Break Free from PTSD
A revolutionary PTSD Treatment option
Get Long-lasting relief from PTSD with the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)
The Stellate Ganglion Block
The Stellate Ganglion Block Injection is a local anesthetic injection that will be administered into the stellate ganglion, which is a group of nerve cells within the neck that are found to play an essential role in regulating a person’s ‘fight or flight’ mechanism. It is becoming an increasingly popular and successful treatment option, as the risk factors are minimal and there are no major side-effects. Read our faq’s for more information!
Despite your PTSD cause, the SGB injection may be able to help you gain control over your life again. If you have any questions regarding the SGB injection for post-traumatic stress disorder, please reach out to our helpful team today for assistance.
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PTSD Treatment
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition triggered by a distressing event like a fire, physical or sexual attack, acts of war, violence, or severe injury. PTSD can include terrible nightmares, flashbacks, and chronic anxiety. It is common for people to struggle with various overwhelming symptoms of PTSD, preventing them from taking part in everyday activities and potentially damaging relationships with their loved ones.
People who have post-traumatic stress disorder are often triggered and cannot stop thinking about the traumatic event. They may have disturbing thoughts and feelings that relate to their traumatic experience even years after it has occurred. The intense emotional reactions of fear, guilt, or sadness can make them feel estranged from society and human connection. This is why people with PTSD might feel uncomfortable around others or be triggered by loud noises or large crowds.
Some people with PTSD can also adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms, as they might be unsure how to manage their emotions and negative thoughts, and they might be ashamed to seek help for the disorder.
Many people experience a traumatizing event at least once in their life. While they may take some time to adjust and bounce back, it is still possible. For these people, they can overcome their trauma and practice self-care. However, if the symptoms never go away or get worse for months or years, it may be PTSD.
The good news is that proper treatments can reduce PTSD symptoms to improve your quality of life.
PTSD Symptoms
PTSD symptoms can be classified into four categories which vary in severity: avoidance, intrusive memories, adverse changes in mood and cognition, and changes in emotional and physical reactions. They can vary over time or from person to person.
Avoidance: Those who have PTSD may avoid triggers that remind them of the disturbing event. This can include avoiding locations, people, activities, scenarios, and more that can provoke thoughts and memories. They may also avoid talking about what occurred or their feelings about it.
Intrusive Memories: Intrusive memories, repetitive dreams, vivid flashbacks can make people feel like they are right back at the traumatic event, reliving every moment.
Intrusive thoughts can include:
- Repeating, undesirable, painful memories of the traumatic event
- Reliving the trauma over and over
- Nightmares about the traumatic event
- Physical reactions or strong emotions from the memories
Negative Changes in Mood and Cognition: Sometimes, people may block out details of the trauma or have distorted thoughts and beliefs about themselves and other people.
Symptoms can include:
- Losing hope for the future
- Having negative thoughts about the world, themself, and other people
- Difficulty remembering things, including details of the trauma
- Difficulty maintaining close connections
- Feeling separated and isolated from friends and family
- Loss of interest in activities they once loved
- Feeling numb
- Feeling apathetic
Changes in Emotional or Physical Reactions: This can mean constantly feeling irritable or angry, acting recklessly, or being self-destructive. This could also mean being on guard, nervous, having trouble resting or focusing.
Symptoms can include:
- Being easily frightened or startled
- Always expecting a negative outcome
- Substance abuse problems
- Reckless behavior
- Trouble concentrating
- Angry outbursts
- Crushing shame or guilt
PTSD symptoms can start within a few weeks of the traumatic event, but sometimes signs don’t arise for years. In many cases, these antisocial behaviors can have severe fallout with your social group, family, and workplace. It can also be difficult doing day-to-day activities like shopping during a busy day, driving in traffic, or being surrounded by others.
When to See a Doctor
If your adverse reactions and disturbing memories last for more than a month, and if you have problems getting organized or thinking straight, you should speak with your doctor. The sooner you can get treatment, the better your odds are of your PTSD symptoms improving.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, make sure to reach out to someone you trust or contact someone in your spiritual community. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK to speak to a trained professional—press “1” if you are a veteran.
Make an appointment to see your doctor right away. If you are thinking of hurting yourself, notify emergency services immediately.
Types of PTSD Treatment
To treat post-traumatic stress disorder, your doctor will have to diagnose you, which will likely involve:
- Performing a physical examination to see if there are issues that could be exacerbating your symptoms
- Performing a psychological evaluation to understand your trauma and triggers
- Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to understand any symptoms further
Diagnosing PTSD might require pinpointing what the traumatic event is. For most people, PTSD stems from being exposed to a particularly disturbing event, like a death of a loved one or child abuse. Most PTSD cases are often very different from each other. They are unique to the sufferer.
