Feasibility and outcome of dialogical exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study with 25 outpatients

Objective: The research on psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stems predominantly from a cognitive-behavioral orientation while other approaches are underrepresented. We evaluated dialogical exposure in trauma therapy (DET), a treatment for PTSD combining cognitive-behavioral elements with an interpersonal, gestalt-based framework. Methods: In this uncontrolled pilot trial, 25 PTSD patients were treated with DET in an outpatient setting and 21 completed therapy. Results: There was a significant reduction in self-rated PTSD symptoms from pre- to posttreatment. Effect sizes were large in the completer sample and moderate to large in the intent-to-treat sample. General psychopathology also decreased significantly. The dropout rate was rather low at 16%. Conclusion: These results show that further research on DET as a treatment for PTSD is warranted.