Intrusive memories represent a debilitating core feature of PTSD, one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders following trauma. Exposure therapy is amongst the most successful treatments of PTSD that is recommended by most of the current national and international guidelines. However, not all patients benefit equally and only about 50% show sustained response. There is thus room for improvement in terms of (i) better understanding who benefits from this type of therapy and (ii) possible ways of augmenting existing trauma-focused therapies. The current study aims to contribute to these endevours. Specifically, the study aims to test whether sleep as adjunct to written exposure sessions, a type of exposure- based treatment for PTSD, may boost the effectiveness of the therapy.
Intrusive memories represent a debilitating core feature of PTSD, one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders following trauma. Exposure therapy is amongst the most successful treatments of PTSD that is recommended by most of the current national and international guidelines. The current study aims to test whether sleep as adjunct to written exposure sessions, a type of exposure- based treatment for PTSD, may boost the effectiveness of the therapy.