Contractor, AA; Messman, BA; Dicker-Oren, SD; Compton, SE; Slavish, DC; Sznitman, SR; Greene, T; (2025) Therapeutic impacts of recalling and processing positive autobiographical memories on posttrauma health: An open-label study. Journal of Traumatic Stress 10.1002/jts.23129. (In press).

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Abstract

The processing of positive memories technique (PPMT) entails detailed narration and processing of specific positive autobiographical memories (AM) and has shown promise in improving posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. We examined whether participants receiving PPMT reported decreases in PTSD and depressive symptom severity, negative affect levels/reactivity, posttrauma cognitions, and positive emotion dysregulation, as well as increases in positive affect levels/reactivity and the number of retrieved positive AMs across four PPMT sessions. Individuals (N = 70) recruited from the community completed surveys at baseline (pre-PPMT), each PPMT session, and after completing all four PPMT sessions. Multilevel linear growth models indicated session-to-session decreases in PTSD severity, β = −.17, p <.001; depressive symptom severity, β = −.13, p <.001; negative affect levels, β = −.13, p <.001; positive affect reactivity, β = −.14, p =.014; and posttrauma cognitions, β = −.12, p <.001; and session-to-session increases in negative affect reactivity, β =.18, p =.001. Paired-samples t tests indicated decreases in retrieved positive AMs, d = 0.40, p =.001, including specific positive AMs, and negative AMs, d = 0.23, p =.022, and increases in retrieved overgeneral positive AMs, d = −0.38, p =.002, from baseline to postintervention. Thus, PPMT may help decrease PTSD and depression severity, negative affect, posttrauma cognitions, and negative AM recall tendencies. Clinicians may need to incorporate additional skills into the PPMT framework to improve positive affect processes that can be sustained over time.

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