Overview

The Integrative Health approach can be built around the Circle of Health, which emphasizes the importance of personalized, values-based care that draws in mindful awareness and eight areas of self-care: Physical Activity, Surroundings, Personal Development, Nutrition, Recharge, Family, Friends and Coworkers, Spirit & Soul, and Mind and Emotions.  Conventional therapies, prevention, complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches, and community also have important roles.  The narrative below describes how Integrative Health can support  people with different types of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Depending on individual needs, an Integrative Health approach to PTSD may vary greatly from person to person.  A person’s health plan may incorporate a variety of self-care, conventional care, and complementary health approaches, as described below.  Mind-body approaches (including an array of specific psychotherapies developed for PTSD), healthy nutrition, and an array of other approaches can support people with this challenging health problem.

Note:  This overview is different from others, in that it features three different patients as examples.  Key details from their Personal Health Inventories (PHIs) are offered, but there are not separate documents with their PHIs or health plans.  A significant amount of the research in this area has been related to veterans and active-duty military personnel; special thanks to VA for all the contributions they have made with their Whole Health approaches to care of people with PTSD.

Meet the Patients—Todd, Erica, and Melissa

Todd is a 28-year-old veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  He “saw a lot go down” during his time in Iraq, but he felt like he was doing fairly well when he completed his tour and returned to the United States in 2009.  Six months after his return, however, he developed a number of troubling symptoms:

·         He began to have flashbacks, focused on when his teammate, Hal, lost his leg in an explosion.

·         He finds himself wanting to avoid crowded areas or places where there is a lot of noise.  He tells you, “I can’t set foot in a mall, a theater, or some other crowded place like that.”

·         He finds it is impossible to trust anyone now, and he hasn’t felt relaxed or happy in years.  He gets into fights easily.  He always positions himself in a room so he can see the doors and windows.

·         He is haunted by the thought that he should have been the one to lose a leg, not Hal.