We started Power when my dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and I struggled to help him access the latest immunotherapy. Hopefully Power makes it simpler for you to explore promising new treatments, during what is probably a difficult time.
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80 Participants Needed
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256 Participants Needed
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428 Participants Needed
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250 Participants Needed
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70 Participants Needed
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80 Participants Needed
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30 Participants Needed
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54 Participants Needed
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240 Participants Needed
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100 Participants Needed
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200 Participants Needed
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180 Participants Needed
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50 Participants Needed
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8 Participants Needed
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94 Participants Needed
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55 Participants Needed
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108 Participants Needed
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800 Participants Needed
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120 Participants Needed
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10 Participants Needed
"My orthopedist recommended a half replacement of my right knee. I have had both hips replaced. Currently have arthritis in knee, shoulder, and thumb. I want to avoid surgery, and I'm open-minded about trying a trial before using surgery as a last resort."
"I have dealt with voice and vocal fold issues related to paralysis for over 12 years. This problem has negatively impacted virtually every facet of my life. I am an otherwise healthy 48 year old married father of 3 living. My youngest daughter is 12 and has never heard my real voice. I am now having breathing issues related to the paralysis as well as trouble swallowing some liquids. In my research I have seen some recent trials focused on helping people like me."
"I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer three months ago, metastatic to my liver, and I have been receiving and responding well to chemotherapy. My blood work revealed that my tumor markers have gone from 2600 in the beginning to 173 as of now, even with the delay in treatment, they are not going up. CT Scans reveal they have been shrinking as well. However, chemo is seriously deteriorating my body. I have 4 more treatments to go in this 12 treatment cycle. I am just interested in learning about my other options, if any are available to me."
"As a healthy volunteer, I like to participate in as many trials as I'm able to. It's a good way to help research and earn money."
"I've tried several different SSRIs over the past 23 years with no luck. Some of these new treatments seem interesting... haven't tried anything like them before. I really hope that one could work."
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250 Participants Needed
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82 Participants Needed
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800 Participants Needed
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172 Participants Needed
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450 Participants Needed
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700 Participants Needed
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29 Participants Needed
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120 Participants Needed
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60 Participants Needed
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144 Participants Needed
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Each trial will compensate patients a different amount, but $50-100 for each visit is a fairly common range for Phase 2–4 trials (Phase 1 trials often pay substantially more). Further, most trials will cover the costs of a travel to-and-from the clinic.
After a researcher reviews your profile, they may choose to invite you in to a screening appointment, where they'll determine if you meet 100% of the eligibility requirements. If you do, you'll be sorted into one of the treatment groups, and receive your study drug. For some trials, there is a chance you'll receive a placebo. Across Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder trials in Boston, MA 30% of clinical trials have a placebo. Typically, you'll be required to check-in with the clinic every month or so. The average trial length in Boston, MA for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is 12 months.
Not all studies recruit healthy volunteers: usually, Phase 1 studies do. Participating as a healthy volunteer means you will go to a research facility in Boston, MA several times over a few days or weeks to receive a dose of either the test treatment or a "placebo," which is a harmless substance that helps researchers compare results. You will have routine tests during these visits, and you'll be compensated for your time and travel, with the number of appointments and details varying by study.
The phase of a trial reveals what stage the drug is in to get approval for a specific condition. Phase 1 trials are the trials to collect safety data in humans. Phase 2 trials are those where the drug has some data showing safety in humans, but where further human data is needed on drug effectiveness. Phase 3 trials are in the final step before approval. The drug already has data showing both safety and effectiveness. As a general rule, Phase 3 trials are more promising than Phase 2, and Phase 2 trials are more promising than phase 1.
Clinical trials are almost always free to participants, and so do not require insurance. The only exception here are trials focused on cancer, because only a small part of the typical treatment plan is actually experimental. For these cancer trials, participants typically need insurance to cover all the non-experimental components.
Most recently, we added Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder, Focused Ultrasound for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and RISE for Domestic Violence to the Power online platform.
The two headline “new” approaches are MDMA-assisted psychotherapy—which has shown large symptom reductions in Phase-3 trials and could gain FDA approval soon—and the stellate ganglion block, an ultrasound-guided neck injection that can rapidly calm the nervous system and is already offered off-label by some pain specialists. Both are considered add-ons rather than replacements for proven trauma-focused talk therapies, and access currently means enrolling in a clinical trial for MDMA or seeing an experienced clinician for an SGB after discussing possible benefits, side-effects, and costs. If you’re interested, talk with a PTSD-trained mental-health professional to see whether one of these emerging treatments fits your situation.
Clinicians group PTSD signs into four clusters, but popular summaries often point to seven tell-tale symptoms: intrusive memories or flashbacks, trauma-related nightmares, avoiding reminders, ongoing negative mood or beliefs, constant jumpiness/hyper-alertness, sudden irritability or anger, and trouble sleeping or concentrating. If several of these have lasted more than a month and are disrupting daily life, it’s time to talk with a mental-health professional because effective therapies and medications are available.
“Clinical PTSD” is not a formal medical label; most people use it to describe either (a) a full, doctor-confirmed PTSD diagnosis (meeting all four symptom clusters of intrusion, avoidance, negative mood/thoughts, and hyper-arousal) rather than a few stray symptoms, or (b) Complex PTSD, a newer ICD-11 diagnosis that includes all the usual PTSD features plus persistent problems with emotion control, negative self-view, and relationships after prolonged or repeated trauma. In short, standard PTSD focuses on how a single or short-lived traumatic event is re-experienced, whereas “clinical/complex” PTSD implies either full diagnostic severity or an added layer of long-term self-and-relationship difficulties—something a qualified mental-health professional can sort out and treat with trauma-focused therapy and, when needed, medication.
Complex PTSD can and often does get much better—many people reach full remission or only occasional, manageable flare-ups once they’ve had consistent, trauma-focused treatment (such as EMDR, TF-CBT, or a phase-based approach that first builds safety skills and then processes the trauma). How long that takes varies; factors like the length of the original abuse, other mental-health conditions, and access to supportive relationships and specialized care influence recovery, which is why some people need longer-term therapy or periodic “tune-ups.” In short, the condition isn’t necessarily lifelong, but viewing it as a journey—with professional help, skills practice, and a strong support network—gives the best odds of lasting relief.
Controversy arises from three fronts: first, although many studies now show EMDR can reduce post-traumatic stress as well as traditional exposure therapies, earlier weak studies and some mixed results planted doubt. Second, research shows the eye movements themselves may add little beyond standard exposure, so experts argue over the true mechanism and whether the name oversells a simple idea. Third, professional bodies only “conditionally” recommend EMDR and warn that brief weekend trainings can produce under-qualified providers, leading some clinicians to view it as over-marketed. Understanding these evidence, mechanism, and training debates explains why opinions on EMDR still differ.
Yes. PTSD is legally treated as a disability whenever its symptoms are documented to substantially limit major life activities: Social Security can grant cash benefits, the VA can award a disability rating for service-connected stress, and the ADA requires employers to offer reasonable job accommodations. Collect medical records that show both a formal PTSD diagnosis and how it disrupts work, school, or daily tasks—the same principle applies in most other countries’ disability systems.
Begin by checking safety: if you’re having thoughts of self-harm, losing touch with reality, or using substances to cope, call a crisis line (e.g., 988 in the U.S.) or seek professional help. Otherwise, think of recovery in three daily practices—steady your body (slow breathing, walking, yoga), give the story gentle airtime (15-minute journaling or a free app like PTSD Coach), and reconnect with supportive people and purposeful activities—while tracking sleep, mood, and triggers each week to see progress. If symptoms stay the same or worsen after a couple of months of consistent effort, that’s your signal to add a trained therapist, group program, or tele-health option.
The diagnosis most often mistaken for PTSD is Acute Stress Disorder—symptoms can look identical, but they start within days of the trauma and fade within a month; if they last longer, the label changes to PTSD. Clinicians also consider Complex PTSD (a longer-term form after chronic abuse), Adjustment Disorder (stress-triggered distress without flashbacks), and common anxiety or depression disorders that share sleep, mood or panic problems but are not tied to a specific traumatic memory. A mental-health professional sorts these out by asking about the kind of event that happened, how long symptoms have lasted, and whether true “re-experiencing” (flashbacks or nightmares of the trauma) is present.
PTSD is tough to heal because severe stress literally rewires the brain’s alarm and memory centres, every person’s trauma history is different, and the core symptoms (avoidance, distrust, numbness) make it hard to start or stay in treatment. Recovery therefore usually requires a personalised mix of approaches—such as trauma-focused therapy, medication, and skills for sleep and safety—and patience while you and your clinician adjust the plan. The good news is that most people do improve, and newer tools like EMDR, virtual-reality exposure, ketamine or MDMA-assisted therapy are widening the options when first-line methods fall short.
A stellate ganglion block can quiet the “fight-or-flight” nerves, and small studies—mainly in military populations—show it can lessen PTSD symptoms in roughly half of patients for a month or two; other trials have found no clear benefit, so results are mixed. Because evidence is still limited and short-term, specialists usually offer SGB only as an adjunct to proven treatments (therapy, medications) after weighing its brief relief against the need for repeat injections and the procedure’s small but real risks (infection, hoarse voice, temporary eyelid droop). Discussing it with a trauma-focused mental-health provider and an experienced pain or anesthesia physician can help decide if this experimental option makes sense in your overall care plan.