Award Winning documentary follows three patients before and the year after receiving the Dual Sympathetic Reset (DSR)

Award Winning documentary follows three patients before and the year after receiving the Dual Sympathetic Reset (DSR)

 

"It's almost like you're sitting on a secret," says Shannon Fitzpatrick.  

 

Now, it's one secret that can be shared with the world thanks to the award-winning PenFed documentary production, "The Shot." This inspiring documentary highlights the journey of three patients, Joe Merritt, Shannon Fitzpatrick, and Sidney Morris, illustrating how the Dual Sympathetic Reset (DSR), an advanced Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment, has positively changed their lives forever.

 

Before Treatment

 

Before the treatment, daily life for Merritt, Fitzpatrick, and Morris was difficult. The debilitating symptoms of PTSD were affecting who they were at work, at home, and even while trying other healing interventions. 

Merritt, a Marine Corps Combat Veteran, struggled with memories from his time fighting in Afghanistan. Fitzpatrick watched "90%" of her patients die from COVID as an ICU Nurse in New York City. And Morris, a Marine Corps Combat Veteran like Merritt, struggled on a daily basis with intense, often overwhelming emotions.

Their trauma symptoms dominated their lives, but this was about to improve after being introduced to Stella and our breakthrough DSR treatment. 

 

 

The Dual Sympathetic Reset

 

Stella is a driving force behind this innovative treatment, and our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Eugene Lipov, the pioneer of the DSR treatment, provides scientific insights into the treatment in the documentary, explaining how it can turn off the body's fight or flight response to stress. 

When the fight or flight mode is activated, it prepares itself to deal with a perceived threat or danger which can lead to physical and psychological symptoms.

Remaining in a continual state of over-activation can cause an array of physical and mental health challenges. Individuals whose fight or flight system has become chronically activated may experience symptoms like: 

  • Rapid heartbeat

  • Increased breathing rate

  • Elevated blood pressure

  • Heightened senses

  • Feeling tense or on edge

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Panic attacks

  • Pervasive feelings of dread 

  • Irritability or anger

  • Nausea, upset stomach, or diarrhea

  • Dizziness

  • Trouble sleeping

But the Dual Sympathetic Reset is a series of two quick injections of anesthetic medication that help to calm the nervous system and reset an overactive fight or flight system.

This treatment has already helped thousands of people worldwide to find relief from their most debilitating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. 

Dr. Shauna Springer, Chief Psychologist at Stella, emphasizes the importance of addressing emotional traumas and mental health challenges, "you can literally see how patients look different from before to after…They have hope again." 

 

One Year Later

 

One year after the treatment, Joe Merritt, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, expressed his amazement at the treatment, saying, "Nothing has taken that anxiety, that real freezing and crippling anxiety away, as the shot has." 

The film, which has received numerous awards, including Best Documentary and Best Mental Health Film at various film festivals, underscores the potential impact of effective treatments like DSR for those experiencing anxiety, depression, and  PTSD.

"I'm not one to press a person in a direction," said Sidney Morris. "But if anyone asks me about it, I tell them, as soon as you get curious about it, go do it."

 

Watch the documentary:

 

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