Encouraging positive emotions and showing a genuine feeling of empathy and compassion constitute a large part of any therapy when treating people afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), said a renowned psychologist and psychotherapist from Sweden during a lecture at a seminar here at Hafiz Hayat Campus of the University of Gujrat (UoG) on Monday.
In his lecture at the one-day seminar, New Trends in Psychotherapy, which was organized by Hayatian Psychological Society, Tanvir A. Mufti said that there has been an upsurge in the number of patients suffering from PTSDs due to a host of reasons including earthquakes and a spiraling wave of terrorism in the recent past.
He threw ample light on potential risk factors for developing PTSD and its serious repercussions such as a tendency among the patients to isolate themselves, loss of concentration, poor memory, drug addiction, etc. He discussed in detail the role of a psychotherapist which he maintained was very limited due to the reconstruction process being very complex, saying “trauma never disappears.”
However, he suggested certain measures and techniques that can help bring to the fore and identify the real causes of traumatization. He advocated that existential therapy or approach has made great strides in the treatment of PTSD-related cases.
Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Muhammad Faheem Malik in his address on the occasion said that Islam holds the key to all the problems of the human beings.
Earlier, Head of Psychology department Dr Bushra Akram in her remarks at the opening of the seminar described the all-important role of a psychologist in freeing us from our unfounded whims and fears towards achieving a balanced and healthy state of mind.
