scholarly journals Relational and Growth Outcomes Following Couples Therapy With MDMA for PTSD

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne C. Wagner ◽  
Rachel E. Liebman ◽  
Ann T. Mithoefer ◽  
Michael C. Mithoefer ◽  
Candice M. Monson
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Couples Therapy ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Relational Support ◽  
Growth Outcomes ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Romantic Dyads

Healing from trauma occurs in a relational context, and the impacts of traumatic experiences that result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) go beyond the diagnosis itself. To fully understand a treatment for PTSD, understanding its impact on interpersonal, relational, and growth outcomes yields a more fulsome picture of the effects of the treatment. The current paper examines these secondary outcomes of a pilot trial of Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD with MDMA. Six romantic dyads, where one partner had PTSD, undertook a course of treatment combining CBCT for PTSD with two MDMA psychotherapy sessions. Outcomes were assessed at mid-treatment, post-treatment, and 3- and 6-month follow-up. Both partners reported improvements in post-traumatic growth, relational support, and social intimacy. Partners reported reduced behavioral accommodation and conflict in the relationship, and patients with PTSD reported improved psychosocial functioning and empathic concern. These improvements were maintained throughout the follow-up period. These findings suggest that CBCT for PTSD with MDMA has significant effect on relational and growth outcomes in this pilot sample. Improvements in these domains is central to a holistic recovery from traumatic experiences, and lends support to the utility of treating PTSD dyadically.

scholarly journals Defibulation Can Recall The Trauma of FGM/C: A Case Report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taraschi Gianmarco ◽  
Manin Emily ◽  
Bianchi De Micheli Francesco ◽  
Abdulcadir Jasmine
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychological Sequelae ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Women with FGM/C are known to have psychological sequelae from the cutting and other traumatic experiences. However, very few studies report immediate psychological sequelae of genital reconstructive surgeries for this population. The present case is the first to our knowledge to report PTSD symptoms immediately following defibulation, a procedure common in women with FGM/C type III.Case presentation: We present the case of a 31-year-old nulliparous woman in the second trimester of pregnancy with FGM/C type IIIa who was referred for antepartum defibulation to facilitate a vaginal birth. Immediately after an uncomplicated surgery under local anaesthesia and just before the first micturition, she developed post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and suddenly recalled the traumatic experience of her first micturition after FGM/C when she was a child in Sudan. The woman was offered psychiatric follow-up with psychotherapy for four months and a short course of benzodiazepines. She had fully recovered by the time of delivery, four months after surgery.Conclusions: We discuss the possibility of recall of a past traumatic experience of FGM/C during defibulation or other genital surgeries. We review the benefits and risks of defibulation, the impact of this procedure, and the setting and timing in which it is performed, focusing on women's mental health and psychological support.

scholarly journals The association between body mass index and recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder after the nuclear accident in Fukushima

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masato Nagai ◽  
Tetsuya Ohira ◽  
Masaharu Maeda ◽  
Seiji Yasumura ◽  
Itaru Miura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Error Variance ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obesity share common risk factors; however, the effect of obesity on recovery from PTSD has not been assessed. We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and recovery from PTSD after the Great East Japan Earthquake. We analyzed 4356 men and women with probable PTSD aged ≥ 16 years who were living in evacuation zones owing to the radiation accident in Fukushima, Japan. Recovery from probable PTSD was defined as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-specific scores < 44. Using Poisson regression with robust error variance adjusted for confounders, we compared the prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for this outcome in 2013 and 2014. Compared with point estimates for normal weight (BMI: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), especially in 2013, those for underweight (BMI: < 18.5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI: ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) tended to slightly increase and decrease, respectively, for recovery from probable PTSD. The multivariate-adjusted PRs (95% CIs) for underweight and obesity were 1.08 (0.88–1.33) and 0.85 (0.68–1.06), respectively, in 2013 and 1.02 (0.82–1.26) and 0.87 (0.69–1.09), respectively, in 2014. The results of the present study showed that obesity may be a useful predictor for probable PTSD recovery. Obese victims with PTSD would require more intensive support and careful follow-up for recovery.

scholarly journals Treatment of adult post-traumatic stress disorder using a future-oriented writing therapy approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald D. V. Nixon ◽  
Leonard W. Kling
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Ptsd Severity

AbstractThe aim of this pilot study was to test whether a future-oriented expressive writing intervention is able to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity and associated symptoms such as depression and unhelpful trauma-related beliefs. In an uncontrolled pre-/ post-design participants attended 8 weeks of manualized therapy. Assessment was undertaken pre- and post-treatment, and participants also completed a 3-month follow-up assessment. Of the 17 participants who began therapy, 13 were treatment completers. Results indicated a significant decrease in PTSD severity, depression and unhelpful trauma-related cognitions from pre- to post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Clinically meaningful change was more modest; however, three participants reported PTSD remission at 3-month follow-up. It is concluded that expressive writing with a focus on achieving future goals and personal change may have some utility in reducing post-traumatic stress but future research will need to investigate this with greater methodological rigour before firm conclusions can be made.

