A research team led by the University of Cambridge has recently published one of the most compelling trials to date examining whether a simple, targeted cognitive task can reduce traumatic flashbacks. The findings, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, are part of a longer research programme led by Professor Emily Holmes and colleagues exploring how intrusive memories form — and how they might be disrupted. The headline has travelled widely: Playing Tetris reduces PTSD symptoms

Empathy has long been regarded as central to therapeutic effectiveness. Carl Rogers described “accurate empathic understanding” as one of the core conditions for change. Contemporary outcome research supports that claim. Large meta-analyses consistently show that therapist empathy is a significant predictor of treatment outcome across modalities and client groups (Elliott et al., 2011; 2018). Importantly, it is the client’s experience of being understood — not the therapist’s

When we think of trauma, images of lifelong suffering, PTSD, and permanent disruption often come to mind. But George Bonanno, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, challenges that assumption. His decades of research on trauma and resilience have fundamentally changed how we understand the human response to adversity. Resilience Is More Common Than You Think Contrary to popular belief, Bonanno’s research shows that most people exposed to po

You may not realize it, but each time you recall a memory -- like your first time riding a bike or walking into your high school prom --...

The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now, in work led by researchers at McGill University, there is evidence that a...

A team of researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that people tend to give more praise to someone for their good...

Legend has it that Marie Antoinette's hair turned gray overnight just before her beheading in 1791. Though the legend is inaccurate --...

What information is retained in a memory over time, and which parts get lost? These questions have led to many scientific theories over...

A new technological solution has emerged for the treatment of traumatic nightmares and has just been cleared as a treatment by the FDA in...

Sleep is crucial for consolidating our memories, and sleep deprivation has long been known to interfere with learning and memory. Now a...

The endogenous regulation of a specific gene is associated with a reduced risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder following a...

The human brain operates on many levels. When we consider things which are distant in time, space or intimacy the rational brain tends...

It's been estimated that up to 88% of survivors of sexual assault suffer from persistent nightmares that can occur multiple times per...

I was recently looking for some research on a separate project and came across this early pioneering study in language and emotional...

Most people who experience severe trauma recover their health. But 23 percent develop PTSD, a difficult-to-treat illness that combines...

Studies over the past 20 years have found a correlation between the number of adverse childhood events (such as death or divorce) and...

Across the substance misuse and housing fields there has been increasing interest in Trauma Informed approaches. I recently came across...

Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Yale University School of Medicine, the VA San Diego Healthcare System, and the...

Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, also can lead to changes in a child's brain...

In recent posts I shared research on how trauma ages children prematurely at a cellular level. This, combined with recent conversations...