Patients with complex forms of PTSD can benefit from a massed trauma treatment program.

What is it about?

Patients with complex forms of PTSD often do not receive proper treatment. This study shows that these patients benefit from an intensive, massed trauma treatment program. This clinical program might be especially well suited for these patients.

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Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In clinical guidelines and practice it has been questioned whether patients with more complex forms of PTSD should be referred directly to trauma-focused treatments or offered phase-based treatment instead. In the current study both patients with the dissociative subtype of PTSD and those with probable complex PTSD drew equal benefit from a 5-day trauma treatment program as patients with classic PTSD. The program consisted of EMDR, exposure in vivo and trauma-sensitive yoga. Complex forms of PTSD thus do not form a contraindication to refer to massed trauma treatment.