Trauma Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Busch ◽  
Barbara Milrod ◽  
Cory Chen ◽  
Meriamne Singer
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy ◽  
Symptomatic Relief ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Veterans Administration ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Interpersonal Engagement ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

This book, which operationalizes and articulates in detail a unique, brief, tested psychodynamic psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy [TFPP], describes how to perform this helpful treatment. The book provides tailored psychodynamic background that underpins these approaches, and explains the different phases of treatment. Additionally, it articulates common underlying dynamics of PTSD that the treatment commonly addresses in patients to bring about symptomatic relief. TFPP is being tested in two diverse populations: military Veterans with PTSD who are receiving care at three Veterans Administration Hospitals, and also among LGBTQ patients with PTSD. The book is focused on the authors’ experiences treating Veterans and many clinical examples are provided demonstrating how to work with these principles and approaches. In general, patients and therapists have found the treatment to be an extremely useful tool. Veterans have gained insight into the impact of traumatic experiences on various aspects of their lives and had improvements in dissociation, interpersonal engagement, anxiety, and anger/hostility. TFPP appears to be particularly effective for patients with prominent avoidance symptoms and those who are unwilling or unable to recount the details of their trauma directly. Patients have been found to be more affectively engaged and better connected to others (including the therapist) following treatment.

Author response for "Burnout, depersonalization, and anxiety contribute to post‐traumatic stress in frontline health workers at COVID‐19 patient care, a follow‐up study"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Adán Miguel‐Puga ◽  
Davis Cooper‐Bribiesca ◽  
Francisco José Avelar‐Garnica ◽  
Luis Alejandro Sanchez‐Hurtado ◽  
Tania Colin‐Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Author Response ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Frontline Health Workers ◽  
Post Traumatic

scholarly journals Randomized Clinical Trial of Telephone-Administered Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to Reduce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Distress Symptoms After Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (23) ◽  
pp. 3754-3761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine N. DuHamel ◽  
Catherine E. Mosher ◽  
Gary Winkel ◽  
Larissa E. Labay ◽  
Christine Rini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
General Distress ◽  
Distress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

Purpose A significant number of survivors of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) report enduring adverse effects of treatment, including illness-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and general distress. We report results of a randomized clinical trial that tested the effects of a 10-session, telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on PTSD, depression, and distress symptoms. Methods Survivors who had undergone HSCT 1 to 3 years earlier (N = 408) were assessed for study eligibility. Those who met study eligibility criteria (n = 89) completed a baseline assessment that included a clinical interview and self-report measures of PTSD symptoms (the primary outcome) and depression and general distress (the secondary outcomes). Next, they were randomly assigned to CBT or an assessment-only condition. Survivors in the CBT group completed 10 individual telephone-based CBT sessions (T-CBT) that included strategies to reduce PTSD symptoms, depression, and general distress. Follow-up assessments occurred at 6, 9, and 12 months after the baseline assessment. Results Linear mixed-model analyses revealed that, compared with HSCT survivors in the assessment-only condition, survivors who completed T-CBT reported fewer illness-related PTSD symptoms, including less avoidance (P < .001) and fewer intrusive thoughts (P < .05) as well as less general distress and fewer depressive symptoms (P < .05) even after controlling for potential demographic and medical covariates. These results were consistent across the three follow-up assessments. Conclusion A brief, telephone-administered CBT intervention developed for HSCT survivors is an efficacious treatment for reducing illness-related PTSD symptoms and general distress.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the effects of L-Theanine on neurobehavior in an adult male Sprague-Dawley Rat Model of PTSD

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-308
Author(s):  
John E Buonora ◽  
Patrick M Krum ◽  
Tomás Eduardo Ceremuga
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Forced Swim Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Stress Model ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Shock Stress