Treatment for your post-traumatic stress disorder can allow you to restore order and control over your life. Treatment can include psychotherapy, medication, and many more treatments to help in the following ways:
- People living with PTSD can acquire skills that allow them to handle their symptoms
- Allow you to think positively about yourself, other people, and the world
- Teach you how to cope with your triggers and symptoms
- Address issues that relate to trauma, like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse
You don’t have to handle the weight of post-traumatic stress disorder by yourself.
Psychotherapy
Different types of psychotherapy are proven to benefit adults and children with PTSD. Some influential types of psychotherapy include:
- Cognitive therapy allows you to recognize the mental patterns that keep you from moving forward.
- Exposure therapy allows you to safely confront the memories and scenarios that trigger you so you can find healthy ways to cope with them. This treatment is beneficial for those who suffer from frequent nightmares and flashbacks by allowing them to relive the traumatic event in a safe setting.
- EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing incorporates exposure therapy with guided eye motions to help you transform painful memories and adjust the way you respond to them.
Your mental health professional can develop a process to allow you to manage nerve-wracking situations better and cope with the anxiety that you may feel. Some people benefit from individual therapy, group therapy, or a combination of both. Group therapy allows you to see how trauma and PTSD affect others and encourages connection through similar ordeals.
Medication
Medication can help those having a challenging time getting the most out of therapy or who could benefit from additional assistance. Several types of medications can help improve symptoms of PTSD:
- Antidepressant medications
- Anti-anxiety medications
- Prazosin
You and a medical professional can work together to figure out which medication works best for your symptoms with the fewest side effects. Many people can start seeing an improvement in their mood and behavior in just a few weeks.
Always let your doctor know right away if you are experiencing any issues or worrying about side effects from the medication. Your doctor may need to adjust the dosage or try a different combination to determine the perfect fit for you.
These methods and more can allow you to regain control of the fear and anxiety that lingers after a traumatizing event. You and your doctor can go over the different therapies to determine which one addresses your particular needs.
The Stellate Ganglion Block
The Stellate Ganglion Block Injection is a local anesthetic injection administered into the stellate ganglion, a group of nerve cells that are found to play an essential role in regulating a person’s ‘fight or flight’ mechanism. It is becoming an increasingly popular and successful treatment option, as the risk factors are minimal and there are no significant side effects. Read our FAQs for more information.
Regardless of the cause of your PTSD, the SGB injection may be able to help you gain control over your life again. If you have any questions regarding the SGB injection for post-traumatic stress disorder, please reach out to our helpful team today for assistance.
Even though the SGB injection will not help people forget any memories associated with their traumatic experience, it can help them live a calmer, less anxious lifestyle to improve the way they respond to other forms of PTSD therapy.
What Is Cognitive Processing Therapy?
Cognitive processing therapy is a class of cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been known to reduce the signs of PTSD that can naturally develop after a harrowing event, including combat, child abuse, rape, and naturally occurring disasters.
Many patients attend CPT for 12 sessions or more, during which they understand how to change and challenge negative belief systems related to the trauma. Patients allow themselves to establish new ways to understand and view the traumatic event to minimize its negative effects on their daily lives.
Many doctors and mental health professionals highly recommend CPT because it is a long-established treatment of PTSD.
CPT to Treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
During CPT, patients learn about PTSD and their feelings and understanding. By understanding PTSD and how it works, you can become more conscious of your thoughts and feelings. You can be more mindful of the ideas and concepts that spring up automatically and how many of them may be sustaining your trauma.
It can help the patient write an impact statement that details the traumatic event and how it affected themselves, their beliefs, and their connection to the world.
The patient can then start processing their trauma by reading their account aloud to try to break the pattern of avoidant behavior and understand the emotions that come with the trauma. Using the Socratic method of questioning, the therapist will encourage the patient to thoroughly examine their thought patterns regarding the trauma to correct any negative thinking.
The goal is for the patient to develop the ability to diagnose and process any harmful thoughts and hopefully persist with evaluating and reshaping beliefs that stem from their trauma. The therapist can aid the patient in using coping and adaptive strategies to enhance their quality of life. During your sessions, you can improve essential areas of your life that trauma could impact, including stability, trust, control, self-esteem, and connection.
This form of therapy can be done individually or in group sessions.
If Someone You Know Suffers From PTSD
- Educating yourself about PTSD so you have a clearer understanding of what they are going through.
- Understanding that withdrawal and avoidance are forms of PTSD. If your family or friend is thwarting your help, take a step back and give them the space they need to feel safe and secure while also letting them know you are there for them when they are ready.
- Volunteering to go with them on medical appointments. Doing so can help you have a clearer image of what their treatment looks like.
- Letting them talk and genuinely listening to them. Let your loved ones know they can talk to you when they are ready, but you will not try to force them.
- Spend time with your friend. Even if they don’t feel like celebrating, you can still plan fun activities together and celebrate each other.
- Encouraging your friend to practice good health by doing it yourself. Don’t overwhelm yourself to heal your friend. Make sure that you are prioritizing yourself and your health. Exercise, sleep well and see a therapist if you need to.
