Alternative Therapies for PTSD : The Science of Mind–Body Treatments

Highlighting alternative therapies for trauma, the work rethinks PTSD treatment by avoiding approaches that force painful memory retrieval. Drawing on clinical expertise and military experience, it examines innovative methods like mindfulness meditation, yoga, acupuncture and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with practical case insights.

This book explores promising alternative therapies for trauma survivors who have difficulty with traditional treatment approaches. 

Standard psychological treatments that are often used to treat PTSD, including cognitive behavioral therapy and prolonged exposure therapy, involve revisiting past traumas, which can cause intense anxiety for clients and often leads to treatment dropout. Author Robert Motta draws from his professional expertise as a trauma therapist, and from his personal experiences as a military veteran seeking effective, accessible methods of treating his own PTSD. He summarizes what is known-as well as what is still unknown or unproven-along with other strengths and limitations of various nontraditional approaches, including mindfulness meditation, yoga, acupuncture, animal- and nature-assisted therapies, emotional freedom techniques, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

These treatments are appropriate for clients with a wide range of trauma histories including war, rape, childhood abuse, or a car accident. Clinical vignettes provide practical insights for implementing these interventions with individuals of various ages and backgrounds.