Stress inoculation definition
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) for PTSD
The treatments that work best for PTSD focus on the trauma you experienced. You may prefer a treatment that does not have this focus. The research support is not as strong for these therapies, but they do help you work through your reactions to the trauma and PTSD symptoms. Learn about Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), which teaches you skills and techniques to manage stress and reduce anxiety.
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What Type of Treatment Is This?
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is a psychotherapy—or talk therapy—for PTSD. It is one specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy. By teaching you coping skills, SIT can help you find new ways to deal with PTSD symptoms. These skills can also help you manage other stressful situations or events in your life.
How Does It Work?
People with PTSD are often under a lot of stress and may have a hard time coping with their symptoms. SIT teaches you skills to react differently to stressful situations and to manage your PTSD symptoms. You will consider how different situations, thoughts, and behaviors could be making it hard for you to deal with your PTSD symptoms. With your provider, you will learn how to develop more helpful ways of coping. With practice, you will become more confident in your ability to use the coping skills to manage your PTSD symptoms.
What Can I Expect?
During the first phase of SIT you will learn about PTSD symptoms and identify the sources of your stress. You will talk about your usual ways of coping with PTSD symptoms. You will also learn how to keep track of your stress level. The next phase involves learning and practicing new problem-solving strategies and coping skills that can help you relax your body and your breathing, stop upsetting thoughts, and stay in the moment. You will practice each skill in session, and then at home on your own. You also discuss whether you can change any of the things in your life causing you stress—or at least change how you react to them. Towards the end of treatment, you will review your progress and make a plan for how to handle stressful situations that could come up in the future.
Is It Effective?
Yes, SIT is a therapy supported by research. The evidence for this therapy is not as strong as research supporting trauma-focused psychotherapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). However, SIT may be a good option if trauma-focused psychotherapy is not of interest or available to you.
How Long Does Treatment Last?
About 3 months of weekly 60-90 minute sessions. You may decide to meet with your provider less often (for example, every other week) towards the end of treatment. Many people notice improvement after a few sessions.
What Are the Risks?
You may feel uncomfortable talking about your problems or PTSD symptoms. These feelings are usually brief, and people tend to feel better as they keep doing SIT. Most people who complete SIT find that the benefits outweigh any initial discomfort.
Group or Individual?
SIT is often done in a group with one or two providers and other people who also have PTSD.
SIT can also be done individually, where you meet one-to-one with a provider.
Will I Talk in Detail About My Trauma?
No, SIT does not require you to talk in detail about the trauma. In fact, you may be asked not to mention any details of your trauma at all.
Will I Have Homework?
Yes, you will practice using stress management skills learned in therapy.
How Available Is This in VA?
Low. This specific treatment is not common in VA. However, some therapists inside and outside VA use a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to teach coping skills to deal with PTSD symptoms or current problems.
Does VA Have an App for That?
No, currently VA has not developed an app for SIT.
Choosing the Best Treatment for You
Trying to figure out which PTSD treatment is best for you? For more information about treatments that work, get started with the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid.
Stress Inoculation Therapy
Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT) is a psychotherapy method intended to help patients prepare themselves in advance to handle stressful events successfully and with a minimum of upset.
The use of the term "inoculation" in SIT is based on the idea that a therapist is inoculating or preparing patients to become resistant to the effects of stressors in a manner similar to how a vaccination works to make patients resistant to the effects of particular diseases.
Stress Inoculation Therapy is conceptually similar to Relapse Prevention methods used in addictions therapy. In SIT, patients are educated about stressful situations and the general nature of stress, the negative outcomes they may be vulnerable to experiencing when confronted with stress, and steps they can take to avoid those negative outcomes. At the conclusion of stress inoculation efforts, patients should feel like they can anticipate pitfalls that may occur during an event, and have a workable and practical plan in place for helping themselves avoid those pitfalls.
Stress inoculation has three phases:
In the initial conceptualization phase, the therapist educates the patient about the general nature of stress (offering much the same information as contained in the earlier sections of this document), and explains important concepts such as appraisal and cognitive distortion that play a key role in shaping stress reactions.
The idea that people often and quite inadvertently make their stress worse through the unconscious operation of bad coping habits is conveyed. Finally, the therapist works to develop a clear understanding of the nature of the stressors the patient is facing.
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A key part of what needs to be communicated in the SIT conceptualization stage is the idea that stressors are creative opportunities and puzzles to be solved, rather than mere obstacles. Patients are helped to differentiate between aspects of their stressors and their stress-induced reactions that are changeable and aspects that cannot change, so that coping efforts can be adjusted accordingly. Acceptance-based coping is appropriate for aspects of situations that cannot be altered, while more active interventions are appropriate for more changeable stressors.
The second phase of SIT focuses on skills acquisition and rehearsal. The particular choice of skills taught is important, and must be individually tailored to the needs of individual patients and their particular strengths and vulnerabilities if the procedure is to be effective.
A variety of emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive appraisal, problem-solving, communication and socialization skills may be selected and taught on the basis of the patient's unique needs.
In the final SIT phase, application and follow through, the therapist provides the patient with opportunities to practice coping skills. The patient may be encouraged to use a variety of simulation methods to help increase the realism of coping practice, including visualization exercises, modeling and vicarious learning, role playing of feared or stressful situations, and simple repetitious behavioral practice of coping routines until they become over-learned and easy to act out.
SIT has been conducted with individuals, couples, and groups (both small and large). The length of intervention can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as 40 one hour weekly and biweekly sessions. In most instances, SIT consists of 8 to 15 sessions, plus booster and follow-up sessions, conducted over a 3-to-12-month period.
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V.V. Sinelnikov is a well-known practicing psychotherapist, psychologist, homeopath, author of healing psychological techniques that are unique in their simplicity and effectiveness and have helped thousands of people regain their health, improve their well-being, and experience the joy of life.
From his book you will learn how to learn how to use the powers of your subconscious in order to accumulate strength and energy, understand your problems, forget forever what stress and illness are. The book has a healing power, and the positive impact begins from the moment you pick it up.
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V.V. Sinelnikov is a well-known practicing psychotherapist, psychologist, homeopath, author of healing psychological techniques that are unique in their simplicity and effectiveness and have helped thousands of people regain their health, improve their well-being, and experience the joy of life. From his book you will learn how to learn how to use the powers of your subconscious in order to accumulate strength and energy, understand your problems, forget forever what stress and illness are. The book has a healing power, and the positive impact begins from the moment you pick it up.
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V.V. Sinelnikov is a well-known practicing psychotherapist, psychologist, homeopath, author of healing psychological techniques that are unique in their simplicity and effectiveness and have helped thousands of people regain their health, improve their well-being, and experience the joy of life. From his book you will learn how to learn how to use the powers of your subconscious in order to accumulate strength and energy, understand your problems, forget forever what stress and illness are. The book has a healing power, and the positive impact begins from the moment you pick it up.
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Life without stress
V.V. Sinelnikov is a well-known practicing psychotherapist, psychologist, homeopath, author of healing psychological techniques that are unique in their simplicity and effectiveness and have helped thousands of people regain their health, improve their well-being, and experience the joy of life.
From his book you will learn how to learn how to use the powers of your subconscious in order to accumulate strength and energy, understand your problems, forget forever what stress and illness are. The book has a healing power, and the positive impact begins from the moment you pick it up.
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