European Journal of Psychotraumatology
June 15, 2026
V Ursule Taujanskaite, Sunjeev K. Kamboj
Background: State dissociation is commonly assessed using the Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS; 19-items). A briefer CADSS would have many advantages, enabling assessment of transient dissociative states and allowing repeated assessment within short intervals while minimizing participant burden. This is especially relevant in studies of dissociative drugs which cause...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
May 26, 2026
Xiuchuan He, Yuanli Ren, Qian Bian et al.
Background: Depression and anxiety are common mental health problems that frequently co-occur with trauma-related disorders and often develop following traumatic or stressful events, substantially impairing quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce these symptoms; however, their widespread implementation is often limited by poor accessibility and low adherence....
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
April 1, 2026
Maud Rothärmel, Lila Mekaoui, François Kazour et al.
1 citation
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and frequent affection that is highly comorbid to major depressive disorder. Comorbid PTSD and depression increase the risk of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), with a high risk of functional impairment and suicide. Esketamine nasal spray is a recent validated treatment for TRD, but its efficacy on comorbid TRD-PTSD remains...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
April 1, 2026
Gopika Satish, Navin Kumar
ABSTRACT Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences are well-known risk factors that impair adult social functioning. Internal psychological strengths, such as mindfulness and psychological capital (PsyCap), may buffer these impacts among adult women in Kerala, India. However, studies exploring the role of these resources remain scarce and underexplored. Objective: The present study explored the...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
March 19, 2026
Philip Gerrans, Hugh McGovern, Jakob Hohwy et al.
Background: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a trauma-related condition characterized by pervasive disturbances in affect regulation, self-concept, and interpersonal functioning that extend beyond the symptom profile of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While neurobiological studies have implicated limbic, salience, and prefrontal systems in C-PTSD, mechanistic accounts...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
January 19, 2026
Chulei Tang, Ting Zhao, Simin Yu et al.
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and is associated with poor psychological functioning and reduced adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), threatening treatment outcomes. Although the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have separately demonstrated efficacy for PTSD, no intervention...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
December 1, 2025
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Richard J. Zeifman, Jennifer Mitchell
11 citations
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe condition often complicated by co-occurring disorders, such as major depression, alcohol use disorder, and substance use disorders. A well-powered phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled trial has shown that MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) may be an effective treatment for severe PTSD. However, the psychological mechanisms driving the...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
December 1, 2025
Zheng Zhang, Qingqin Zhang, Ping Lu et al.
3 citations
Background: Data on the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) positive psychological traits and experiential avoidance (EA) among cancer patients are lacking.Objective: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to: (1) compare the efficacy between MBSR and treatment-as-usual (TAU) control groups in increasing posttraumatic growth (PTG), hope, and optimism and reducing EA...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
December 1, 2025
Eirini Aikaterini Melegkovits, Ava J C Mason, Jordan Reid et al.
2 citations
Background: Among individuals with psychotic experiences, those with a history of developmental trauma face greater symptom severity and worse clinical outcomes compared to those without. Dissociation constitutes a prominent, characteristic of this group's clinical presentation, whose nuances and associated characteristics remain however understudied in psychosis research. We aimed to address...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
December 1, 2025
Corinna Schreiber, Stella Kümmerle, Meike Müller-Engelmann
Background: PTSD patients who experienced interpersonal violence are susceptible to trauma-related guilt and shame and often show unsatisfactory treatment response. C-METTA combines cognitive techniques and loving-kindness meditation. It has shown promising effects in reducing trauma-related guilt and shame.Objective: We examined the effectiveness of C-METTA within a quasi-experimental...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
November 4, 2025
Michele Topel, Donald S. Ciccone
2 citations
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with maladaptive memory reconsolidation and overgeneralized fear responses. EMDR therapy promotes trauma reprocessing by activating the brain's intrinsic memory reconsolidation mechanism, facilitating memory updating, and abandoning outdated emotional schemas. Ketamine may also facilitate adaptive updating of traumatic memory due to...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
January 7, 2025
Cresta Asah, Hinuga Sandahl, Lone Baandrup et al.
2 citations
Background: Sleep disturbances are widely reported in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although Dream Enactment Behaviour (DEB) has long been associated with PTSD, its high prevalence has only recently been recognized, sparking discussions about the classification of trauma-related sleep disorders. The impact of DEB on treatment outcomes in PTSD remains unexplored.Objective: To...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
October 8, 2024
Anthony N Reffi, Philip Cheng, David A Kalmbach et al.
