Integration of limbic self-neuromodulation with psychotherapy for complex post-traumatic stress disorder: treatment rationale and case study.

Treatment Rationale: Exposure to repeated sexual trauma, particularly during childhood, often leads to protracted mental health problems. Childhood adversity is specifically associated with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presentation, which is particularly tenacious and treatment refractory, and features severe emotion dysregulation. Augmentation approaches have been suggested to enhance treatment efficacy in PTSD thus integrating first-line psychotherapy with mechanistically informed self-neuromodulation procedures (i.e. neurofeedback) may pave the way to enhanced clinical outcomes. A central neural mechanism of PTSD and emotion dysregulation involves amygdala hyperactivity that can be volitionally regulated by neurofeedback. We outline a treatment rationale that includes a detailed justification for the potential of combining psychotherapy and NF and delineate mechanisms of change. We illustrate key processes of reciprocal interactions between neurofeedback engagement and therapeutic goals.Case Study: We describe a clinical case of a woman with complex PTSD due to early and repetitive childhood sexual abuse using adjunctive neurofeedback as an augmentation to an ongoing, stable, traditional treatment plan. The woman participated in (a) ten sessions of neurofeedback by the use of an fMRI-inspired EEG model of limbic related activity (Amygdala Electrical-Finger-Print; AmygEFP-NF), (b) traditional weekly individual psychotherapy, (c) skills group. Before and after NF training period patient was blindly assessed for PTSD symptoms, followed by a 1, 3- and 6-months self-report follow-up. We demonstrate mechanisms of change as well as the clinical effectiveness of adjunctive treatment as indicated by reduced PTSD symptoms and improved daily functioning within this single case.Conclusions: We outline an integrative neuropsychological framework for understanding the unique mechanisms of change conferring value to conjoining NF applications with trauma-focused psychotherapy in complex PTSD.

Self-neuromodulation procedures that regulates limbic-related activity in adjunction to therapy show clinical effectivity in complex PTSD.We present an integrative perspective of neurofeedback embedded in psychotherapy, illustrated by a single case report.A single case provides an illustration of the potential utility of multifaced treatment including psychotherapy with adjunctive neurofeedback.

Expert international trauma clinicians' views on the definition, composition and delivery of reintegration interventions for complex PTSD.

Background: Research has previously distinguished between complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and PTSD, with the former including a range of disturbances in self-regulatory capacities in addition to difficulties associated with PTSD. Clinical guidelines have previously recommended a phase-based approach for the treatment of CPTSD, yet the final 'reintegration' phase of treatment has been overlooked in research, with limited evidence into its value and effectiveness, and inconsistencies in its definitions and understanding.Objective: We set out to define and determine the key principles of 'reintegration' and to specify the components and method of delivery of treatment.Method: Leading national and international clinical and academic experts in CPTSD were interviewed and asked about their views of how 'reintegration' should be defined, its role in the treatment of CPTSD, what it should be composed of, the key principles of its delivery, and how it should be evaluated. We analysed transcripts of the interviews following the principles of Codebook Thematic Analysis.Results: We conducted 16 interviews with leading national and international experts with at least 10 years' experience of treating people with CPTSD. Themes derived from our analysis demonstrated that while the definition and composition of reintegration varied greatly between experts, the key principles in its delivery were consistent across all experts.Conclusions: The results of this study lay the foundation for a framework of what reintegration is and how it can be used in, but also highlight the need for more research to be conducted on the role of reintegration in the treatment of CPTSD. Consensus for the definition and composition of reintegration is still yet to be reached. Possible measures for evaluating reintegration should also be explored in the future.

Reintegration is one of the recommended phases of treatment for CPTSD, however recent research has found that there are inconsistencies in its definition, role and value.The current study shows the opinions of experts, highlighting areas of consensus as well as differences in views with regards to the definition, composition and key principles in the delivery of reintegration.

Cross-cultural validity and psychometric properties of the International Trauma Questionnaire in a clinical refugee sample.

