Safe

ReachStrong seeks federal funding via a Community Project Request (CPR) for ReachStrong’s revolutionary Sexual Assault Focal Exposure, or SAFE Protocol. Funding will be used to develop and deploy a clinical virtual reality protocol for survivors of military and civilian sexual trauma who are subject to high incidence of Post Traumatic Stress.

Studies show a high correlation between sexual trauma and increased risk for ongoing mental health problems and suicide. The most frequently cited of these problems is PTSD. For example, within a sample of women seeking PTSD-related services within the VA system, 71% reported Military Sexual Trauma experiences.

ReachStrong, through our sister organization SoldierStrong, has addressed serious PTSD among veterans by providing clinicians with revolutionary virtual reality therapy protocols.

The BraveMind VR Protocol is a clinical, interactive, virtual reality based exposure therapy tool that is being used to assess and treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It allows clinicians to gradually immerse patients into virtual environments representative of their traumatic experiences in a controlled, stepwise fashion by providing the capability to control multi-sensory emotional stimuli and monitor the intensity of the patients’ stress responses via advanced brain imaging and psychophysiological assessment techniques. This approach for helping patients to gradually confront and reprocess difficult emotional memory is based on the evidence-based method for PTSD treatment referred to as Prolonged Exposure.

ReachStrong and SoldierStrong are providing the BraveMind VR Protocol to VA Medical Centers around the country, working in collaboration with the VA’s Innovator’s Network to identify the most appropriate clinical locations and settings for this technology.

A large body of scientific evidence and clinical experience shows this protocol to be effective for reducing PTSD symptoms in a clinically meaningful fashion and is especially effective with patient who have co-morbid depression. The methodology also reduces the stigma associated with seeking treatment, making it more likely that those who need it most will seek treatment rather than hiding symptoms. One study indicated a 77% preference rate for the VR approach when patients were asked what treatment they would prefer to seek. Early clinical experience specifically treating survivors of Military Sexual Trauma have been especially promising (though small scale due to funding constraints).

ReachStrong seeks funding to tailor and expand the software to both military and civilian sexual trauma scenarios, and begin providing the hardware, software, and clinical access to victims of sexual trauma.

The Community Project Request total cost to deliver these capabilities is $5 million.