Prism For PTSD

Prism For PTSD services offered in Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, GA

Prism for PTSD is the first new FDA-approved treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in nearly 25 years. Experienced psychiatrist Karen Giles, MD, MS, at Breakthru Psychiatric Solutions in Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, Georgia, is an early adopter of this powerful new treatment for PTSD. To learn more about Prism and how it could benefit you, call Breakthru Psychiatric Solutions today or book an appointment online.

What is Prism?

Prism for PTSD is a neuroscience-based, prescription therapy, FDA-cleared to treat PTSD. During Prism treatment, a computer simulation and EEG headset create an environment where patients engage in a non-trauma-based experience to help them learn to control their PTSD symptoms. There is no medication and little to no side effects involved with this therapy.

How does Prism work?

Prism is the first PTSD treatment based on an amygdala-based biomarker associated with mental health disorders. Research has shown that PTSD is associated with hyperactivity of the amygdala, the center of our fight-flight-freeze response.

Prism is a neurofeedback software device intended for relaxation and stress reduction through the use of EEG biofeedback. This is an adjunctive treatment of symptoms associated with PTSD. During a Prism therapy session, a computer simulation and EEG headset create an experience for individuals to gain control over biomarker activity associated with PTSD.

What Happens During a Prism Neurofeedback Session?

During the Prism procedure, you will sit in a quiet room with a computer monitor. You will be fitted with an EEG headset, which looks like a swim cap with small electrodes. These electrodes monitor brain activity, similar to how a fitness monitor measures your heart rate.

The electrodes don’t cause any shocks or pain. Rather, they monitor your brain waves and deliver microcurrents to your brain in response to your brain activity. The feedback is imperceptible to you, but your brain picks up on the current and adjusts accordingly.

You will watch a computer simulation with agitated avatars. The only thing you need to do is get the avatars to sit and calm down. How do you do it? You practice using your mental strategy – a personal memory, emotion, or experience – to tune down the amygdala-based biomarker.

Prism reads the signal from the EEG headset and computes the amygdala-based biomarker. As you lower the biomarker, the avatars will gradually sit and quiet down.

Curious how this works? Watch a video by Prism creator GrayMatters Health: Watch the video

How Effective is Prism for PTSD?

The Prism for PTSD multi-center clinical study demonstrated the following results 3 months after the 15-session regimen (5 months from baseline):

67% of patients overall demonstrated clinically significant symptom improvement as measured by CAPS-5.
Significant improvement in sleep, as measured by PHQ-9 and CAPS-5.
32% of patients experienced remission.
90% patient compliance.
Mild side effects, such as fatigue and headache, resolved after treatment with no further intervention.