Comparison of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Between Veterans With and Without Prior PTSD Treatment

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder commonly caused by a traumatic event(s) and prevalent among service members and veterans. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an emerging “mind-body” psychotherapy for PTSD that is generally briefer and less expensive than current first-line treatments, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Objective This study aimed to examine the results of ART for treatment of military-related PTSD, with stratification by prior history of PTSD treatment, including refractory PTSD following receipt of guideline-driven first-line psychotherapy. Methods The study compares the PTSD treatment results of ART between (military service members and/or) veterans with a prior history of PTSD treatment (medication only, n=40; first-line psychotherapy, n=33; other psychotherapy, n=42) and a treatment-naïve group (n=33). Participants were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3- or 6-month follow-up using PCL-M scores (PTSD checklist). Results Mean age was 43.8 years, 95% male, 84% white race. The treatment completion rate was 72% with a mean of 3.5 treatment sessions. Within-group standardized effect sizes for pre-to-post changes in PTSD scores (PCL-M) were large at 1.11, 1.88, 1.03, and 1.48 for the medication only, first-line psychotherapy, other psychotherapy, and treatment-naïve groups, respectively (p=0.02 for between-group comparison). Similar results were observed for measures of depression and anxiety, and baseline to follow-up results was generally similar. Conclusions In a brief treatment period, ART appears to result in substantial reductions in symptoms of PTSD among veterans, including those previously treated (unsuccessfully) with first-line psychotherapies endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA). These results suggest that ART be considered as a treatment modality for veterans with refractory PTSD. Highlights Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a potentially acceptable psychological intervention for treatment-refractory PTSD.