Rewind Trauma Therapy

Rewind trauma therapy for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias

Rewind Trauma Therapy is an internationally recognised treatment that may help if you are suffering with PTSD or a phobia.  It is a rapid treatment that can treat single event traumas and simple phobias in as few as 2 to 3 sessions. Multiple traumas may take more sessions. Research suggests that treatment results are long-lasting.

Closure without disclosure

The Rewind is a gentle approach that doesn’t require you to disclose any details about your trauma or phobia. For this reason, it is known as the ‘closure without disclosure’ therapy. Contrary to previous understanding, researchers  have discovered that talking about trauma doesn’t put it behind you. Talking can help you gain acceptance about the reality of your experience and how the trauma or phobia has affected you but it won’t change the involuntary recall that triggers the traumatic response.  The Rewind works by stopping this involuntary recall. Although it’s not fully understood how it does this, the latest thinking suggests that it restructures the traumatic/phobic memory so that it becomes more stable and can be ‘filed’ away properly.  You will still have access to the memory but it will be under your control.

Benefits of non-disclosure

This approach will be particularly beneficial to anyone who works in roles such as the police, military or medical profession who are worried about disclosing sensitive information. It will also suit anyone who is concerned that talking about their traumatic experience(s) will be too distressing or re-traumatising. Indeed, the way treatment is structured, the risk of re-traumatisation is unlikely.

The evidence base for the Rewind

Following the success of preliminary research into the efficacy of the Rewind, a randomised controlled trial (considered the gold standard in research) is currently underway at Cardiff University. You can read more about the Rewind at the International Association for Rewind Trauma Therapy (IARTT) website.