Effectiveness of a Brief Psychological Intervention (P-CRP) for Complex Trauma and Loss

NCT07360990 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: E-53938333-050-50007
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 43
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new psychotherapy technique called Psychological Cognitive Reprocessing Procedure (P-CRP) in treating trauma symptoms. The P-CRP intervention was developed and manualized by the principal investigator (Z.B.Baydar). Participants were randomly assigned to either the P-CRP intervention group, an active control group, or a waitlist condition. The study aimed to determine if this new method, which focused on episodic buffer processing, significantly reduced trauma-related psychological distress compared to standard approaches. Data collected during the intervention phase were analyzed to assess the efficacy of the P-CRP technique.

Conditions

Trauma and Stress Related Disorders; Grief (Traumatic Grief and Existential Grief); Stress Disorder - Post-traumatic (Acute)

Keywords

Early pilot randomized control trial; Complex loss and trauma; Episodic buffer; P-CRP; Brief intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The Impact of Event Scale -Revised (IES-R)

  The IES-R is a 22-item self-report scale designed to assess the psychological impact of traumatic experiences across three subdimensions: intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 4 = extremely) based on symptom frequency over the past seven days. Total scores range from 0 to 88, where higher scores indicate greater severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. According to the literature, scores of 33 and above suggest a probable PTSD diagnosis. The Turkish adaptation was used, which demonstrated high validity and reliability.

  Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10) .

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

  Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

• The Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ).

  Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

• The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

  Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

Study Arms (3)

Psychological-cognitive reprocessing procedure (P-CRP).

EXPERIMENTAL

The P-CRP was the experimental group receiving four session the intervention. The Psychological-Cognitive Reprocessing Procedure (P-CRP) is a brief and a neuro-psychological intervention based on the episodic buffer model. This process facilitates the separation of cognitions from automatic processing and pulls traumatic fragments into the episodic buffer through simultaneous neuronal firing. This integration helps resolve the semantic fragmentation caused by trauma, allowing for cognitive reintegration and meaning making.

Behavioral: Psychological-cognitive reprocessing procedure (P-CRP).

Expressive Narrative and Symbolic Drawing (ENSD)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Control participants received four session a narrative-based expressive and symbolic drawing protocol. The intervention delivered to the control group can be characterized as an active, experiential, projective, and sensory-supported approach.

Behavioral: Expressive Narrative and Symbolic Drawing (ENSD)

Waitlist Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this group did not receive any active psychological intervention during the study period. They completed the pre-test and follow-up assessments at the same time intervals as the intervention groups. Following the completion of the follow-up phase, participants in the wait-list group were offered a psychological intervention protocol based on the study's findings to ensure ethical treatment standards.

Interventions

Psychological-cognitive reprocessing procedure (P-CRP). BEHAVIORAL

Unlike traditional approaches, the traumatic imagery is not directly targeted in the first session. The intervention begins with the silent repetition of a word or phrase representing the core negative belief associated with the traumatic experience. . During each 1-minute set, bilateral stimulation (synchronized tapping on the shoulders only) is applied, allowing the client to process the traumatic material through spontaneously emerging associations selected by the mind itself. Rather than relying on external direction, the protocol activates internal self-regulation capacities. In this respect, it aims to promote semantic and symbolic reorganization, differing from classical cognitive restructuring or desensitization-based methods. The decision about which aspect of the experience will be processed or desensitized is determined by the client's own mental flow, thereby reinforcing a sense of trust in the mind's capacity despite the traumatic history.

Psychological-cognitive reprocessing procedure (P-CRP).

Expressive Narrative and Symbolic Drawing (ENSD) BEHAVIORAL

Following initial anamnesis and psychoeducation, clients recounted their trauma and drew a self-selected symbol of the event using their non-dominant hand. Each session involved discussing the memory and updating this symbol to facilitate indirect processing through creative expression.

Expressive Narrative and Symbolic Drawing (ENSD)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Individuals were excluded if they had: 1. An Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score greater than 7. 2. A history of psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder. 3. Current suicide risk. 4. Substance use disorder. 5. Prior therapeutic contact with the researcher. 6. A target traumatic event that had occurred more than one year earlier. 7. Not meeting clinical DSM-5 criteria for PTSD during the clinician-administered semi-structured interview, regardless of initial self-report scores. 8. Current participation in any other form of psychotherapy or psychiatric intervention. Individuals were included if they had: 1. Meeting DSM-5 criteria for PTSD symptoms (verified by IES-R scores and clinician-led semi-structured interview). 2. Having experienced a target traumatic event or loss within the past 12 months. 3. Willingness to provide informed consent and participate in all intervention sessions.

Contact the study team to discuss eligibility requirements. They can help determine if this study is right for you.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Zahide Betül Baydar: lead
• Istanbul Rumeli University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Zahide Betül Baydar

Istanbul, Istanbul, 34876, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Prolonged Grief Disorder; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Wounds and Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic

Study Officials

• Zahide B. Baydar, Clinical Psychologist (Msc.)

  Istanbul Rumeli University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Psychologist

Model Details: The study is a three-arm pilot randomized controlled trial consisting of an intervention group, a control group, and a waiting-list group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 1, 2026
• First Posted: January 22, 2026
• Study Start: March 5, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 11, 2025
• Study Completion: July 11, 2025
• Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)