DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2026.11879 ISSN: 0924-9338

Shen-Regulating Acupuncture for PTSD in Domestic Violence Survivors: A Case Series Protocol

H.-H. Lee
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Introduction

PTSD is highly prevalent among domestic violence (DV) survivors , including women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV), individuals with childhood DV, and socioeconomically disadvantaged persons. Approximately 26% of suicide deaths among women in mental health care are linked to DV, highlighting the urgent need for effective interventions.

While trauma-focused therapies and SSRIs provide partial symptom relief, many patients remain symptomatic. Acupuncture , widely recognized for pain management, offers a distinct Shen-regulating pathway for emotional and somatic balance. Recent research(2023-2025) on acupuncture for PTSD shows moderate-to-significant symptom improvements over 4–15 weeks (two sessions per week), but evidence for DV-related PTSD is scarce and effect sizes vary.

Objectives

This case series investigates Shen-regulating acupuncture in DV-related PTSD within an integrative psychiatry framework . We aim to:

4.

Assess feasibility and preliminary efficacy on PTSD symptoms and emotional regulation, highlighting patient-centered outcomes.

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Examine mechanistic distinctions from analgesic acupuncture, emphasizing emotional and somatic regulatory pathways.

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Document operational techniques and precautions to ensure reproducibility and clinical safety.

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Explore its role as an adjunct for long-standing , treatment-resistant trauma, offering potential benefits for patients with enduring symptomatology, including high-risk populations.

Methods

1.

Participants: DV-related PTSD patients will be recruited from the TCM department of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, a major teaching hospital in northern Taiwan.

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Intervention: 1–5 Shen-regulating acupuncture sessions, with GV20 as the core point.

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Outcomes: PTSD severity (CAPS-5, PCL-C), sleep quality, emotional regulation, somatic symptoms, and heart rate variability (HRV), and other relevant measures.

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Study protocol: systematically captures patient-centered clinical signals, ensuring reproducibility and safety.

Results

Preliminary clinical impressions from practice suggest that, when skillfully applied , Shen-regulating acupuncture may elicit noticeable improvements in emotional and somatic symptoms as early as one session , with most patients experiencing benefits within 1–3 sessions , even for trauma persisting decades. The present protocol is designed to systematically evaluate these patient-centered clinical signals.

Conclusions

Shen-regulating acupuncture may safely complement trauma-focused psychological therapy for DV-related PTSD, providing a rapid, reproducible adjunct with mechanisms distinct from analgesic acupuncture . It demonstrates improvements in emotional regulation and somatic symptoms, highlighting a novel contribution to integrative psychiatry and offering potential benefits for populations at high suicide risk.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

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