Understanding PTSD
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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to violence, injury, disaster, or loss. Symptoms vary but often include intrusive memories, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, emotional numbing, and avoidance behaviors. These responses disrupt daily life, relationships, sleep, and the body’s stress-response system.
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In conflict and displacement settings, as many as 22% of people live with mental health disorders. Studies of Rohingya refugees found that more than one-third reported PTSD symptoms, and even more suffered from depression. This reflects a global truth: trauma leaves lasting marks not only on memory but also on the nervous and immune systems.
„The Body Keeps the Score“
—Bessel van der Kolk
Biomedical Insights
Research in neuroscience and psychotraumatology highlights why PTSD is more than “psychological”:
Hormonal dysregulation
Cortisol, the stress hormone that should resolve the alarm response, often stays low after trauma, while adrenaline remains elevated. This leaves survivors “stuck” in fight-flight-freeze.
Neuroinflammation
Microglia in the brain release inflammatory mediators after trauma. Studies show altered levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ in PTSD, linking immune activation with anxiety, sleep disturbance, and mood disruption.
Brain structure changes
fMRI and structural imaging reveal hyperactive amygdalae (fear center), underactive medial prefrontal cortex (the “watchtower” that calms fear), and volume loss in the hippocampus (memory integration). This leaves individuals reliving trauma as if it were happening again, with impaired ability to regulate or sequence memory.
Polyvagal theory
Trauma narrows the “window of resilience.” Survivors swing between sympathetic hyper-arousal (fight/flight) and parasympathetic dorsal vagal collapse (shutdown). The ventral vagus—the branch of the nervous system that governs safety, social connection, and compassion—is often under-activated.
How Acupuncture Helps
Auricular acupuncture, a protocol using points on the ear, directly influences autonomic regulation and has shown effectiveness in PTSD treatment.
Vagal activation
Stimulating auricular points activates the vagus nerve, reducing hyper-arousal and calming dorsal vagal shutdown. Patients report improved sleep, digestion, and emotional regulation.
Creating safety
Repeated treatments provide nonverbal experiences of rest and safety. Many patients fall asleep or experience “daydream-like clarity” during sessions. This somatic reset allows trauma memories to shift into long-term storage without verbal retelling and activation.
Reducing inflammation
Evidence suggests acupuncture can down-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines, reducing low-grade chronic inflammation that often accompanies PTSD.
Accessibility
Group auricular acupuncture can be delivered in chairs without disrobing, making it efficient, cost-effective, and acceptable in both clinical and community settings.
Breaking the Stigma
In many cultures—including refugee communities—mental health care is stigmatized, and individuals may resist talking about trauma. Auricular acupuncture bypasses this barrier: it does not require discussion, is safe and non-invasive, and is widely accepted.
Training Trauma Acupuncture First Responders
Our global work, developed through RAHMA.clinic, intends to train trauma survivors themselves as Trauma Acupuncture First Responders. They will learn to deliver auricular protocols safely to their own communities, creating a sustainable, low-cost, high-impact healing system. In partnership with non-governmental organizations and UNHCR, this model has the potential to staff every Rohingya refugee camp clinic in Cox’s Bazar with locally trained auricular practitioners.
Local Care, Global Vision
PEACE.clinic provides the same evidence-based auricular care to veterans, trauma survivors, and anyone seeking relief from PTSD. Internationally, the same protocols are taught in refugee camps, paired with Cal-Earth superadobe trauma clinics that serve as both treatment spaces and resilient shelters.