Watch now: Colorado clinic talks about how to manage and treat PTSD By Aspen Andrews
Published: Jul. 15, 2026 at 7:16 AM PDT
Interview by Aspen Andrews, KKTV 11 News, with Steve Carleton, Chief Clinical Officer of Porch Light Health. Published July 15, 2026. Colorado Springs, CO.
KKTV: Steve, can we start with what PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is?
Carleton: Great question and great topic. When we talk about post-traumatic stress disorder, we’re really talking about a person’s relationship to the traumatic experiences they may have over their lifetime.
About half of Americans will experience some type of trauma. And trauma isn’t just physical — like a motor vehicle accident or an assault — it’s also the psychological impact. When someone experiences a trauma, there’s a toxic response in the body: adrenaline and stress hormones get dumped into the system. When that reaction becomes toxic, it can leave lasting psychological effects.
KKTV: We usually talk about PTSD in the context of veterans, but it can really affect all of us. Can you explain how?
Carleton: It certainly can — no one is immune to PTSD. We do talk about it most often with veterans, and they are at a much higher likelihood of developing it, given the nature of that service and the traumatic experiences that can happen in a war zone or even in training.
But civilians are just as likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic experience — things like an assault or a natural disaster. Any time an experience overwhelms your coping mechanisms and triggers that toxic response, you’re vulnerable to PTSD. So while it’s more common in veterans, everyone is susceptible.
KKTV: What signs might we see if someone is dealing with PTSD?
Carleton: There are four specific criteria for PTSD.
The first is re-experiencing. If you’ve ever been rear-ended in a car, you can relate to this. For weeks or even months afterward, you find yourself reliving that experience at a stoplight — checking your rearview mirror, making sure no one is going to run into you. That’s your brain’s way of tapping you on the shoulder and saying, “Don’t forget this awful thing happened, and it could happen again.” Re-experiencing is the first symptom.
The most natural response to those uncomfortable symptoms is avoidance, which is the second criterion. Only about 15% of people who experience a trauma go on to develop PTSD, and avoidance plays a huge role in that. What we see at Porch Light Health, more often than not, is people using substances to numb themselves — a way to self-medicate and push the memories and emotions aside. But avoidance is really just not wanting to think about it or talk about it, and doing whatever you can to avoid being reminded of it.
The third is mood alteration. It can change how you feel, and it can change how you think — about yourself, other people, and the world. The world starts to feel like an unsafe place for someone heading down that road.
The last is hypervigilance — think of strong startle responses. That’s a common symptom. Not everyone with a startle response has PTSD, but people with PTSD are often much more alert to their surroundings when they leave the house or go out in public, and that can lead them to become more isolated. So it’s really those four things.
KKTV: How treatable is PTSD, and in your opinion, what treatments really work?
Carleton: That’s the good news about PTSD. With the right treatment, it’s one of the most treatable mental health conditions out there.
There are two main things a therapist can help you address. The first is avoidance. Just by going into therapy and talking with a professional, you’re already confronting it — you’re saying, “This thing has too much power over me, and I need to work through it.” The second is what we call stuck thinking, or cognitive distortions: the distinct shifts in how we view ourselves and the world, like the belief that the world is no longer a safe place at all. If you can address the avoidance and those thoughts, you can be very successful in reducing PTSD symptoms to the point where they no longer interfere with your life.
The most common and effective modalities are EMDR (a solid one), prolonged exposure, and cognitive processing therapy.
KKTV: On the other hand, what can happen if PTSD goes untreated?
Carleton: Over time, people become more and more isolated. They lose their connection to the world around them, to the people they care about, and even to themselves. Self-medicating is common — for people who cross over into PTSD, about 80% meet the criteria for at least a mild substance use disorder, usually involving alcohol. More often than not, these individuals start to pull back from everything they know and love, and become increasingly isolated as it gets worse.
KKTV: For those who want more information, where can they find help in the Springs?
Carleton: Porch Light Health is a great option if PTSD has led to a substance use disorder and that’s your main struggle. If you’re a veteran, there’s the VA clinic here in Colorado Springs. And the VA website has tremendous online resources on what PTSD is and what the most effective treatments are. There’s a lot of information out there.
