Abstract:

Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represents a significant issue for military and civilian populations. Upwards of 30 percent of all military personnel diagnosed with the disorder go on to life-long chronicity independent of their treatment status (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995). According to recent systematic reviews published by JAMA and the Cochrane Group, current frontline treatments are not meeting the needs of veterans and active duty military.

Objectives: To illustrate successful PTSD treatment using a novel, brief intervention requiring fewer than 5 hours of treatment.

Methods: Case study, Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM), post treatment follow-up.

Results: The current case study describes Carl, a Vietnam veteran, diagnosed with PTSD who volunteered for treatment in a 30-person waitlist RCT of the RTM protocol. Carl completed three 120 minute sessions of RTM. Post treatment measures found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms that were maintained at 2, 6, 26, and 52-weeks post-treatment. Carl was chosen as representative of Vietnam Era participants for whom RTM has been effective in the larger study. Carl has experienced the intrusive symptoms of PTSD for more than 40 years.

Conclusions: The present findings suggest that RTM is a new intervention deserving of further research.