New therapy aims to heal Veterans' moral wounds from war

NCT ID NCT03764033

Completed Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested a therapy called Impact of Killing (IOK) for veterans with PTSD caused by moral injury—distress from killing or being responsible for a death in war. One hundred veterans received either IOK or a standard PTSD therapy over 10 sessions. The goal was to see if IOK improves quality of life and reduces PTSD symptoms, with a six-month follow-up to check if benefits last.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Impact of Killing (IOK) therapy
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a new therapy option for veterans with PTSD from moral injury, improving their quality of life and reducing symptoms.
What could go wrong: This is a completed trial with 100 participants, so results are available but may not apply to all veterans. The therapy is behavioral and may not work for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

MORAL INJURY

Contacts and locations

Locations

Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC

Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States
James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY

The Bronx, New York, 10468, United States
San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, California, 94121-1563, United States

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