Science Friday Is This PTSD Treatment Too Good To Be True?
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Jul 17, 2025 
Yasmin Tayag, a staff writer at The Atlantic, dives into the groundbreaking but contentious approach to PTSD called Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories. She discusses the painful challenges veterans face with traditional therapies and shares a compelling story of a veteran's dramatic transformation through this innovative technique. Tayag also explores the scientific basis and skepticism surrounding the treatment while emphasizing the urgent need for effective solutions in the mental health arena.
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Veteran Jeff Turner's RTM Success
- Jeff Turner, an Iraq war veteran, experienced trauma from an explosion near a mess hall.
- After trying many treatments, he found the RTM therapy made his flashbacks disappear after four sessions.
RTM Differs From Traditional Exposure
- RTM therapy targets traumatic memories without forcing patients to relive them repeatedly.
- It uses visualization techniques to gently reduce emotional reactions to trauma.
RTM Treatment Process Steps
- In RTM, patients imagine their trauma as a movie and gradually make it less distressing.
- They eventually rewrite the trauma's ending to help reshape their emotional response.