Randomized Clinical Trial of Imagery Stabilization and Rescripting Therapy for Psychiatric Outpatients with...

To examine the safety and effectiveness of a novel psychotherapy based on imagery techniques, we conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing imagery stabilization and rescripting therapy (ISRT) with non-trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eight sessions of 60-minute ISRT were conducted for the treatment condition (n=59), while the control group received eight sessions of 60 minutes of CBT (n=27). The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were administered by clinicians, while self-questionnaires were administered at pretreatment, posttreatment, and the 6-month follow-up.

Forty-two participants in the ISRT group and 20 participants in the CBT group completed more than six sessions; thus, dropout rates were not significantly different between the groups (17/59, 28.8% vs. 7/27, 25.9%, respectively). Although no statistical differences were found between conditions, both completer and intention-to-treatment analyses revealed that clinical status, PTSD symptoms, and quality of life favored ISRT after treatment and 6 months later.

Our findings suggest that ISRT is a safe and effective treatment option for PTSD.