Who Doesn’t Want to Feel Better Faster?

I am thrilled to share the news of a landmark study that I published with my research colleagues at Ohio State in the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in December. This study demonstrated how adding stellate ganglion block (SGB) to standard trauma treatment helped patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) get better, FASTER. This Level 1 evidence has potential to improve how we treat trauma survivors from all backgrounds now.

Dr. James Lynch - Who Doesn’t Want to Feel Better Faster?

In this randomized clinical trial, we examined whether adding SGB to cognitive processing therapy (CPT)—a well-established talk therapy—improved PTSD symptoms. We tested whether giving SGB before CPT works better than giving CPT alone, and whether SGB can help people who still have symptoms after therapy.

As many of our readers know, SGB is an injection of local anesthetic along a nerve in the side of the neck that helps reset the body’s “fight-or-flight” system. It has been used safely for 100+ years to treat pain and over the past 15 years has also been used to reduce anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

Eighty-six people with PTSD took part in our study. One group received SGB before starting two weeks of daily CPT sessions. The other group completed CPT first and received SGB three months later if they were still struggling.

What we found:

Everyone improved, but people who got SGB before CPT improved much faster.
Those who received SGB first had quicker and greater reductions in PTSD symptoms, as well as depression, anxiety, and physical (body-related) symptoms—reducing scores by roughly 50% on PCL-5, GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PHQ-15 symptom checklists.
By week 8, 48% of SGB-before-CPT participants reached good end-state functioning, compared to 16% in the SGB-after-CPT group.
For people who did not improve enough with CPT alone, receiving SGB afterward led to significant symptom relief, showing it can help even when therapy by itself is not enough.
By week 52, 81% of SGB-before-CPT participants showed reliable improvement in PCL-5 scores, while 62% of SGB-after-CPT participants did.
This study adds evidence that SGB can be both an effective symptom-reducing procedure on its own and a valuable adjunct that enhances the impact of proven therapies like CPT.
Aside from combat, the most common trauma exposures were physical assault (76.7%) and transportation accident (69.8%).

Why this matters:
Faster symptom relief may help people better engage in therapy, feel less overwhelmed, and return to daily functioning sooner.

Bottom line:
SGB is a helpful add-on to PTSD therapy. Getting SGB before intensive therapy leads to faster improvement, and getting it afterward can still help those who need more support.

James Lynch MD SGB PTSD Anxiety Research Wall This study adds to the broader body of work I have published over the past decade or so on stellate ganglion block in the treatment of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. The findings also reinforce my 15+ years of clinical experience treating patients with SGB. The therapists I have collaborated with for years note that SGB frequently allows their clients to be calmer in their bodies and minds to allow for more effective therapy. That’s what it’s all about! For many, the real healing occurs in therapy, but the SGB can be a key catalyst to allow the work to happen.