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Cognitive Therapy for PTSD: Updating Memories and Meanings of Trauma

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Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders

Abstract

In the initial days and weeks after a traumatic event, most people will experience at least some symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as intrusive memories, sleep disturbance, feeling emotionally numb, or being easily startled (Rothbaum et al. 1992). Most people will recover in the ensuing months, but for some the symptoms persist, often for years. What prevents these people from recovering? A lesson that we learned in treating and interviewing many trauma survivors is that what people find most distressing about a traumatic event varies greatly from person to person. Understanding the personal meanings of trauma and their relationship with features of trauma memories appears key to helping people with PTSD.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Names and some details are changed in case examples to preserve anonymity.

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Acknowledgments

The development and evaluation of the treatment program described in this chapter was funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant 069777). We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of David M. Clark, Ann Hackmann, Melanie Fennell, Freda McManus, and Nick Grey. We are grateful to Edna Foa for her collaboration and advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Anke Ehlers & Jennifer Wild

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  1. Anke Ehlers
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  2. Jennifer Wild
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Correspondence to Anke Ehlers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ulrich Schnyder

  2. Dissemination & Training Division, National Center for PTSD, San Franciso, California, USA

    Marylène Cloitre

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Ehlers, A., Wild, J. (2015). Cognitive Therapy for PTSD: Updating Memories and Meanings of Trauma. In: Schnyder, U., Cloitre, M. (eds) Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07109-1

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