Response of patients with complex forms of PTSD to highly intensive trauma treatment: A clinical cohort study

This study investigated whether patients with the dissociative subtype of PTSD (PTSD + DS) and patients with probable complex PTSD (CPTSD) draw equal benefits from a highly intensive trauma treatment program that includes EMDR therapy as patients with PTSD.

Article Abstract

“Objective: Although highly intensive trauma treatment programs show promising results in the treatment of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it remains uncertain if patients with complex forms of PTSD can benefit equally from these intensive programs. To investigate whether patients with the dissociative subtype of PTSD (PTSD + DS) and patients with probable complex PTSD (CPTSD) draw equal benefits from a highly intensive trauma treatment program as patients with PTSD.

Method: In this clinical cohort study, patients were included who attended a 5-day intensive program consisting of eye movement desensitisation reprocessing, exposure in vivo and trauma-sensitive yoga components. PTSD with DS was assessed with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (CAPS-5), and a provisional diagnosis of CPTSD was assessed with the International Trauma Questionnaire. Primary outcome measure was self-reported PTSD-symptom severity measured by PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 at the start of the program (T1) and a week after the program (T2).

Results: Both groups, PTSD + DS (d = 0.85) and probable CPTSD (d = 0.85) benefitted significantly in terms of PTSD-symptom severity reduction and the size of the decrease was not significantly different from that of patients with PTSD.

Conclusions: Patients with both forms of PTSD complexity can benefit even from a very brief intensive treatment program, which extends previous studies. The diagnoses of PTSD + DS and CPTSD seem helpful to assess the initial severity of the symptoms, but do not imply contra-indications to benefit from intensive treatment. Highly intensive treatment programs are promising interventions to effectively treat complex forms of PTSD and should be studied further in randomized clinical trials. ”

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Zepeda Méndez, M., Nijdam, M. H., ter Heide, F> J. J., van der Aa, N., & Olff, M. (2025). Response of patients with complex forms of PTSD to highly intensive trauma treatment: A clinical cohort study. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(3) 676-684. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001747