Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe, long-lasting anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.The symptoms vary but someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt. Other common symptoms are insomnia, fatigue, muscle pain, depression, mood swings, anger and frustration, hypervigilance and paranoid behaviour. These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person’s day-to-day life.

Conventional treatments for PTSD include medication such as anti-anxiety drugs, cognitive behavioural therapy and relaxation techniques. Research has found that people who combine acupuncture with other kinds of treatments often have a better outcome than those who only received conventional treatment. Acupuncture offers the additional benefits of being safe long-term and not requiring patients to reconstruct the traumatic incident.