Rewiring the mind after trauma: a new therapy aims to change how we process painful events
NCT ID NCT06093906
First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new behavioral therapy called PATH, designed to help people who have experienced a deeply stressful event—like a major loss or threat—and now struggle with symptoms of PTSD or depression. The therapy focuses on changing unhelpful thinking patterns, reducing avoidance, and improving the ability to feel reward. Researchers will compare PATH to a standard relaxation technique (PMR) in 135 adults, measuring changes in symptoms and underlying mental processes over several months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Positive Processes and Transition to Health (PATH), a behavioral therapy, compared to Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
- What this could lead to
- If PATH works, it could offer a new, non-drug treatment for people struggling with PTSD and depression after a major loss or threat.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a modest number of participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy may not outperform relaxation training, and benefits might not last beyond the follow-up period.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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 135 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
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 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: * Destabilizing life event involving profound loss or threat, with a minimum duration of 12 weeks since the event, but occurred within the last 5 years. * Between the ages of 18 and 65. * Elevated target: Scores of at least moderate (1 or higher) on at least 2 of the 3 target mechanisms: re- experiencing or ruminative processing of the destabilizing event (PSS-I items: 1, 2, 3, 4 or QIDS-C item 11), avoidance (PSS-I items 6, 7, 8), or reward deficits (PSS-I items 12, 13, or QIDS-C item 13). Exclusion Criteria: * Current diagnosis of schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or organic mental disorder as defined by DSM-5. * Current diagnosis of bipolar disorder, depression with psychotic features, or depression severe enough to require immediate psychiatric treatment (i.e., serious suicide risk with intent and plan). * Severe self-injurious behavior or suicide attempt within the previous three months. * Unwilling or unable to discontinue current cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. * No clear memory of the destabilizing event or event occurred before age 3. * Unstable dose of psychotropic medications in prior 3 months. * Ongoing intimate relationship with the perpetrator (in assault related event). * Current diagnosis of a substance use disorder (DSM-5).
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Case Western Reserve University
RECRUITINGCleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States
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University of Delaware
RECRUITINGNewark, Delaware, 19716, United States
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University of Washington
RECRUITINGSeattle, Washington, 98195, United States
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