- Keep you and your loved one safe by maintaining distance if they are abusive or violent. You must maintain clear and healthy boundaries, even though your instinct is to stay as close as possible.
Benefits of the
Stellate Ganglion Block for PTSD

Quick Results
The results of the SGB typically occur within 30 minutes of the injection. Patients normally feel almost immediate relief from anxiety as the medication blocks the signals from the fight of flight mechanism that is normally in overdrive due to PTSD.

High Success Rate
Approximately 80-90%, whereas conventional treatment only has a 20-30% success rate. It generally works by resetting the fight or flight mechanism to normal levels, which can help to eliminate various symptoms associated with the disorder

Long Lasting
The SGB can provide relief from PTSD symptoms for several months or even years. The resetting of the fight or flight system is what allows the effects to last longer than the time that the medication is active in the body.
Step 1
FILL OUT THE
PTSD QUESTIONNAIRE
The PCL questionnaire stands for ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist’ and is a standardized self-report quiz that assesses the symptoms of PTSD.
Click below to start with your free evaluation.
This allows us to determine the severity of your PTSD and the symptoms you suffer from most. We will contact you to let you know if you are a candidate for the SGB procedure.
ABOUT
PTSD GROUP
A “Miracle” Injection: Stellate Ganglion Block for PTSD
PTSD group is a collaboration between a double board-certified pain management/ physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Dr. Hatgis and a board-certified emergency room physician Dr. Lucas to perform the Stellate Ganglion Block Injection for those who suffer from PTSD.
Our SGB Doctors have a strong desire to help those affected by PTSD return to their normal, pre-traumatic lives and provide a more effective, quick, and long-lasting treatment to those suffering from the symptoms.
With many friends and family members affected by PTSD, we have witnessed first-hand the powerful impacts of PTSD on one’s life. We feel a true calling to help those suffering from this debilitating condition.
Stats you should know...
On average, 1 in 6 women has been a victim of a sexual assault. While the likelihood that the average American man has experienced attempted or completed rape is 1 in 33, women are twice as likely to suffer from a sexual abuse attempt.
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, approximately 20 veterans will commit suicide each day. It has also been reported that military personnel have experienced PTSD rates of between 11-15% after the war.
Various studies have reported that 19% of the 900,000 sworn police officers in the US are living with PTSD. While other studies have found 34% could be living with common symptoms associated with the mental health disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do The Effects of The Injection Last For?
The duration of relief is different for everyone, so it’s hard to say. Depending on the individual, it can be months or even years of relief. The average duration is approximately 6 months.
Stellate Ganglion Block Side Effects
A successful stellate ganglion block will demonstrate the following signs in the eye on the side of the procedure:
- Droopy eyelid
- Redness of the white portion of the eye
- Pinpoint pupil
- Blurry vision
- Arm and face will be warmer and appear more red
- There may be less moisture of the skin
- There may be difficulty swallowing
- The voice may be hoarse
- The nostril may become congested.
All of these effects should disappear within a few hours from the procedure.
- The patient may experience
- localized pain and/or numbness
- There may be some mild bleeding from the needle insertion site
- dizziness/lightheadedness
- facial flushing
- non-positional headache
- The blood pressure may rise.
Infrequently, a brief episode of loss of consciousness may even occur, which is usually due to an anxiety reaction in which the blood pressure suddenly drops temporarily without any permanent or lasting effects.
The patient may be transported to a recovery room and be re-evaluated. Certain feelings may be normal or common; however, it is important for the physician and staff to know what is happening in the event that something wrong has occurred or is actively occurring. Once the patient is deemed stable, he/she is discharged. The patient should inform the physician or the staff of any questions or concerns.
Is the SGB injection going to help me forget my trauma?
The SGB injection will not help people to forget any memories associated with their traumatic experience. Instead, it could help a person to live a calmer, less anxious lifestyle, so they can change the way they react to their thoughts and could improve how they respond to other forms of PTSD therapy.
Where In The Body Is The Procedure Performed?
The SGB is injected above the collar bone in the front of the neck, usually on the right side. From the stellate ganglion, the signal travels to the brain’s right-sided hippocampus and amygdala, among several other structures.
The procedure is low-risk and carried out with fluoroscopy for complete precision.
Do You Take Health Insurance?
Unfortunately, the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for PTSD is not yet covered by health insurance. If you are interested in the SGB, please call our office at (305) 459-3300 and we will be happy to answer all of your questions regarding the cost of the injection.
Home
FILL OUT THE
PTSD QUESTIONNAIRE
The PCL questionnaire stands for ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist’ and is a standardized self-report quiz that assesses the symptoms of PTSD.
Click below to start with your free evaluation.
This allows us to determine the severity of your PTSD and the symptoms you suffer from most. We will contact you to let you know if you are a candidate for the SGB procedure.
GROUPS WE CAN HELP
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