Currently submitted to: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 16, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 17, 2026 - Sep 11, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Acceptability and Feasibility of a Tuned Vibroacoustic Stimulation Intervention among Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Addressing Resilience-Related Factors
ABSTRACT
Background:
There is growing interest in treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aimed at facilitating resilience-related factors (e.g., emotional regulation). One novel intervention developed is a tuned vibroacoustic stimulation (TVS)-based wearable device aimed at decreasing automatic nervous system dysregulation through physical vibrations.
Objective:
The objectives of this pre-post study were to examine: (1) the feasibility of a 12-week trial of a TVS device for United States Veterans with PTSD; (2) changes in objective markers (treatment targets) associated with autonomic dysfunction (i.e., heart rate variability [HRV], systemic inflammation); and (3) changes in mental health outcomes.
Methods:
Pre-Post Study; 49 United States Veterans with PTSD. Data regarding feasibility, acceptability (e.g., Client Satisfaction Questionnaire [CSQ]), HRV, C-reactive protein [CRP], and symptoms of PTSD, depression, and overall distress (Visual Analog Scale) were collected.
Results:
Use of the TVS device for three hours per day was found to be feasible and acceptable (95.6% had a CSQ score of 24 or higher). There were no statistically significant pre-post effects on HRV. CRP was lower post-intervention, but the change was not statistically significant. There was a significant and clinically meaningful decrease in PTSD symptoms post-intervention.
Conclusions:
Findings provide evidence for the acceptability and feasibility of this TVS-based wearable device among Veterans with PTSD. Pre- to post-intervention, statistically and clinically meaningful changes in PTSD symptoms were reported. Continued evaluation with a focus on both efficacy and underlying physiological underpinnings is warranted. Clinical Trial: clinicaltrials.gov NCT05019651
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