The Research
Curious how these approaches work? Below are plain-language explanations and links to research from trusted medical institutions and peer-reviewed studies, so you can explore the evidence for yourself.
A quick injection of local anesthetic into a bundle of nerves in the neck that helps regulate the body's "fight-or-flight" response. For some people with PTSD, calming these nerves appears to turn down chronic hyperarousal, anxiety, and sleep problems.
Given in low, medically supervised doses, ketamine can rapidly ease depression and, in growing research, PTSD symptoms — often working within hours when other treatments haven't. (A related medicine, esketamine, is FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression.)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses guided eye movements while recalling a traumatic memory, helping the brain reprocess and "file away" the memory so it loses its emotional charge. The VA and Department of Defense list EMDR as a best-practice PTSD treatment.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teaches present-moment awareness and acceptance rather than avoidance. For veterans, it can reduce PTSD and depression symptoms and improve sleep and emotional regulation.
Gentle, body-aware yoga helps veterans reconnect with the body, calm the nervous system, and build a sense of safety and control. In one notable trial, over half of women with treatment-resistant PTSD no longer met criteria after yoga.
Often called "meditation in motion," these slow, flowing movement practices combine gentle exercise with breath and focus. Research links them to reduced anxiety and depression and improved mood and well-being.
Thin needles placed at specific points appear to calm the body's stress response. A recent trial in combat veterans found meaningful PTSD symptom reduction, with effects comparable to established therapies.
Therapeutic touch can lower the stress hormone cortisol and ease muscle tension, helping reduce anxiety, stress, and hyperarousal as a complement to other care.
Working with horses builds trust, emotional awareness, and calm. Horses respond honestly to a person's emotional state, giving veterans real-time, non-judgmental feedback. Early evidence is promising, with larger trials still underway.
Trained service dogs help veterans manage anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks, and support social reconnection. A major NIH-funded trial found veterans with service dogs had markedly lower PTSD symptom severity.
Creating art helps veterans express what's hard to put into words, process trauma memories, and reduce avoidance and hyper-vigilance — a valuable complement to talk-based treatment.
Making or engaging with music can ease intrusive symptoms, anxiety, and isolation, and build connection. Group drumming and music-instruction programs have shown encouraging results with veterans.
Floating effortlessly in warm, Epsom-salt water in a quiet, low-stimulation environment gives the nervous system a deep rest. Studies show single sessions can meaningfully reduce anxiety, with the largest effects in the most anxious individuals.
Links open external, third-party sources we do not control. Research is summarized in plain language for general education.
