Week-Long PTSD therapy showdown: can Fast-Track talk beat relaxation?
NCT ID NCT05265039
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares a one-week virtual talk therapy (Cognitive Processing Therapy) to a five-day relaxation training for reducing PTSD symptoms. About 140 adults with PTSD will participate to see which approach works better and how. The goal is to find faster, more effective ways to ease PTSD.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 140 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Are fluent in English * Have experienced a Criterion A traumatic event during their lifetime * Have a PTSD diagnosis verified via the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM * Are interested in receiving evidence-based treatment (CPT) for PTSD and able to attend either 10 therapy sessions over the course of one week (5 days) or are interested and able to complete 5 relaxation training sessions over the course of one week (5 days) * Are willing and able to complete self-report measures and clinician-rated assessments at multiple time points over the course of the study * Reside in the state of Illinois during the course of treatment Exclusion Criteria: 1. The traumatic event occurred in the past month 2. They are currently suicidal or homicidal (i.e., plan and intent) 3. They have unmanaged psychosis or mania 4. They have not been on a stable dose of psychotropic medication for at least one month by the time of the baseline assessment 5. They have completed an evidence-based cognitive behavioral PTSD treatment (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure) in the past 3 months or are currently receiving an evidence-based PTSD treatment 6. They have an intellectual disability or significant cognitive impairment that would prevent them from engaging in CPT 7. They have a serious or unstable medical illness or instability for which hospitalization may be likely within the next year 8. They have an active substance use disorder (within the past 3 months) that would require immediate medical observation if substance use was discontinued (i.e., potential lethality) 9. They are involved with current legal actions related to the traumatic event that is anticipated to be targeted during treatment 10. They have a visual or auditory impairment that would prevent them from fully participating in study activities 11. Subjects who, at the time of consent, appear to have extenuating life circumstances (e.g., unstable housing, no internet access, etc.) which, in the judgement of the Principal Investigator, could affect the ability to deliver the intervention with fidelity
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Rush University Medical Denter
Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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