Citation

David WS, Simpson TL, Cotton AJ. J. Interpers. Violence 2006; 21(4): 555-565.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Behavorial Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle and Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, USA. wendy.david@med.va.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260505285723

PMID

16501219

Abstract

The authors describe an overview of the pilot project Taking Charge, a 36-hour comprehensive behavioral intervention involving psychoeducation, personal safety, and self-defense training for 12 female veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from military sexual trauma. Self-defense training can incorporate the benefits of repeated exposure while teaching proactive cognitive and behavioral responses to the feared stimuli, and thus facilitate emotional and physical rescripting of and mastery over the trauma. Results up to 6 months follow-up indicate significant reductions in behavioral avoidance, PTSD hyperarousal, and depression, with significant increases in interpersonal, activity, and self-defense self-efficacy. The authors propose that this therapeutic self-defense curriculum provides an enhanced exposure therapy paradigm that may be a potent therapeutic tool in the treatment of PTSD.

Language: en