Problem: Article: Are you a novice when it comes to anatomical studies, or do you have experience with the subject? Is there a particular component of anatomy, such as the skeletal structure or the central nervous system, that interests you? Make sure you are in an anatomy class that caters to your level of understanding and your needs.  If you are new to studying anatomy, it is advisable to take an introductory course in order to provide you with basic concepts, theories, and terms that will be needed for your future studies. If you have the ability, you may want to ask a friend or peer who has previously taken an anatomy course if you can look over their notes and syllabus to see if the class meets your needs. If you are studying anatomy as part of a diploma, degree, or certificate program, work with your academic advisor to make sure you are taking the correct course for your program. You may want to ask, “Does this course have a lab component that requires separate enrollment?” so that you can ensure you are in all of the right classes to get the credit you need. Check with your academic advisor regularly to make sure that your courses are correct. Anatomy deals with a large number of components of the human body. Use labeled diagrams and sketches in your notes so that you understand how the specific parts you study fit and interact in the rest of the body.  Ask your teacher, “Do you have any images or diagrams I can copy for study aids?” Use unlabeled versions of your diagrams or note sketches to test yourself and help reinforce your knowledge. Look to your classmates and see if you can create a study group or weekly meeting group to exchange notes and talk about the course. Use this time to have your peers help you with concepts that aren’t sticking with you.  This is also a great space to help tutor your peers, which in turn allows you to review and reinforce information in your own mind. Make these meetings fun, informal spaces where you and your peers can talk freely about what you are learning. Allow for conversation, rather than the question and answer format you have in class. Tutor for the subject, or teach your friends, your family, your roommates, or someone else who wants to learn more. Trying to teach is one of the best way to know whether or not you fully comprehend the subject, and this way you and your student both benefit.  Ask a friend or family member, “Can I try to teach you this particular anatomy concept?” Explain it to them as best as you can, and have them repeat it back to you. Use their informational gaps as guides for where you should study. Offer to tutor a lower grade level in their anatomy class. This gives you the chance to review material while helping another student of anatomy. Anatomy has a lot of shared information with subjects such as embryology, comparative anatomy, and evolutionary biology. Enroll in classes in related subjects that might help you with your educational goals.  Comparative anatomy and evolutionary biology look at how the human anatomical structure developed and how it relates to the anatomy of other animals. Embryology focuses on the development of sex cells in the womb up to birth.
Summary: Enroll in the right class for you. Check your degree requirements. Use visual aids. Collaborate with your peers. Teach the subject. Study related subjects.

Problem: Article: During psychotherapy, you express your thoughts and feelings about the traumatic experience that has caused your PTSD. The most common psychotherapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT aims to help you overcome your negative thoughts about your experience and instead turn them into more positive or rational thoughts.  Talk therapy usually lasts up to 12 weeks but, in many cases, the therapy continues until you feel like you have overcome your PTSD. Psychotherapy can be done one on one or in a group, and it usually needs the support of the whole family for it to work. Ask your family to go to therapy with you if that is something you think you might benefit from. Psychotherapy, specifically CBT,  works because it addresses psychological issues directly and also provides you with practical advice on how to manage your life in the shadow of PTSD.   Therapy helps you to process what you are feeling—shame, anger, guilt—about the trauma you have experienced. Talk therapy can help you to understand why you feel the way that you do and can give you the tools to overcome those feelings. It will also provide you with ways to react in a healthy way to people, places, and things that remind you of the trauma you have experienced. This type of therapy falls under the category of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and focuses on facing your fears and memories head-on. It facilitates your confrontation with your fear by exposing you to the trauma once again (this time safety is guaranteed). The ultimate goal is to help you deal with your fear and to aid you in coping with the emotional distress you feel when the trauma comes back and haunts you. Through exposure therapy, you will learn how to control your memories and realize that they are nothing to be afraid of.  Mental imagery (picturing the trauma in your mind), visiting the place where the traumatic event happened, and encouraging you to write about your ordeal is all common tools of exposure therapy. This is another CBT technique that can help you to find a more rational and logical take on what happened to you during the traumatic event. By doing this, you will be able to come to terms with the reality of what has happened and escape the guilt that people with PTSD commonly feel. People who suffer from PTSD feel shame and think that what happened is their fault; cognitive restructuring will help you to see that it is not your fault at all.   There are some cognitive restructuring techniques you can try from home, such as tracking the accuracy of your negative thoughts. For example, if you find yourself ruminating, you can note when you ruminate and then note whether your ruminating helped you solve your problems or not.  Or, you could try testing your thoughts through your actual behavior. For example, if you believe that you don't have any time to exercise, you could try exercising for 15 minutes and see whether you have less time for other important parts of your life.  This sort of psychotherapy can help you to find closure and overcome negative feelings about yourself that the traumatic event caused. This type of therapy is another type of CBT and will teach you to control your anxiety. It goes a step beyond just restructuring your memories and will you to create a healthier mentality about your traumatic experience. The goal of this sort of therapy is to help you reshape the way you view the trauma you experienced before you developed anxiety or depression because of your PTSD. Group therapy, just like any other approach, works better for some people than for others. However, it may help you to overcome your symptoms because it will give you other people to relate to, who have gone through, or are going through, a situation similar to yours. Talking to others who have gone through a similar experience as you can help you to rationalize how you feel, realize you are not alone and feel more “normal.” In group therapy, people talk about their experiences and the way those experiences have affected their lives and emotions. Hearing others tell their stories can help to ease feelings of shame, guilt, and anger that you might be experiencing because of your own traumatic event.
Summary:
Consider treatment through psychotherapy. Understand why psychotherapy works for those suffering from PTSD. Try exposure therapy. Try cognitive restructuring. Go through stress inoculation training. Consider group therapy.