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Examining the Efficacy of Short-Term Intensive PTSD Treatment on Psychological and Cognitive Impairment Symptoms

NCT07680517 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 120

Last updated 2026-07-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Our long-term goal is to provide rapid and sustained reductions of trauma and cognitive-related symptoms among Special Operations personnel with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. The primary objective of this project is to examine the effectiveness of massed PTSD treatment (i.e., CPT and EMDR) in "real-world" military settings. CPT and EMDR are both empirically supported psychotherapies for PTSD. To accomplish this objective, we will enroll military personnel meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD or subthreshold PTSD (i.e., meeting threshold levels for 3 of 4 symptom criteria).

Conditions

  • PTSD
  • Cognitive Performance

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT is an empirically supported psychotherapy for PTSD that focuses on why patients believe the traumatic event occurred, how that event affected their beliefs about self and others, and how to evaluate their beliefs. Patients learn to label events, thoughts, and subsequent emotions while the therapist helps them examine the facts Session Focus and context of the trauma through Socratic questioning. Using progressive worksheets, patients are taught to examine their own thoughts and emotions and develop new, more balanced thinking about traumatic events. CPT's safety and efficacy is well-established; over 80% of patients receiving the treatment benefit and \> 50% reductions in PTSD symptoms are typical.

BEHAVIORAL

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

EMDR is another empirically supported trauma-focused psychotherapy that is strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD by the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder (VA/DOD, 2023). Results of multiple clinical trials indicate EMDR's effectiveness for reducing PTSD symptoms is comparable to CPT's. EMDR directs patients to think about different aspects of an emotionally upsetting memory in mind while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. The most common external stimulus is therapist-directed lateral eye movements (e.g., tracking the movement of a therapist's finger back and forth with only the eyes) but other stimuli (e.g., hand-tapping, audio stimulation) can also be used. Half of participants who do not reach good end-state by session 10 will be randomly assigned to receive up to 5 sessions of EMDR during Stage 2.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

    collaborator FED

  • Ohio State University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-04-01
Primary Completion
2028-08-31
Completion
2028-08-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07680517 on ClinicalTrials.gov