Augmenting evidence-based PTSD psychotherapy with neuroscientifically informed interventions: A mind-body-brain approach.

INTRODUCTION

Although clinical practice guidelines (CPG) emphasize several trauma-focused therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as effective, many persons with PTSD do not experience full recovery, particularly among military and Veteran populations, leading to some individuals being labelled as having treatment-resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD). Recent advancements in neuroscience have enhanced the understanding of PTSD as a disorder driven by dynamic brain networks that contribute to core PTSD symptomatology, dissociation, moral injury, and systemic symptoms, thus highlighting the need for neuroscientifically informed interventions that address PTSD as it is expressed mentally, bodily, and neurally.

METHODS

This report reviews emerging PTSD interventions guided by neuroscientific advancements, specifically deep brain reorienting (DBR), virtual reality integrative therapy (VRIT), neurofeedback (NFB), and non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), as means to augment interventions recommended in CPG.

RESULTS

Each of DBR, VRIT, NFB, and NIBS show promise as neuroscience-informed therapies to augment outcomes of psychotherapies recommended in CPG by directly targeting some of the mind-body-brain mechanisms underlying PTSD symptoms.

DISCUSSION: The concept of TR-PTSD should be re-evaluated in light of new therapeutic approaches. Consistent with professional practice guidelines, neuroscientifically informed interventions such as DBR, VRIT, NFB, and NIBS offer a path toward more effective, individualized treatment by augmenting outcomes associated with CPG for PTSD by modulating mind-body-brain connections.