A systematic review of somatic intervention treatments in PTSD: Does Somatic Experiencing® (SE®) have the potential to be a suitable choice?

Abstract

The psychophysiological substrate of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with deregulation of neural networks involving mind-body interaction and is the subject of considerable research. It has been managed using pharmacological treatment associated or not with complementary treatments. The aim of this study was to systematize the knowledge about the types and effectiveness of complementary treatments using somatic interventions in the PTSD setting. According to the revised literature, the complementary approaches are based on Somatic Experiencing ® , meditation and brainspotting techniques, and are anchored in the search for regulating the underlying neural mechanisms. However, there is little scientific production on these treatments, despite the positive clinical impact of their results, particularly for Somatic Experiencing ® , which has presented good results. For the authors, further controlled trials involving improvement of symptoms and their association with possible biological markers are necessary to corroborate the efficacy of this therapy.