‘The coolest thing:’ Cutting-edge video game PTSD treatment now offered in Conway

CONWAY, S.C. (WPDE) — It looks and sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie…you sit down, have a gel-infused cap strapped to your head, and then your thoughts are read by a computer to help heal you.

While it may seem far out, those at Radial in Conway said the results of Prism are very real.

“Prism is the coolest thing you will ever come across,” Regional Practice Operations Manager for Radial Christine Bouchard said.

No pills, no reliving past traumas… just putting on a literal thinking cap and finding your inner peace, which then translates to the screen.

“It allows those with PTSD to not have to talk about their trauma but find a way to cope with their trauma,” Bouchard said. “So it uses neuromuscular feedback to basically play a video game with your brain. The goal is to have the patients think happy, positive thoughts, get the avatars in the video game to sit down, be quiet, for about a three-minute time frame.”

The game simulates a stressful environment, one being a train station with loud noises and a crying baby. If you can find your calm, the virtual situation mirrors that, a lesson you can take into the real world.

“It’s about coming back and centering on that positive moment that they’re using as their memory,” Bouchard said. “Then they finish here and go out into society and real-world situations that are triggering and they have that muscle memory that they have learned here doing physical therapy for the brain.”

The key is that the real-time data is pulled, allowing you to experience different coping mechanisms before scientifically nailing down your nirvana.

“You don’t have to speak through your trauma,” psychiatric nurse practitioner at Radial Ava Meyer said. “You do not have to think of your trauma; instead, you think of five mental strategies, and you really want to deeply immerse yourself. Whatever those are for you, if they’re positive thoughts, thoughts of people that you love, places that you love.”

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The treatment became FDA-approved in 2023. Radial began offering it in January, making them the first clinic in the area to do so.

They say from studies to local testimonies, it’s a game-changer.

“The studies show great results,” Meyer said. “About 32% of patients going into full remission from PTSD symptoms after Prism treatment, and then we have about 67% of patients that have meaningful symptom reduction.”

“We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from any of our patients that have gone through it,” Bouchard said. “They say that, what they really are experiencing is a full, you know, relief from any of their PTSD, which has been amazing.”

Bouchard said the treatment has been especially beneficial to groups like veterans, who may have an even more difficult time when forced to talk about past traumas.

To learn more about Prism, or to inquire about treatment sessions, click here.