The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury launched the initiative, spending nearly $5 million last year—more than 10 percent of its research budget—investigating alternative and complementary medical techniques. The Defense Department estimates that 42,600 service members have been diagnosed with PTSD and 36,000 with traumatic brain injury since 2001.

The current recommended treatments for PTSD include cognitive behavioral therapy and drugs for anxiety and depression, but “these don’t work for everybody,” says Stone. “We’re always looking for alternative treatments. Most alternative treatments have not been rigorously studied and we want to fill that gap and fund research that will scientifically and rigorously answer the question, Is there proof that these methods can help?”

If the research proves conclusive when it’s completed sometime next year, some of these alternative therapies might be included in the Defense Department’s clinical practice guidelines. That would mean military doctors could start prescribing them. The funded research includes yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion meditation, acupuncture for PTSD and a separate study for insomnia, virtual reality therapy and pet ownership.