how your thoughts about the trauma help keep you stuck, and how to change those thoughts and feelings. We also use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help process the traumatic event.