For people with brain injury or PTSD, there is hope in both time-tested treatments and new alternatives. There is no perfect treatment, but we hope you'll explore some of these options.

PLEASE NOTE: We encourage everyone to talk with a medical professional before undergoing a new treatment.

Explore Treatments for PTSD

Explore Treatments for Brain Injury

About the BrainLine Treatment Hub

In collaboration with experts on brain injury and PTSD, we have gathered a list of possible treatments to consider. Some have strong evidence of effectiveness with peer-reviewed studies and have been in use for a long time. Others are newer and may have only anecdotal evidence to support their effectiveness. We’re including this wide range of treatments because we know many people are searching for answers, and we’re trying to provide a clear overview about what’s known and what isn’t known about each treatment, and where you can go to find help.

The treatments we highlight are widely discussed, and either currently available or might be available in the near future. Sometimes even if a treatment seems right for you, it can be hard to know where to find it or what questions to ask. We hope to make that process a little easier.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you explore:

Coordinating treatments with your doctor or health care provider is critical.
Every brain is different. Treatments that work for some may not work as well for you.
You might use more than one treatment at a time.
It may take time to see improvements. Be persistent and patient.

We are very grateful for the expert help we’ve received. We will be expanding and upgrading the Treatment Hub as needed. We’d welcome your questions or comments about the Treatment Hub, feedback about your own experiences, and suggestions about how we can improve. Please contact us at info@BrainLine.org.

While we are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Treatment Hub, WETA/ BrainLine is solely responsible for the information provided here.

Disclaimer: The BrainLine Treatment Hub is for informational purposes only. Please speak with a medical professional before seeking treatment.

Explore treatments for PTSD

Complementary/Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical practices that are not part of standard medical care.

A hand painting a large abstract image in teals and yellows

Creative Arts Therapies

Creative expression can help you accept and work through the challenging emotions of your trauma.

I’ve had veterans who’ve come up to my art and say, ‘This makes me want to talk.’ — Phyllis, Veteran, U.S. Navy

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

Helps you process and make sense of your trauma.

[I feel] that I have taken some control of my life back. Freedoms I didn’t realize I’d lost have been returned to me — Steph

Woman getting hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

HBOT is a treatment involving breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.

HBOT has definitely helped reduce the physical pain as well as the symptoms I suffered with specific TBI/PTS. — Nick Santoro, Veteran, U.S. Marines Corps

Meditation

Meditation is a mental training and breathing practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.

While I’m far from healed, meditation has helped me realize I am not my thoughts, nor am I my trauma. — Sian Ferguson

Psychedelics

Helps you explore traumatic experiences without a feeling of immediate threat.

I saw my whole past completely differently. It no longer became something that was haunting me — Nicholas Blackston, Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

Yoga

Yoga is a mind and body practice. There are many styles of yoga that combine poses, breathing techniques, and sometimes meditation.

[Yoga] has been so helpful and healing for me in the most amazing way. It has changed my life in a way that I could have never imagined. — Kevin Pearce, professional snowboarder who sustained a TBI

Cognitive

Cognitive therapy is a general term for treating mental health by talking with a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health provider.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT can help you to think differently about your experiences and your relationships, with the goal of making some positive changes in your life.

It was really just retraining my brain in the way that I was thinking. — Susan, Veteran, U.S. Navy

Man talking to a woman with her back to the camera

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

Teaches you how to gain control by facing your fears.

By reliving some of the scariest moments of my life when I was in Iraq, you learn that it’s there, but the intensity of the memory goes away. —

Social Skills Training

Social skills is a broad term that includes understanding what is expected of you in different social interactions.

Some people, even a lot of people, will not understand your injury ... I’ve learned that in the long run it pays to be honest and open with people. — John Byler, TBI survivor

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a form of exposure therapy that uses technology.

In 13 weeks I’d completely changed who I had been for the previous ten years. — Jimmy Castellanos, Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

Physical

Physical therapies are therapies that focus on the mechanical functions of the body.

Adaptive Sports

Adaptive sports often run parallel to typical sports and are adapted for people with disabilities.

The recumbent [bike] is the one place where I don’t need any assistance...I’m completely independent and I’m successful. — Beth King, Veteran, U.S. Army

Medications

Medications are substances recommended by a doctor to help you deal with symptoms of PTSD or TBI or both.

With therapy I realized what my triggers are. Through that, and medication, I’m a lot better today. — James Dantzler, Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

Explore Treatments for Brain Injury

Complementary/Alternative

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical practices that are not part of standard medical care.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

HBOT is a treatment involving breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment.

HBOT has definitely helped reduce the physical pain as well as the symptoms I suffered with specific TBI/PTS. — Nick Santoro, Veteran, U.S. Marines Corps

Meditation

Meditation is a mental training and breathing practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.

While I’m far from healed, meditation has helped me realize I am not my thoughts, nor am I my trauma. — Sian Ferguson

Yoga

Yoga is a mind and body practice. There are many styles of yoga that combine poses, breathing techniques, and sometimes meditation.

Cognitive

Cognitive therapy is a general term for treating mental health by talking with a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health provider.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT can help you to think differently about your experiences and your relationships, with the goal of making some positive changes in your life.

It was really just retraining my brain in the way that I was thinking. — Susan, Veteran, U.S. Navy

Hand moving small wooden cube blocks to put them in a pattern

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT)

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy improves issues with thinking or behavior due to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Memory Strategy Training

Memory strategy training is a kind of cognitive rehabilitation that can help you remember important things.

I just learned over the years various coping mechanisms. … I keep Post-its in business. — Retired NFL player George Visger

Social Skills Training

Social skills is a broad term that includes understanding what is expected of you in different social interactions.

Some people, even a lot of people, will not understand your injury ... I’ve learned that in the long run it pays to be honest and open with people. — John Byler, TBI survivor

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a form of exposure therapy that uses technology.

In 13 weeks I’d completely changed who I had been for the previous ten years. — Jimmy Castellanos, Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

Physical

Physical therapies are therapies that focus on the mechanical functions of the body.

Adaptive Sports

Adaptive sports often run parallel to typical sports and are adapted for people with disabilities.

The recumbent [bike] is the one place where I don’t need any assistance...I’m completely independent and I’m successful. — Beth King, Veteran, U.S. Army

Medications

Medications are substances recommended by a doctor to help you deal with symptoms of PTSD or TBI or both.

With therapy I realized what my triggers are. Through that, and medication, I’m a lot better today. — James Dantzler, Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps

An elderly woman working on needle crafts.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Guidance from an OT, along with targeted practice, will build new neural pathways, helping you build skills until you become more adept again.

When patients can see tangible benefits in measurable improvements physically, they also gain pride in self-accomplishment & self-confidence. — Edward Vickers, Brain Injury Survivor

A leg in a brace is pushing against a blue ball that someone is holding.

Physical Therapy (PT)

Physical therapy involves working with a physical therapist to regain physical abilities you may have lost as a result of your injury.

I literally learned to walk all over again. My [therapy] taught me that the person in control of my physical recovery ... was me. — Robert L. Heriza, Veteran

Woman in white lab coat illustrating speech sounds to a boy.

Speech Therapy

Recover or learn to compensate for the communication challenges your brain injury may have caused.

[My husband] was still as brilliant as he was three months post-injury as he was before his injury. The problem was that his brain could not process language anymore. — Abby Maslin, caregiver

The Treatment Hub - Treating Brain Injury and PTSD

About the BrainLine Treatment Hub

Here are some things to keep in mind as you explore:

What You'll Find Here