ABSTRACT
It is common for men and women to undergo potentially traumatizing events; however, some of these become traumatizing events that lead to traumatic experiences. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results not from events but from experiences, the way someone constructs meaning from an event. Medication is often helpful in the short term, but it cannot address the deep existential issues of PTSD; furthermore, its side effects often alter brain functioning in a manner counter to the positive effects of effective psychotherapy. The future of Humanistic Psychology is becoming linked to the epidemic of traumatic stress reactions. Psychotherapy has addressed the sequelae of trauma since its beginning. For decades, research studies had failed to demonstrate its effectiveness appropriately. Humanistic and existential psychotherapies were not among the treatments evaluated for a very simple reason: not enough data were available for comparisons to be made.
