The TRUTH about Jamie Mustard's magic "PTSD shots"
(Re-posted because Jamie Mustard is once again trying to sell his magic PTSD shots to ex-Scientologists)
A Stellate Ganglion Block (AKA PTSD Shot or "Dual Sympathetic Reset") is an injection of nerve blocking medicine into nerves in your neck. It actually helps with some circulation and pain conditions, so it can be a legitimate treatment. Certain people, who by an amazing coincidence make a ton of money giving people the shots, claim that is also a treatment for a psychological condition; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
These same people also claim that you don't need a medical diagnosis to tell if you have PTSD -- If you are a former Scientologist you automatically have it and need to send them a bunch of money to be cured. Oh, and by the way, it supposedly also cures long COVID.
PTSD -- a mental health condition that some people develop after they experience or witness a traumatic event -- is itself a problematic diagnosis. While there are many legitimate sufferers who are diagnosed with PTSD by actual doctors, there are also a huge number of people who self-diagnose themselves with PTSD in order to gain sympathy or for financial gain. Only a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry can diagnose PTSD and prescribe a treatment. See https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp for the criteria a psychiatrist uses to diagnose PTSD.
The theory behind "PTSD Shots" is [A] that PTSD is a disorder of the sympathetic nervous system and not of the brain, and [B] that blocking the stellate ganglion can somehow "reset" or "reboot" the sympathetic nervous system back to its normal function. Both theories are completely unproven and most likely wrong.
As is common with new medical treatments, some of the very early tests on small samples of patients showed promise, while other early tests showed no measurable effect. Unsurprisingly, the people who make money off of giving people the shots make a big deal of the positive results and ignore the negative results.
There have been zero clinical trials with randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design and with the power and rigor to address the main question of whether or not the shots actually work. Until such trials are completed the shots remain an untested and experimental treatment.
If a charitable foundation that has the goal of "helping those who want to leave Scientology and the Sea Org, but who lack a system of support that they can rely on while getting on their feet in the outside world" is asked to fund someone's medical treatment, they really need to address three issues:
[1] Is this an actual medical condition diagnosed by a physician who specializes in that area? Or did the person just start saying that they suffer from the condition at around the same time they started asking for money?
[2] Is the proposed treatment a mainstream treatment, widely recognized as being appropriate for the condition, or is it an unproven experimental treatment that is only pushed by grifters and quacks? The American Psychological Association strongly recommends four interventions for treating post traumatic stress disorder, and conditionally recommends another four. See https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments These "PTSD shots" are not on the list.
[3] What is the cost? Charitable foundations do not have unlimited funds. If you only have a limited amount of money and you have to choose between giving one ex-Scientologist who has a home and an income an unproven medical treatment and spending the same amount giving twenty ex-Scientologists who have nothing food, shelter, and help getting a job, you may have to sadly decide that you can't afford to fund the medical treatment.
Note: Jamie Mustard, who has a strong financial interest in promoting this treatment, said he'd like to debate anyone on Reddit about his PTSD shots. I am still waiting for him to contact me and arrange a debate right here.
EDIT:
Cost of magic shots: $3644 for the treatment with the "best outcomes". When that doesn't help (it won't), for an additional $4466 you can get another kind of magic shots -- Ketamine IV Infusions. [https://stellamentalhealth.com/pricing\\](https://stellamentalhealth.com/pricing\)
The same treatment works for long COVID! Is there anything that these magic shots will not cure? https://stellamentalhealth.com/treatments/long-covid
And if you REALLY are lacking in bullshit in your life, get Jamie Mustard's book!