The Research and Recognition (R&R) Project brings together international academics, researchers, and therapists to examine the current evidence of the clinical efficacy of the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories Protocol™ and assess how effective it can be in facilitating change, enrichment, and symptom relief. The creator of the RTM Protocol™, Dr. Frank Bourke, and his colleagues provide a critical appraisal of evidence-based research to illustrate the benefits of the protocol and identify the need for an increase in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Gray, R. M.; Davison, A., and Bourke, F. (2021, August 25). Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories, The RTM Protocol™: Albuquerque trainee results. PsyArxiv. DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/PFQG4. Retrieved from osf.io/pfqg4. Between 2018 and 2020, 18 licensed mental health professionals were certified in the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories™ Protocol. Participants collected and reported back anonymized data on clients they treated using the RTM Protocol™, including pre-/post-PSSI-5 (n =74) or PCL-5 (n =11) statistics for each client. Of 90 RTM Protocol™-eligible clients, 85 completed treatment. Pre-/post-PSS-I-5 or PCL-5 results found that 80 (95%) scored below minimal diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Gray, R. M., Budden-Potts, D., Schwall, R. J., & Bourke, F. F. (2020, November 19). An Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial of the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories Protocol (RTM™) in Military Women. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000986. There was 96% PTSD remission of 30 women veterans on the PCL-M and PSS-I at two weeks and all subsequent measures to one-year follow-ups. A 96% PTS remission rate was obtained for the 30 women veterans on the PCL-M and PSS-I at two weeks and all subsequent measures to one-year, follow-ups.
Tylee, D. S., Gray, R., Glatt, S. J., & Bourke, F. (2017). Evaluation of the reconsolidation of traumatic memories protocol™ for the treatment of PTSD: a randomized, wait-list controlled trial. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health,3(1), 21-33. doi: 10.3138/jmvfh.4120. This waitlist-designed, randomized control trial (RCT) study measured 90% of the 30 male veterans, PTSD diagnosis-free, at their two-week, six-week, and twelve-month follow-ups. Given the 90% PTSD remission rate and the high suicide rate among the veteran population, the Wait List Design was ethically necessitated because our participants were at high suicide risk, and often homeless. Double-blind studies were not attempted due to the vulnerability of this client group. The research team psychometricians were blinded to control and experimental groups providing more than reasonable confidence for additional studies.
Gray, R., Budden-Potts, D., & Bourke, F. (2017). Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories™ for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial of 74 male veterans. Psychotherapy Research. DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2017.1408973. Over 90% of the male veterans completing treatment scored below the diagnostic threshold on the PCL-M and PSS-I. About half of those treated were followed for twelve months and retained freedom from PTSD intrusive symptoms and diagnosis.
Gray, R., & Bourke, F. (2015). Remediation of intrusive symptoms of PTSD in fewer than five sessions: A 30-person pre-pilot study of the RTM Protocol™. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 1(2), 85-92.doi:10.3138/jmvfh.3119. This pilot study treated 30 veterans suffering from severe PTSD and measured their PTSD remission rate post-treatment at 96% (25 of 26), along with alleviating their PTSD intrusive symptoms in under five sessions. It provided validation for funding additional, more sophisticated research.
Gray, R., Budden-Potts, D., & Bourke, F. (2017). The Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM™) Protocol for PTSD: A Case Study. Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy, vol. 20(4): 47-61. This case study describes Carl, a Vietnam veteran, diagnosed with PTSD who volunteered for treatment in a 30-person waitlist-designed randomized control trial (RCT) of the RTM Protocol™. Carl completed three 120-minute sessions of RTM Protocol™. Post-treatment measures found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms that were maintained at 2, 6, 26, and 52 weeks post-treatment. Carl was chosen as a representative of Vietnam Era participants for whom RTM Protocol™ has been effective in the larger study. Carl has experienced the intrusive symptoms of PTSD for more than 40 years. He is now symptom-free.
Gray, R., & Teall, B. (2016). Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM™) for PTSD: A case 2 Richard M. Gray, Ph.D. series. Journal of Experiential Psychology, 19(4):59-69. The current case series describes four individuals previously diagnosed with PTSD who volunteered for treatment in a waitlist-designed randomized control trial of the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories Protocol™. These individuals completed five 90-minute sessions of treatment. In the larger study, 96% (25/26) of treated clients no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the end of treatment, with these gains maintained at six and 26 weeks post-treatment. Implications for the delivery of RTM Protocol™ and its further investigation are discussed.
Astill Wright, L., Horstmann, L., Holmes, E. A., & Bisson, J. I. (2021). Consolidation/reconsolidation therapies for the prevention and treatment of PTSD and re- experiencing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 453. doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01570-w. This Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of so-called memory consolidation/reconsolidation therapies in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for prevention and treatment. Twenty-five RCTs met the inclusion criteria (16 prevention and nine treatment trials). Only three protocols were superior to control: (1) hydrocortisone for PTSD prevention; (2) Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories Protocol™ for treatment of PTSD symptoms; and (3) cognitive task memory interference procedure with memory reactivation (MR) for intrusive memories. (A discussion of the RTM Protocol™ is provided on page 10.)
Kitchiner, N.J., Lewis, C., Roberts, N. P., & Bisson, J. I. (2019). Active duty and ex-serving military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder treated with psychological therapies: systematic review and meta-analysis, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10:1, 1684226, DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1684226. Their scientifically formatted, meta-analysis found the RTM Protocol™ to be one of only two of the treatments examined to meet their efficacy criterion for consideration as effective for treating military PTSD.
Steenkamp, M. M., Litz, B. T., Hoge, C. W., & Marmar, C. R. (2015). Psychotherapy for Military-Related PTSD: A Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Jama, 314(5), 489-500. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.8370. This review of military and veteran populations, using randomized control trials (RCTs) of the first-line trauma-focused interventions, stated the need for improvement in existing PTSD treatments and for the development and testing of novel evidence-based treatments. It pointedly admonished the broad range of researchers using statistics that are still widely employed, labeling PTSD treatments as “successful,” where only 35%-45% of the clients treated no longer tested with PTSD.