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Can a simple writing therapy help veterans battle both PTSD and addiction?

NCT ID NCT05536908

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

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looked at whether adding a brief writing therapy called Written Exposure Therapy (WET) to a standard 28-day residential addiction program helps veterans with both PTSD and substance use disorders. Fifty-six veterans were randomly assigned to either standard care alone or standard care plus five individual WET sessions. Researchers measured satisfaction, PTSD symptoms, substance use, and quality of life up to three months after treatment to see if the added therapy was feasible and helpful.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Written Exposure Therapy (a brief, structured writing therapy for PTSD)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a short, practical way to treat PTSD alongside addiction treatment, improving symptoms and quality of life for veterans.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early feasibility study with only 56 participants. The results may not apply to all veterans, and the therapy may not reduce substance use or PTSD symptoms more than standard care alone.

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

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

56 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2023

Finished

Jan 2026

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnoses of a substance use disorder (SUD) and PTSD * Enrolled in the residential substance use disorder treatment program (DOM SUD) at the Salem VAMC Exclusion Criteria: * Current Manic Episode * Current Suicidal Intent * Previous Written Exposure treatment * Unable to write

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder substance-related disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

PTSD Substance use disorders

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VA

    Salem, Virginia, 24153-6404, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.