Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jul;19(3):161-175.
doi: 10.1177/2156587214525403.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Helané Wahbeh  1   2 , Angela Senders  1   2 , Rachel Neuendorf  2 , Julien Cayton  1
Affiliations

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Helané Wahbeh et al. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives.: To (1) characterize complementary and alternative medicine studies for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, (2) evaluate the quality of these studies, and (3) systematically grade the scientific evidence for individual CAM modalities for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Design.: Systematic review. Eight data sources were searched. Selection criteria included any study design assessing posttraumatic stress disorder outcomes and any complementary and alternative medicine intervention. The body of evidence for each modality was assessed with the Natural Standard evidence-based, validated grading rationale.

Results and conclusions.: Thirty-three studies (n = 1329) were reviewed. Scientific evidence of benefit for posttraumatic stress disorder was strong for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and good for acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, and visualization. Evidence was unclear or conflicting for biofeedback, relaxation, Emotional Freedom and Thought Field therapies, yoga, and natural products. Considerations for clinical applications and future research recommendations are discussed.

Keywords: complementary and alternative medicine; posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest statement No competing financial interests exist for all authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 15939839. 2005 Jun;62(6):617–627. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marciniak MD, Lage MJ, Dunayevich E, et al. The cost of treating anxiety: the medical and demographic correlates that impact total medical costs. Depress Anxiety 16075454. 2005;21(4):178–184. - PubMed
    1. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, McGuire L, Robles TF, Glaser R. Psychoneuroimmunology and psychosomatic medicine: back to the future. Psychosom Med 11818582. 2002 Jan-Feb;64(1):15–28. - PubMed
    1. Solomon SD, Davidson JR. Trauma: prevalence, impairment, service use, cost. J Clin Psychiatry 9329445. 1997;58(Suppl 9):5–11. - PubMed
    1. Brunello N, Davidson JR, Deahl M, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder: diagnosis and epidemiology, comorbidity and social consequences, biology and treatment. Neuropsychobiology 11287794. 2001;43(3):150–162. - PubMed

Included Studies

    1. Abramowitz EG, Barak Y, Ben-Avi I, Knobler HY. Hypnotherapy in the treatment of chronic combat-related PTSD patients suffering from insomnia: a randomized, zolpidem-controlled clinical trial. International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis. 2008;56(3):270–280. - PubMed
    1. Abramowitz EG, Lichtenberg P. A new hypnotic technique for treating combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: a prospective open study. International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis. 2010;58(3):316–328. - PubMed
    1. Boggio PS, Rocha M, Oliveira MO, Fecteau S, Cohen RB, Campanha C, Fregni F. Noninvasive brain stimulation with high-frequency and low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2010;71(8):992–999. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bormann JE, Smith TL, Becker S, Gershwin M, Pada L, Grudzinski AH, Nurmi EA. Efficacy of frequent mantram repetition on stress, quality of life, and spiritual well-being in veterans: a pilot study. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2005;23(4):395–414. - PubMed
    1. Bormann JE, Thorp S, Wetherell JL, Golshan S. A spiritually based group intervention for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: feasibility study. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2008;26(2):109–116. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources