Close Up Radio Spotlights Dr. Jason Brajer of Stella

Chicago, IL – Post-traumatic stress disorder is typically associated with veterans who have experienced the trauma of war, but PTSD can develop from many different sources. PTSD has been referred to as a disorder, yet many claim it is an injury. Stella and others have suggested a new term – Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PSTI) – in place of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

When we experience trauma, our brain’s fight-or-flight response becomes stuck in high gear. This may cause an injury to the brain, resulting in the symptoms of trauma like hypervigilance, insomnia and irritability.

Dr. Jason Brajer is a board-certified clinical anesthesiologist and interventional pain management specialist with the Stella Center, where he administers a fast, effective, and lasting treatment for the symptoms of emotional trauma: the Stellate Ganglion Block.

The Stellate Ganglion Block is an injection of a local anesthetic into the stellate ganglion, a nerve bundle in the neck, to suppress the fight-or-flight reflex. The SGB resets spinal cord pathways to the brain and the patient experiences an almost immediate sense of calm. The procedure has been shown to provide relief from symptoms like continual sleep disturbance, surges of anxiety and irritability, hypervigilance, difficulties concentrating and jumpiness.

With the SGB, a patient’s trauma no longer needs to be part of their everyday life. It doesn't mean the trauma is not still lingering there—patients should continue to see their mental health provider—but more than 80 percent of Stella patients have found relief from their trauma symptoms.

“I've been doing pain management for 25 years and I'm most proud of how many people I've helped,” says Dr. Brajer.

For more information, visit www.stellacenter.com