Healing Touch With Guided Imagery for PTSD in Returning Active Duty Military: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Healing Touch & Guided Imagery for PTSD
Combining Healing Touch with guided imagery for active duty soldiers with PTSD led to significant reductions in clinical symptoms, lowered cynicism and improved quality of life, demonstrating a meaningful impact on the effects of trauma, and illustrating how multimodal approaches may strengthen the benefits of energy healing.
Research Question: Can a combination of Healing Touch and Guided Imagery reduce PTSD symptoms and depression in active-duty military personnel returning from combat?
Key Findings: Soldiers receiving the combined therapy showed statistically and clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression compared to those receiving standard care alone.
Design: A randomized controlled trial of Healing Touch with Guided Imagery for PTSD in returning active duty military.
- Intervention Groups: 123 participants were randomized to either Healing Touch plus Guided Imagery (HT+GI) in addition to standard care, or Treatment as Usual (TAU) alone, which included traditional psychotherapy and medication.
- Dosage: Six 1-hour sessions over a 3-week period, supplemented by daily home listening to a Guided Imagery CD.
Subjects: n= 123 (Active duty military personnel at Camp Pendleton returning from combat zones).
Biofield / Energy Healing Intervention: Healing Touch (HT)—a gentle, non-invasive therapy where trained practitioners use specific touch techniques to work with the body’s "vital energy system" to stimulate a healing response.
Results:
- Overall Results: The intervention was highly effective and well-received, with a low dropout rate (12%) compared to the much higher rates typically seen in traditional PTSD treatments.
- Primary Outcome Results: PTSD symptoms dropped by 14 points—a major clinical shift—while the control group showed almost no change.
- Secondary Outcome Results: Participants saw significant drops in depression and cynicism, alongside a measurable boost in their overall mental quality of life.
Discussion:
- Because HT+GI is seen as "wellness" rather than "mental health treatment," it helps bypass the stigma that often prevents soldiers from seeking help,.
- By reducing cynicism and increasing a sense of safety, this therapy can act as a "gateway" that makes soldiers more open to other forms of care,.
- The effectiveness of this drug-free approach was found to be comparable or superior to standard pharmacological treatments for PTSD.
Conclusion: Combined biofield therapy and guided imagery provide a swift, effective, and non-stigmatizing way to reduce the suffering of military personnel dealing with combat-related trauma.
Link to Publication: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231739970_Healing_Touch_With_Guided_Imagery_for_PTSD_in_Returning_Active_Duty_Military_A_Randomized_Controlled_Trial
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