Healing Touch & Guided Imagery for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Healing Touch and Guided Imagery Intervention in Post-deployment Military Personnel With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

This is a randomized controlled 2 year trial at Camp Pendleton, CA to determine whether a complementary medicine intervention (Healing Touch with Guided Imagery, HT+GI) reduces Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in returning combat-exposed active duty military with significant PTSD symptoms. Secondary aims will evaluate the effect of HT and GI on measures of depression, hostility, and general health status in this population.

The study enrolled 123 active duty subjects from the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Southern California with at least one or more symptoms of PTSD .

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Female or male subjects 18 years or older
2. Post-deployment from a combat zone
3. Identified by post-deployment health re-assessment to have PTSD symptoms
4. Referred by Camp Pendleton
5. Subjects who are willing to sign a consent
6. Subjects who are willing to participate for the length of the study

Exclusions:

1. Female subjects who are now pregnant or nursing
2. Subjects who are receiving healing touch or using guided imagery from other sources
3. Subjects who have any major health condition that may interfere with participating in this study