People who live with trauma symptoms—and the people who care for them—know how challenging the condition can be to treat. Medications and talk therapy help many patients, but are ineffective for many others. The search continues for treatments that work and offer lasting benefits for the millions of Americans who live with PTSD.
Sources of trauma
Though PTSD is linked with military personnel, it isn’t limited to service members. Sexual assault, childhood abuse, exposure to disasters, violence or accidents can trigger PTSD. Trauma can affect anyone and takes many forms.
Adding to the complexity is the stigma associated with traumatic events. People—especially non-military patients—may not even know they have PTSD. And if they do, they might be reluctant to seek help
How the body reacts
After a traumatic event, the associated responses don’t fade into the past. Instead, people with PTSD relive the event over and over. It feels as if it’s happening in the present. The body responds by staying in a chronic “fight or flight” mode. Symptoms can include trembling, a racing heart, sweating and trouble sleeping. Anxiety attacks and feeling tense, fearful or angry are common, too.
Freespira proven for PSTD symptom reduction
Beyond medications and talk therapy, PTSD sufferers have turned to a range of treatments to cope with trauma-related thoughts and feelings. Horse- or dog-assisted therapies1, mindfulness practice and acupuncture, for example. Exposure therapy—re-experiencing the trauma repeatedly—can reduce symptoms. But it’s a difficult process often leading to therapy avoidance.
Freespira is FDA-cleared for use at-home to reduce or even stop PTSD symptoms in just 28 days.
Disordered breathing is a common feature of people with PTSD and panic disorder. Freespira works by teaching patients how to regulate their breathing.
Researchers at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System showed that 89% of patients with PTSD had a clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms after the 28-day Freespira treatment. And 50% of participants were still in remission six months later (Ostacher et al., 2021).
To learn more about Freespira, visit our provider referral page.
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1Fisher PW, Lazarov A, Lowell A, et al. Equine-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder among military veterans: an open trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 2021;82(5):21m14005.
