Prolonged Exposure, Mindfulness, and Emotion Regulation for the Treatment of PTSD

Although several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of prolonged exposure (PE) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are concerns regarding its clinical applications. The exacerbation of symptoms during exposure, poor adherence to treatment, and early treatment dropout are suggested to occur because of an unwillingness for some PTSD clients to confront feared trauma-relevant stimuli and experience anxious arousal during exposure. The application of mindfulness and emotion regulation skills during PE may be a useful substitute for clients’ attempts to escape, avoid, or control anxious arousal during treatment. Presented is the clinical case of a 19-year-old college student with severe PTSD resulting from a childhood sexual assault. The article discusses the client’s success with the mindfulness, emotion regulation, and PE approach, in addition to reductions in anxiety sensitivity over the course of treatment, as well as implications for practice and further research.