Is Intensive Daily PTSD Therapy As Effective As Weekly Sessions For Military Personnel?

What you need to know

• Intensive daily PTSD therapy (delivered over 2 weeks) works just as well as weekly therapy (over 10 weeks) for military personnel and veterans
• Both treatment approaches led to lasting improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and anger that were maintained 12 months later
• The intensive daily format may be more convenient for some patients while achieving similar results

Understanding the Treatment Approaches

This study compared two ways of delivering prolonged exposure therapy, which is one of the most effective treatments for PTSD. Prolonged exposure helps people process traumatic memories by gradually facing trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and situations in a safe environment.

The traditional approach involves weekly 90-minute sessions over 10 weeks (standard prolonged exposure). The intensive approach delivers the same total amount of therapy but compresses it into daily sessions over 2 weeks (massed prolonged exposure).

Key Findings on PTSD Symptoms

The researchers found that both treatment approaches led to significant improvements in PTSD symptoms that lasted for at least 12 months after treatment began. About 53-54% of participants in both groups no longer met criteria for PTSD diagnosis at the 12-month follow-up.

This is important because there were concerns that the intensive daily format might not allow enough time between sessions for people to process their trauma and maintain improvements. The results show these concerns were unfounded - the intensive approach worked just as well as weekly sessions.

Benefits Beyond PTSD

The study also looked at other mental health challenges that often occur alongside PTSD. Both treatment approaches led to improvements in:

• Depression symptoms
• Anxiety symptoms
• Anger management
• Overall quality of life

These improvements were also maintained 12 months later, suggesting both treatment formats help with the broader range of difficulties that trauma survivors often face.

Practical Implications

One major advantage of the intensive daily format is that it may be more convenient for some patients, particularly those who:

• Live far from treatment facilities
• Have work or family commitments that make weekly appointments difficult
• Want to complete treatment more quickly
• Prefer to maintain momentum by working on their trauma daily rather than weekly

The study suggests that patients and their healthcare providers can choose between weekly or daily formats based on individual preferences and circumstances, confident that both approaches can lead to lasting improvements.

Conclusions

• Intensive daily PTSD therapy works just as well as weekly therapy for maintaining improvements up to 12 months later
• Both treatment formats help reduce depression, anxiety, anger and improve quality of life
• Healthcare providers can offer either format based on patient preferences and practical considerations
• Having flexible treatment options may help more trauma survivors access effective care

This research represents an important advance in trauma treatment by showing that intensive daily therapy is a valid alternative to traditional weekly sessions. This may help overcome some common barriers to accessing PTSD treatment and allow more trauma survivors to receive the help they need.