Corner Canyon Recovery now offers the Stellate Ganglion Block to clients with PTSD symptoms: a recent Veterans Administration study demonstrates efficacy of a long-acting anesthetic injected into the stellate ganglion nerve plexus in the neck. Veterans with PTSD had a statistically significant reduction in trauma symptoms. The VA uses this shot to help manage upper body pain in veterans and observed an improvement in PTSD symptoms without other interventions.

Treatment for PTSD using SGB Shots

SGB focuses on the part of a client’s nervous system, the stellate ganglion, that regulates the physiological reaction (known as “Fight or Flight”) people can experience in response to trauma.  Short and long term effects like flashbacks, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and inability to function normally can respond quickly to this intervention. “By pairing Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) shots with our clinical interventions and safe emotional environment, we hope to rapidly improve PTSD symptoms so that clients can access our treatment more quickly and effectively and increase the benefits they are receiving, in addition to having more time to build skills to prevent a return to their old dysfunctional coping skills”, says Cheryl Kehl, CEO at Corner Canyon Recovery.

Features and benefits of SGB include:

• Significant reduction in trauma symptoms
• Alleviation of hyperarousal, exaggerated startle responses, and anxiety
• Reduction in long term effects like flashbacks, anxiety, depression, insomnia

SGB shots will be available starting March 9, 2020. For more information see the VA study summary and review the SGB Fact Sheet. Conclusions and Relevance: In this trial of active-duty service members with PTSD symptoms (at a clinical threshold and sub-threshold), 2 SGB treatments 2 weeks apart were effective in reducing CAPS-5 total symptom severity scores over 8 weeks;

CCR pre- and post- data show that Trauma Symptoms are reduced by 51% during an average stay, currently 67 days, through a
combination of effective treatment modalities including EMDR, Brainspotting, Neuro Enhancement Brain Technology, DBT, CBT, Psychodynamic, Art, Equine, Exposure, and Family Therapy. These take place in a supportive, caring, comfortable environment which increases the benefits of these treatments. We anticipate that adding SGB shots will drop that percentage of recovery from trauma symptoms even more.

About Corner Canyon Recovery

Corner Canyon Recovery is an inpatient mental health and addiction recovery center, providing evidence-based and compassion driven treatment for mixed-gender adult clients in a comfortable, healthy environment with caring personnel. Corner Canyon Recovery is innovative and provides our adult clients with the most effective treatment options available for their individual concerns. Our inpatient program strives to improve and change lives in ways that other treatment programs can’t.