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to be one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States and may occur in response to traumatic experiences. Currently, there are no interventions that prevent the development of PTSD. L-Theanine (L-Th), a major compound in green tea has been found to decrease anxiety and prevent memory impairment and may have potential effects in the prevention of PTSD. Sixty rats were divided into six experimental groups: control vehicle, control L-Th, control naïve, PTSD vehicle, PTSD Pre-L-Th (prophylactic), PTSD Post-L-Th (non-prophylactic). PTSD was induced by a 3-day restraint/tail shock stress model. The effects of L-Th on neurobehavior were evaluated by Elevated Plus-Maze (EPM), Morris Water Maze (MWM), and Forced Swim Test (FST). Our study found that the total food intake weight of PTSD Pre-L-Th (prophylactic) rats were significantly increased compared to that of PTSD vehicle rats (p = .04). Administration of L-Th 24 hours before the initial PTSD event or for 10 days following the last PTSD stress event did not statistically improve mean open arm exploration on the EPM, spatial memory, and learning in the MWM or behavioral despair measured by the FST (p > 0.05). Although the 3-day restraint/tail shock stress model caused stress in the rodents, it did not produce reported PTSD-like anxiety and depression or spatial memory loss. The effect of Pre-L-Th or Post-L-Th treatment, on the neurobehavioral functions could not be effectively evaluated. However, this study provides a foundation for future studies to try different rodent PTSD models to induce PTSD-like neurobehavioral impairments to explore dosage, frequency, as well as the duration of L-Th administration before and/or after the post-traumatic event. The 3-day restraint/tail shock stress model caused stress in the rodents, Pre-L-Theanine treatment preconditioned the PTSD rats to endure stress.

scholarly journals Sexual Assault and White Matter Hyperintensities Among Midlife Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Thurston ◽  
Karen Jakubowski ◽  
Minjie Wu ◽  
Howard Aizenstein ◽  
Yuefang Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensities ◽  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Midlife Women ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Background Traumatic experiences have been linked to poor mental and physical health. However, there has been little examination of their relationship to neuroimaging markers of cerebrovascular risk. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are markers of brain small vessel disease. WMHs can be detected decades before the onset of dementia and other disorders and can serve as early markers for these brain disorders. We tested whether traumatic experiences were associated with brain WMH volume among midlife women. Methods In the MsBrain study, 145 women (mean age = 59 years) without cardiovascular disease, stroke, or dementia were recruited. Women completed questionnaires [trauma checklist, depression, post-traumatic stress measures]; physical measures [body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP)]; phlebotomy; actigraphy sleep measurement, and 3 Tesla magnetic resonance brain imaging for WMHs. Cross-sectional associations between traumatic experiences and WMH volume were assessed in linear regression models. Covariates were age, race/ethnicity, education, BMI, BP, lipids, preeclampsia, sleep, and additionally depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Results 68% of women endorsed at least one of the traumas assessed. The most common trauma was sexual assault (23% of women). Women with trauma exposure had greater WMH volume than women without trauma [B(SE) = .24 (.09), p = .01, multivariable]. The single trauma most associated with WMH was sexual assault [B(SE) = .25 (.11), p = .02, multivariable]. Results persisted adjusting for depressive or post-traumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions A trauma history, particularly sexual assault, was associated with greater WMH volume controlling for covariates, including depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. Sexual assault may place women at risk for poor brain health.

scholarly journals Efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Esra Teke ◽  
Selahattin Avşaroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
Emdr Therapy

The purpose of the present study is to examine the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For this purpose, a framework was determined by using findings of the research and explanations at the conceptual level. PTSD is a mental disorder that is experienced after traumatic events, affects individuals cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally and threatens the integrity of an individual's life. EMDR therapy is a therapy that imaginatively reveals the past or traumatic experiences of the client through eye movements and other bilateral stimuli (two-way sound or tactile stimulus), facilitates information processing processes. Whereas EMDR was initially an approach developed for adults, it was later used for children and adolescents. The fact that it gives positive results in a short time and these positive results continue in follow-up studies has increased the interest in using EMDR for children and adolescents with PTSD. The use of EMDR for children and adolescents has allowed their problems to be resolved in a timely manner and reduced PTSD symptoms. This situation has drawn attention to the importance of using EMDR in the practice of psychological counselors working in school environments, leading places where they work with children and adolescents, and where the first preventive and interventional studies are carried out. Therefore, it is considered that the use of EMDR will be functional in overcoming these negative life experiences of many students who have been directly or indirectly exposed to traumatic experiences during the COVID-19 epidemic period.

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