Trauma-focused therapies

What are trauma-focused therapies?

Trauma-focused therapies involve identifying and processing traumatic memories, changing unhelpful beliefs about these memories, and developing new ways of responding to associated triggers. Exposure to traumatic or adverse experiences represents a risk factor in the development of schizophrenia. Given the potential overlap between trauma and psychotic symptoms, trauma-focused therapies may be effective adjunctive treatments for people with schizophrenia.

What is the evidence for trauma-focused therapies?

Moderate to low quality evidence suggests trauma-focused therapies may improve positive symptoms immediately post-treatment, and may have longer-term effects on delusions and trauma symptoms. Exposure-based therapies (prolonged exposure, written exposure, elements of imaginal exposure, and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) may be more effective than non-exposure based therapies (cognitive restructuring interventions).

September 2020

Last updated at: 4:38 am, 14th September 2020
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