Trauma-focused Group Music and Imagery With Traumatized Women

Trauma-focused Group Music and Imagery With Women Suffering From PTSD/Complex PTSD

This study is a mixed methods randomized controlled trial (Wait List Control), that investigates the effects of Group Music and Imagery (GrpMI) therapy in the treatment of women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD.

The aim is to detect if the intervention has an effect on PTSD symptoms, dissociation, quality of life, and the capability of regulating the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

Participants are adult women suffering from PTSD or Complex PTSD (n=56) that are randomized to three months of weekly (12) sessions of trauma modified GrpMI therapy or no treatment for an equal amount of time (wait list control).

Primary outcome is pre, post and 3 months follow-up measures of PTSD checklist 5 (PCL-5).

Secondary outcome is pre, post and 3 months follow-up measures of dissociative experience scale (DES), positive state of mind scale (PSOM-S), Hopkins symptoms checklist (HSCL-25), somatoform dissociation questionnaire (SDQ-5), and reactivity and recovery of different physiological measures related to arousal regulation ability in a script driven imagery setting.

Inclusion Criteria:

• be suffering from PTSD/CPTSD,
• be sufficiently stabilised to tolerate being exposed to trauma treatment and listen to other subjects' stories,
• be able to speak good enough swedish to express themselves without an interpreter,
• have an interest in working with their problems using artistic languages,
• have an ability to work with symbolism and inner images.

Exclusion Criteria:

• difficulties in understanding or making themselves understood in swedish,
• severe personality disorder or neuropsychiatric disorder,
• ongoing alcohol or drug abuse,
• psychotic disorder,
• suicidality,
• serious ongoing medical condition,
• serious psychosocial problems.