Page 64 - Total War on PTSD

trains more practitioners through its “Healing Community Trauma” educational program, additional clinics are being established.
AWB created the MSRP program during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because so many soldiers and Veterans were suffering the effects of trauma without effective treatment within the military medical system. Pharmacological treatments for post-traumatic stress (PTS) have been shown to be relatively ineffective and can create chemical dependence with devastating side effects, including increased suicide rates. AWB pioneered the use of acupuncture as a safe, effective, non-pharmacological therapy for returning soldiers that fills this trauma treatment gap.
Currently, the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Affairs Administration are supporting research on the efficacy of acupuncture for treatment of combat- related pain and trauma. Increasingly, acupuncture is being integrated into health services provided on military bases and in VA hospitals. AWB’s work over the past decade has helped make this happen.
Treatments offered in the MSRP program are based on the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) ear protocol, which has proven to be extremely powerful in alleviating symptoms of stress and trauma. During treatment, people sit fully clothed in a room together, often in a circle of chairs, and a licensed acupuncturist places five tiny needles in each ear. Recipients are invited to close their eyes and rest for 30-45 minutes as the acupuncture does its work. In many MSRP clinics, the NADA protocol is supplemented with additional ear, scalp, or body points.
Clients at MSRP clinics experience benefits such as a full night’s sleep for the first time in years and fewer bad dreams. They experience improved mental clarity, less anxiety and depression
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