See how Beth worked through chronic PTSD, depression and anxiety following longstanding trauma, through a coordinated 14-week programme including a pre-programme nervous system procedure.
Beth, previously employed as an administrative assistant within the court system, experienced a significant decline in her mental health after past trauma was triggered by her work. She had seen a number of health professionals before reaching out to Goodsky, without finding lasting improvement.
Her presentation included persistent hypervigilance, social anxiety, recurring flashbacks, and night terrors, alongside a history of dissociation and, earlier in her life, disordered eating.
Her early life had involved significant relational difficulty and loss, including the early death of a parent, and her siblings had also faced their own mental health challenges. Her ACE score was 4.
Standardised assessments at intake reflected extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress on the DASS-21, with a PCL-5 score placing her presentation as likely PTSD. Her programme goal was to work towards remission from PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety.
Goodsky designed a 14-week programme built around coordinated, multi-modal treatment, structured to provide stability, intensive treatment, and sustainable integration over time.
At-home sessions, functional pathology collection, and a pre-residential nervous system procedure.
Intensive treatment on the Sunshine Coast.
Lifestyle integration with continued online sessions at home.
Prior to her residential phase, Beth underwent a Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) procedure, a targeted intervention aimed at calming the nervous system's fight-or-flight response. She found this allowed her to engage more fully in therapy, with fewer triggers and greater focus.
Awareness-based psychotherapy for processing trauma patterns and building self-regulation.
Neurobiological therapy targeting trauma held in subcortical brain regions.
Body-based approaches for trauma held in physical tension, movement, and posture.
Psychosensory techniques for reducing anxiety, fear responses, and emotional distress.
Non-verbal pathways for processing trauma not accessible through talk therapy alone.
Experiential therapy for self-regulation, boundary-setting, and relational confidence.
Comprehensive testing uncovered biological contributors to Beth's symptoms, including a full thyroid panel, microbiome mapping, organic acids testing, DNA testing, hair mineral analysis, and functional brain scanning.
Heart rate variability biofeedback sessions within Beth's care plan.
Practitioner-led sessions using targeted sound frequencies.
Biomechanical assessment and guided movement programming.
Assessment and treatment of disrupted sleep patterns.
Also included: nutritional and dietary therapy, chef-prepared meals, private beachside accommodation, and case management throughout all three phases.
| Measure | Intake | Post-residential | Follow-up (8 months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 20 — Extremely Severe | 2 — Normal | 2 — Normal |
| Anxiety | 13 — Extremely Severe | 2 — Normal | 0 — Normal |
| Stress | 19 — Extremely Severe | 5 — Normal | 5 — Normal |
| PCL-5 (PTSD) | 60/80 — Likely | — | 6/80 — Unlikely |
All four medications Beth had been taking at intake were ceased under medical supervision by the time of follow-up.
| Domain | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Mood | Persistent low mood, mood swings | No depression reported, more settled mood |
| Anxiety | Frequent panic attacks, hypervigilance | No panic attacks, calmer baseline |
| Sleep | Insomnia, nightmares, night terrors | No nightmares or night terrors, sleeping well |
| Cognition | Memory difficulties, mental fogginess | Clearer thinking, improved concentration |
| Employment | Unemployed, unable to work | Returned to full-time employment |
| Finding | Intake |
|---|---|
| B12 | Low — deficient, addressed via supplementation |
| Ferritin | Low iron stores, supplementation commenced |
| Copper:Zinc ratio | Severely imbalanced, tracked for improvement |
| Reverse T3 | High — a marker of systemic inflammation |
| Cortisol | High — a stress marker, resolved over the programme |
Microbiome mapping showed low beneficial flora populations and gut permeability; hair mineral analysis reflected poor mineral absorption and a chronic-stress pattern; DNA screening informed targeted dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
In a program involving several treatments at once, change can't be attributed to any single element. The care team identified four factors they believed were particularly important in Beth's program.
Rather than treating symptoms one at a time, the programme addressed the interaction between trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and physical health simultaneously.
Comprehensive pathology identified nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, and gut health issues that would otherwise have continued to undermine psychological treatment.
The SGB procedure ahead of the residential phase calmed Beth's nervous system enough to allow fuller engagement with intensive therapy.
The residential setting supported nutrition, sleep, and stress management alongside the therapeutic work.
Beth returned to full-time employment in a role she found meaningful, and continued to practise the skills learned during the programme. She has remained engaged with ongoing naturopathic support.
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Get in TouchThis case study reflects one individual's experience. Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. Individual results vary.
