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Deep Brain Reorienting in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Sponsor: London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Summary
This study will evaluate the efficacy of a therapeutic treatment, Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), for PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Participants will be randomized to either the DBR treatment, or wait-list condition.
Official title: The Effects of Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 65 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
234
Start Date
2020-09-29
Completion Date
2027-07
Last Updated
2026-02-27
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
Trauma processing through DBR involves bringing up a traumatic memory and encouraging the client to focus on tensions arising in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, head and face (i.e., those involved in orienting toward a threatening person/event). The rationale is as follows: Physiologically, orienting to a stimulus, whether external or in the mind's eye, comes before any affective response to it. Here, it is hypothesized that there is activity in certain midbrain structures , i.e.,Superior Colliculi (SC) and Periaqueductal Gray (PAG). The deep layers of the SC bring on a brief (orienting) tension in the neck as well as preparing for eye movements, which is later followed by the processing of raw affect in the PAG. In session, if we can attend to this tension - even if we have to backtrack from the emotion that follows - we can establish an anchor in the body that precedes the affect and is hypothesized to protect against emotional overwhelm.
Locations (1)
London Health Sciences Centre - University Hospital
London, Ontario, Canada