Evaluating The Efficacy Of Combined Cognitive Processing Therapy and Stellate Ganglion Blocks for PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Summary

The purpose of this study is to understand if we can improve the treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We are looking into whether the combination of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) can reduce symptoms of PTSD. CPT is a trauma-focused talk therapy that can help identify and challenge unhelpful trauma-related beliefs about oneself, others, and the world. It is known to be a highly effective talk therapy for PTSD. SGB treatment is a procedure involving an injection of local anesthetic into a bundle of nerves located in the neck that is part of the sympathetic nervous system which controls our body's response to stressful situations and blocks pain. The proposed project will systematically test whether combining CPT with SGB produces greater PTSD symptom reductions and functional improvements in the short- and longer-term up to 6-months follow-up compared to CPT (+Placebo) or SGB (+Daily Monitoring) alone.

Eligibility

Age range

18+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Cognitive Processing Therapy

  Cognitive Processing Therapy is a first-line, gold-standard psychotherapy intervention for the treatment of PTSD.

• Drug
  Stellate Ganglion Block

  Stellate Ganglion Blocks are an injection of local anesthetic into the stellate ganglion, a collection of nerves in the side of the neck.

Location