PTSD therapy walks patients through past trauma
Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that 3MDR, a therapy involving treadmill walking while processing traumatic memories, is highly effective for treating PTSD. The study suggests that physical motion aids in the cognitive processing of distressing memories.
Why it matters
This innovative therapy offers a potentially faster and more effective treatment path for individuals suffering from severe trauma, improving mental health outcomes.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Credit: Geoff McMaster/University of Alberta As anyone who has gone for a walk to ease a troubled mind knows, there's something about motion that helps process distressing memories. Now, University of Alberta researchers have solid evidence that an innovative psychotherapy is an effective treatment for PTSD. Confronting images of troubling memories while walking on a treadmill shows remarkable promise for recovery, the researchers say.
Known as Multi-modal Motion-assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation—or 3MDR —the therapy involves patients walking on a treadmill while being briefly exposed to self-selected images and music reminding them of past trauma. 3MDR has shown enormous promise since it was first developed in the Netherlands about 15 years ago.
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