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Acupuncture for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This study is looking into whether specific acupuncture treatments, called Dragons acupuncture and Dragons acupressure, can help reduce symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can cause distressing symptoms like nightmares and flashbacks after a traumatic event. The treatments aim to help the emotional part of the brain understand that past trauma is no longer a threat. Researchers will compare these treatments to a Dragons placebo. To join, you must be 18-74 years old, an active duty military member or DoD beneficiary, and have a PTSD diagnosis. The study is considered successful if participants show improvement in their PTSD symptoms, as measured by specific questionnaires. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This interventional study plans to enroll 75 participants. It will compare Dragons acupuncture, Dragons acupressure, and a Dragons placebo.
What's involved
You would have assessments at the start of the study (week 0) and again at week 8.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for at least 8 weeks after their initial assessment.

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NCT05516862

Determining the Right Acupuncture for Good Recovery Over Neuropsychiatric Trauma

Recruiting
NAAges 18–74InterventionalTreatment
Paul Crawford
~75 participants
Updated 2025-09-19 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Dragons acupunctureDragons acupressureDragons placebo

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)
Measured over visit 1 (week 0)
+6 more outcomes measured

Conditions

PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Acupuncture

Explore related trials

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Nevada1

Who to contact

Amanda Crawford, MS
[email protected]
7026533600
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Active Duty members and DoD beneficiaries(i.e. former military, spouse, dependent child), 18-65 years old
Meeting the criteria for PTSD based on PCL-5 (past month scores) score of 31 or higher
At least 1 positive response to at least one item on the LEC-5.

Exclusion

Pregnant, may be pregnant, or attempting to become pregnant. There areno known risks of this acupuncture in pregnant patients; however, we will exclude pregnancy due to the location of the needles (right over the uterus in 3rd trimester) and risk of exacerbating anxiety that may cause stress on the baby. Subjects will be told to let us know if they become pregnant so we can disenroll them from the study.
Prior treatment with Dragons acupuncture
History of hospitalization for mental health reasons within the last year
Active Suicidal thoughts (is currently considering suicide or has a plan) or suicide attempt within the last year. This will be assessed by direct questioning.
Is currently receiving acupuncture or other non-medication treatments specifically for PTSD (patients can elect to forgo PTSD treatments during the study period and then resume after the study period is over; ie halt therapy during the study period)
Legally Authorized Representatives will not be utilized in this study

What this trial measures

  • Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)visit 1 (week 0)

    The CAPS-5 is a structured interview that can be used to make current (past month) diagnosis of PTSD, make lifetime diagnosis of PTSD, and assess PTSD symptoms over the past week. The CAPS-5 will be applied for its first purpose in this study. The instrument produces a total symptom severity score by summing severity scores for the 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms and symptom cluster severity scores calculated by summing individual item severity scores for symptoms corresponding to a given DSM-5 cluster. There are five symptom cluster severity scores: Criterion B, Criterion C, Criterion D, Criterion E and Criterion disassociation.

  • Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)visit 6 (week 8)

    The CAPS-5 is a structured interview that can be used to make current (past month) diagnosis of PTSD, make lifetime diagnosis of PTSD, and assess PTSD symptoms over the past week. The CAPS-5 will be applied for its first purpose in this study. The instrument produces a total symptom severity score by summing severity scores for the 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms and symptom cluster severity scores calculated by summing individual item severity scores for symptoms corresponding to a given DSM-5 cluster. There are five symptom cluster severity scores: Criterion B, Criterion C, Criterion D, Criterion E and Criterion disassociation.

  • PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)visit 1 (week 0)

    PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reporting measure of PTSD rating how the respondent has been bothered by PTSD symptoms over the past month using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Responses are summed to a total score with higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. A total symptom severity score (range 0 - 80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Research suggests that a PCL-5 cutoff score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD. A 5 - 10 point change represents reliable change (i.e., change not due to chance) and a 10 - 20 point change represents clinically significant change.

  • PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)visit 3 (week 2)

    PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reporting measure of PTSD rating how the respondent has been bothered by PTSD symptoms over the past month using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Responses are summed to a total score with higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. A total symptom severity score (range 0 - 80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Research suggests that a PCL-5 cutoff score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD. A 5 - 10 point change represents reliable change (i.e., change not due to chance) and a 10 - 20 point change represents clinically significant change.

  • PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)visit 4 (week 3)

    PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reporting measure of PTSD rating how the respondent has been bothered by PTSD symptoms over the past month using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Responses are summed to a total score with higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. A total symptom severity score (range 0 - 80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Research suggests that a PCL-5 cutoff score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD. A 5 - 10 point change represents reliable change (i.e., change not due to chance) and a 10 - 20 point change represents clinically significant change.

  • PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)visit 5 (week 4)

    PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reporting measure of PTSD rating how the respondent has been bothered by PTSD symptoms over the past month using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Responses are summed to a total score with higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. A total symptom severity score (range 0 - 80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Research suggests that a PCL-5 cutoff score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD. A 5 - 10 point change represents reliable change (i.e., change not due to chance) and a 10 - 20 point change represents clinically significant change.

  • PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)visit 6 (week 8)

    PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reporting measure of PTSD rating how the respondent has been bothered by PTSD symptoms over the past month using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). Responses are summed to a total score with higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. A total symptom severity score (range 0 - 80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Research suggests that a PCL-5 cutoff score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD. A 5 - 10 point change represents reliable change (i.e., change not due to chance) and a 10 - 20 point change represents clinically significant change.