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Post-traumatic Stress Disorders – an integrative east-west psychosomatic approach

Marić-Oehler, W., Bad Homburg (D), General Secretary of the International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques ICMART, University of Mainz – Lecturer of Acupuncture, Honorary Professor of Fujian University of TCM, Honorary President of the German Medical Acupuncture Association DAEGfA

 

As long as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder/PTSD is defined as a separate pattern in psychotherapeutic medicine it is diagnosed increasingly often in medical and psychotherapeutic practice. Research in neuroscience is more and more focused on this subject.

   

Neuroscience found out that the effect of acupuncture is based on various mechanisms and processes in the central nervous system.

 

Combining the two facts there must be a connection between the western and the oriental medical theory and practice of PTSD.

The oriental medical understanding of (psychic) shock, injury and traumatic experience is psycho-somatic in the unique way of this medical system.

 

PTSD will be explained by concepts of Oriental Medicine, e.g. Five Phases, Zang Fu, the concept of Qi, the concept of Hun Po and the Meridian Theory. The knowledge and experience of Oriental Medicine will be connected with western understanding, ideas and concepts in medicine, psychosomatics and psychotherapy.

 

It could be helpful to combine western psychotherapeutic diagnostic procedures with the diagnostics of Oriental Medicine. This makes it possible to combine treatment procedures of both systems not just parallel but in an   s p e c i f i c   way, different forms of psychotherapy with different forms of acupuncture and other methods of OM. In its unique nature acupuncture is able to touch the roots of the spirit.

 

In this way patients with PTSD could get an integrative east-west psycho-somatic treatment.