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Published on: January 18, 2021
A preliminary investigation of sudden gains in exposure therapy for PTSD
Lisa Stines Doane1, Norah C Feeny, Lori A Zoellner
1Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychology, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44145, USA. l.doane@csuohio.edu
Abstract:
The purpose of the current study was to examine sudden gains in those receiving treatment for PTSD and whether these rapid changes were related to overall symptom reduction in a small sample of female assault survivors with PTSD undergoing prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Sudden gains were found to occur in 52% of the sample. Among those who experienced a sudden gain, the average magnitude (12.4 points) accounted for 61% of overall symptom reduction. Importantly, treatment outcome was better for those who experienced sudden gains than those who did not. The experience of a sudden gain may result in patients becoming more fully engaged with treatment, and recognition of them may result in identifying potential process-related predictors of treatment response.
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