3MDR therapy for treatment-resistant PTSD coming to BASIC

The Brain and Spinal Injury Centre (BASIC) will start to offer a new therapy for military veterans who experience forms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that currently resist treatment.

3MDR (Motion-Assisted Multi-modular Memory Desensitisation and Reconsolidation) is an innovative form of therapy developed by Professor Eric Vermeten, a military psychiatrist working for the Dutch Ministry of Defence and Leiden University Medical Centre. 3MDR shares many of the principles and methods used in existing therapies, but goes one step further by using virtual reality techniques to immerse patients in music, videos and photographs while they experience movement by walking on a treadmill.

BASIC currently use Motek‘s Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) for veteran rehabilitation, and are now pleased to offer 3MDR therapy in addition to their EDMR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) protocols. BASIC’s therapists were trained by Josh Kreft from the Greater Manchester Military Veterans Service, as well as visited by Professor Eric Vermeten himself.

BASIC recently won the North West Charity of the Year and always welcome new referrals, please visit their website to find out more.

In addition to BASIC, 3MDR is currently piloted around the world such as Canada and the Netherlands. You can see one of our customers, Cardiff and Vale University in Wales, also using the CAREN for 3MDR treatment in the video below. Here, Dr Neil J. Kitchiner (Director, Consultant Clinical Lead & Honorary Lead for Veterans’ Mental Health, Veterans’ NHS Wales) discusses the treatment and how it can help military veterans.