Cognitive Processing Therapy - Cognitive Therapy Only for the Treatment of complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Background: Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often found after repeated experiences of violence in childhood and adolescence, and it includes, additional to PTSD core symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, instable relationships, and a high rate of comorbidity. Many therapists have concerns about the use of exposure-based treatments in this patient group. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT; [Resick et al., 2007]) in its cognitive-only version (CPT-C) represents an effective alternative method, which does not need formal exposure. Besides presenting this method, the authors give an overview of evaluative studies and describe the application of this technique by a case example. Case Report: The patient sought out treatment after childhood sexual abuse. Besides PTSD, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The authors describe the use of CPT-C interventions, the course of treatment, treatment results, and demonstrate special features in the treatment of complex PTSD. Conclusions: The cognitive version of CPT, the CPTC, allows quitting formal exposure and is as effective as exposure-based methods. Therefore, CPT-C should be broader implemented in PTSD treatment, especially in the treatment of complex PTSD.