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Women Who Are Victims of Violence: Treatment of PTSD Through Reactivation of Traumatic Memories Using Propranolol
Sponsor: University Hospital, Toulouse
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after life-threatening events, with domestic violence and sexual assault being major risk factors. An innovative approach using traumatic memory reactivation with propranolol has shown promise in reducing PTSD symptoms. This study aims to compare the efficacy of propranolol with trauma-focused psychotherapy in women suffering from severe PTSD after violence.
Key Details
Gender
FEMALE
Age Range
18 Years - 75 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
70
Start Date
2026-09
Completion Date
2030-03
Last Updated
2026-08-28
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Propranolol
The first treatment session consists of preparing the traumatic script. Ninety minutes after taking propranolol, the preparation of the traumatic scenario will be conducted by a trained psychologist at the center. This standardized procedure (CHU de Toulouse, 2022) involves asking the patient to write a report on the most distressing aspects of the traumatic event, incorporating as many sensory modalities as possible (visual, olfactory, auditory elements, etc.) and episodic details (such as location, time, season, people present, etc.). This first session lasts approximately 30 minutes. The report will then be briefly discussed with the participant to ensure it contains sufficient detail. This "traumatic scenario" will be typed by the psychologist, resulting in a one-page script, which the subject will read during sessions 2 to 6 for memory reactivation. These five subsequent sessions last approximately 10 minutes each.
Psychotherapy
After randomization, participants in the "psychotherapy group" will receive PE. The eight to ten PE sessions follow classical and operant conditioning principles, emphasizing habituation. They use imaginal exposure, applied with progressivity and repetition, ensuring prolonged and complete exposure. Each session lasts 45 minutes.
Locations (2)
Lapeyronie Hospital - Montpellier University Hospital
Montpellier, France
Toulouse University Hospital - Psychiatry Department
Toulouse, France