Background: The ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD diagnoses have been examined in several studies using the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). The cross-cultural validity of the ITQ has not previously been studied using item responses theory methods focused on the issue of equal item functioning and thus comparability of scores across language groups.Objective: To investigate the cross-cultural validity of the ITQ scales considering specifically local independence of items and differential item functioning (DIF) in a cross-cultural sample of refugees.Method: Data from 490 treatment-seeking refugees were included, covering Danish, Arabic, and Bosnian languages and different levels of interpreter-assisted administration. Rasch and graphical log-linear Rasch models were used.Results: There was strong local dependence among items from the same symptom clusters in the PTSD and disorders in self-organization (DSO) scales, except between affective dysregulation items. Weak local dependence was discovered between an item from the affective dysregulation cluster and an item from the disturbed relationship cluster. There was no evidence of DIF related to language or interpreter assistance. There was evidence of DIF for two PTSD items relative to gender and time since the traumatic event. The targeting of the scales to the study population was not optimal. Reliability varied from 0.55 to 0.78 for subgroups.Conclusions: The PTSD and the DSO scales have stable psychometric properties across the Danish, Arabic, and Bosnian language versions and different levels of assisted administration. Scores are comparable across these groups. However, DIF relative to gender and time since trauma introduces considerable measurement bias. DIF-adjusted summed scale scores or estimated person parameters should be used to avoid measurement bias. Future research should investigate whether scales including more and/or alternative items that require higher levels of PTSD and DSO to be endorsed will improve targeting and measurement precision for refugee populations.

A first cross-cultural validity study of the ITQ using IRT.PTSD and DSO subscales functioned invariantly across Danish, Arabic, and Bosnian, and also across degrees of interpreter assistance. Two PTSD items did not function invariantly across gender and time since trauma.The Danish, Arabic, and Bosnian ITQ can be used for screening treatment-seeking refugees, taking into account the item bias in the PTSD subscale, and suboptimal targeting and reliability, which require extensions or modification of items.

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), executive function and attachment / Transtorno de estresse pós-traumático complexo (TEPT_C), função executiva e apego / Le trouble de stress post-traumatique complexe (SCPD), la fonction exécutive et l'attachement / El trastorno de estrés postraumático complejo (TEPT_C), la función ejecutiva y el apego

Studies conducted with children and adolescents suggest that long-term exposure to adverse events and the lack of emotional and psychosocial support can lead to complex traumatizing conditions (C_PSPT), providing difficulties that affect emotional regulation, cognition, interpersonal relationships and the constitution of identity. The aim of this essay is to reflect on about the cognitive, more specifically executive function abilities, emotional, and attachment dimensions in children, who have been exposed to the experience of violence.

Estudos realizados com crianças e adolescentes sugerem que a exposição prolongada a eventos adversos e à falta de apoio emocional e psicossocial podem levar a quadros traumatizantes complexos (TEPT_C), proporcionando dificuldades que afetam a regulação emocional, a cognição, as relações interpessoais e a constituição da identidade. O objetivo deste ensaio é refletir sobre as dimensões cognitivas, mais especificamente das funções executivas, os aspectos emocionais e de apego em crianças, que foram expostos à cenários e experiências de violência.

Des études menées auprès d'enfants et d'adolescents révèlent que l'exposition à long terme à des événements indésirables et le manque de soutien émotionnel et psychosocial peuvent conduire à des conditions de traumatisme complexe (TSPT_C) fournissant des difficultés qui affectent la régulation émotionnelle, la cognition, plus spécifiquement la fonction exécutive, les relations interpersonnelles, les relations et la constitution de l'identité. Ainsi, le but de cet essai est de réfléchir sur les aspects du développement cognitif, émotionnel, et de l'attachement chez les enfants qui sont exposés à l'expérience de la violence.

Los estudios realizados con niños y adolescentes revelan que la exposición prolongada a eventos adversos y la falta de apoyo emocional y psicosocial puede conducir a condiciones de traumatización compleja (TEPT_C) proporcionando dificultades que afectan la regulación emocional, cognitiva, relaciones interpersonales y constitución de la identidad. El objetivo de este ensayo es reflexionar sobre aspectos del desarrollo cognitivo, más específicamente la función ejecutiva, emocional, y del apego en niños que están expuestos a la experiencia de violencia.