Touch: An integrative review of a somatosensory approach to the treatment of adults with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

McGreevy, Suzie; Boland, Pauline

doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2022.102168

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…In addition, in line with the observation that some touch-based interventions reduce PTSD symptoms (McGreevy & Boland, 2022 for review), future research should investigate under which conditions the salubrious effects of social touch are preserved in trauma-exposed individuals. Specifically, little is known how touch may influence self-soothing touch and vicarious touch, although the observation of social touch elicits similar neural responses as receiving social touch (Ebisch et al, 2011;Holle et al, 2013;Streltsova & McCleery, 2014).…”

Section: Open Questionsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways

Stevens,

Bregulla,

Scheele

2024

Preprint

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Trauma can shape the way an individual experiences the world and interacts with other people. Touch is a key component of social interactions, but surprisingly little is known how trauma exposure influences the processing of social touch. In this review, we examine possible neurobiological pathways through which trauma can influence touch processing and lead to touch aversion and avoidance in trauma-exposed individuals. Emerging evidence indicates that trauma may affect sensory touch thresholds by modulating activity in the primary sensory cortex and posterior insula. Disturbances in multisensory integration and oxytocin reactivity combined with diminished reward-related and anxiolytic responses may induce a bias towards negative appraisal of touch contexts. Furthermore, hippocampus deactivation during social touch may reflect a dissociative state. These changes depend not only on the type and severity of the trauma but also on the features of the touch. We hypothesise that disrupted touch processing may impair social interactions and confer elevated risk for future stress-related disorders.

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Section: Open Questionsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways

Stevens,

Bregulla,

Scheele

2024

Preprint

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“…Therefore, the traumatic event are recalled as disturbing bodily physical and emotional sensations, rather than a structured narrative, and hence, it might be difficult describe the traumatic experiences. Instead, there are potentials in trauma therapy which focuses on how the body responds to feelings of threat and fear, strengthens body awareness, and focus on feeling safe in one's body ( Van der Kolk, 2006, 2014 In the literature an interest in such mind-body oriented approaches to PTSD is seen in the an increasing number of studies on, for example, mindfulness and meditation (Polusny et al, 2015), healing touch therapy (Jain et al, 2012), mindfulness-based stretching and deep breathing exercises (Kim et al, 2013), yoga (Cramer et al, 2018), osteopathic treatment (Urits et al, 2021), craniosacral therapy (Jäkel and von Hauenschild, 2012), emotional freedom technique (EFT), and Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (McGreevy & Boland, 2022). A review of research on touch as treatment for the symptoms of PTSD showed that touch-based approaches can play an important role in emotional regulation and reduction of symptoms of PTSD (McGreevy & Boland, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of hands‐on mind‐body therapy on posttraumatic stress disorder among Danish military veterans: A randomized clinical trial

Andersen,

Ahrensberg

et al. 2024

Mental Health Science

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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects many military veterans. Given limited success of and barriers to conventional treatments, increasing interest is being paid to mind‐body therapy approaches. However, little evidence exists on whether these have the potential to treat traumatic stress. The aim of this study was to compare 6 months of hands‐on mind‐body therapy as an add‐on to treatment as usual (TAU) with TAU alone. Participants with PTSD resulting from active military service were randomly assigned to the intervention group or treatment‐as‐usual (TAU) group. The intervention group received 24 hands‐on manipulative mind‐body therapy sessions during 6 months as add‐on to TAU. The primary outcome was the PTSD Checklist‐Military version (PCL‐M) at 6 months (postintervention). Outcome measurements were obtained at four time points; baseline, 3 months (midway), 6 months (postintervention), and 12 months (follow‐up). Intention‐to‐treat analysis was done masked to allocation. A total of 42 participants were randomized (22 control, 20 intervention). In the intervention group, two discontinued the mind‐body therapy. At postintervention, participants who had received mind‐body treatment demonstrated greater reduction in PTSD severity (PCL‐M scores between‐group mean difference: −11.1, 95% CI −17.9 to −4.2, p = 0.002, effect size d = 1.06). At follow‐up, PCL‐M scores were not statistically significant between groups (between‐group difference: −4.65, 95% CI −11.8 to 1.50). Post hoc analysis showed that number of participants remitting from PTSD from baseline to follow‐up was 25% in the intervention group and 0% in the control group. Our study showed that hands‐on mind‐body therapy over 6 months produced clinically significant decrease in PTSD symptoms. The large reduction in symptoms was not maintained 6 months after the intervention period. Further research on mind‐body therapy as adjunctive PTSD treatment is warranted.

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Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – Neural and endocrine pathways

Stevens,

Bregulla,

Scheele

2024

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Touch: An integrative review of a somatosensory approach to the treatment of adults with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

Cited by 4 publications

References 87 publications

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – neural and endocrine pathways

Effects of hands‐on mind‐body therapy on posttraumatic stress disorder among Danish military veterans: A randomized clinical trial

Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch – Neural and endocrine pathways

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