ABSTRACT Background: Research suggests trauma-related nightmares (TRNs) during the acute aftermath of trauma may contribute to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is unknown who is most vulnerable to TRNs, which is critical to identify at-risk patients toward whom early nightmare-focused treatments can be targeted to prevent PTSD. Objective: We tested trauma type (interpersonal...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2024
Richard J. Zeifman, Hannes Kettner, Stephen Ross et al.
34 citations
Background: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic intervention that shows promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although therapeutic alliance has been established as a key predictor across psychotherapies and is emphasised within MDMA-AP treatment manuals, research has not yet examined the relationship between...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2024
Jerome Herpers, Natalie Maximets, Noah N N van Dongen et al.
7 citations
Introduction: The positive results of MDMA from Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) call for a critical evaluation of its regulatory status within the European mental healthcare system. This is driven by the recent submission of MDMA-AT for FDA approval in the United States. Unless coordinated efforts in the...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2024
Meike Müller-Engelmann, Luisa Bahnemann, Stella Kümmerle
5 citations
Background: Trauma-related guilt and shame are crucial for the development and maintenance of PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). We developed an intervention combining cognitive techniques with loving-kindness meditations (C-METTA) that specifically target these emotions. C-METTA is an intervention of six weekly individual treatment sessions followed by a four-week practice phase.Objective:...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
August 29, 2023
Lihong Jiang, Amanda J. F. Tamman, Christopher L. Averill et al.
8 citations
Background: Early trauma predicts poor psychological and physical health. Glutamatergic synaptic processes offer one avenue for understanding this relationship, given glutamate's abundance and involvement in reward and stress sensitivity, emotion, and learning. Trauma-induced glutamatergic excitotoxicity may alter neuroplasticity and approach/avoidance tendencies, increasing risk for...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2023
Barbara L Niles, Ariel J Lang, Miranda Olff
16 citations
ABSTRACTTo treat the impact of trauma, most current evidence supports the use of trauma-focused psychotherapy as the first line approach. However, millions of individuals exposed to trauma worldwide seek Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) therapies in hopes of achieving wellness above and beyond reducing symptoms. But what is the evidence for CIH interventions? What are potential...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2022
Anne Malaktaris, Caitlin L Mclean, Sheetal Mallavarapu et al.
There is increasing support for the use of meditation-based treatments for US military Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Mantram Repetition Program (MRP), which is a portable meditative practice that features mindful repetition of a sacred phrase, is associated with significant reductions in PTSD symptom severity. Although regular practice is emphasized in meditation-based...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2022
Lionel Gibert, Mathieu Coulange, Jean-Charles Reynier et al.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling disease that currently has no fully effective therapeutic solution. Complementary approaches, such as relaxation, sport, or meditation, could be therapeutic aids for symptom reduction. Scuba diving combines sport and mindfulness training and has been found to have a positive effect on chronic stress and PTSD. The first objective...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2021
Lukas A Basedow, Sören Kuitunen-Paul, Melina Wiedmann et al.
15 citations
ABSTRACT Background: Adolescent patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) often fulfil the criteria for a co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is not clear if these dual-diagnosed adolescents present with unique levels of substance use and how their substance use relates to PTSD symptom clusters. Objective: To investigate substance use in adolescents with...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
December 7, 2020
Candice M Monson, Anne C Wagner, Ann T Mithoefer et al.
90 citations
Cognitive-behavioural conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD has been shown to improve PTSD, relationship adjustment, and the health and well-being of partners. MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has been used to facilitate an individual therapy for PTSD. This study was an initial test of the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of MDMA-facilitated CBCT. Six couples with varying levels of...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
October 23, 2020
Ruth A. Lanius, Braeden A. Terpou, Margaret C Mckinnon
158 citations
ABSTRACT Trauma can profoundly affect the sense of self, where both cognitive and somatic disturbances to the sense of self are reported clinically by individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These disturbances are captured eloquently by clinical accounts, such as, ‘I do not know myself anymore,’ ‘I will never be able to experience normal emotions again,’ and, ‘I feel dead...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2019
Robert-Jacek Gorzka, Katja Rebling, Helge Höllmer et al.
Background: Nightmares are a widespread phenomenon. In comparison to the general population, they occur in mentally ill and especially in traumatized individuals with an increased frequency. Despite the high prevalence, there is no short questionnaire in the German language that is able to characterize nightmares, to differentiate between different nightmare types and to assess their impact on...
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
2019
Jennifer N Crawford, Alexander M Talkovsky, Jill E Bormann et al.
Background: Hyperarousal appears to play an important role in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but current evidence-based treatments appear to address this symptom type less effectively than the other symptom clusters. The Mantram Repetition Program (MRP) is a meditation-based intervention that has previously been shown to improve symptoms of...