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Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders pp 255–276Cite as

Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD

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Abstract

Brief eclectic psychotherapy for PTSD (BEPP), developed during the 1980s and 1990s of the last century, has proven to be as effective as other trauma-focused treatments (Gersons et al. 2000; Lindauer et al. 2005; Bradley et al. 2005; NICE 2005; Bisson et al. 2013; Schnyder et al. 2011). What makes BEPP special is that it is a comprehensive treatment especially developed for PTSD in which effective elements from different psychotherapy schools have been integrated into a logical sequence. In contrast to other trauma-focused treatments, BEPP focuses on the expression of strong emotions like sorrow and anger which stem from the traumatic event and on learning from the way the event has changed someone’s life. Some trauma-focused treatments disregard that the losses of trauma bring forth a lasting change and therefore seem to give the message that the patient will be the same as before the trauma, whereas the message in BEPP is that one becomes “sadder and wiser” and finds a new equilibrium with the surrounding world. BEPP is structured and delivered in 16 sessions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The BEPP protocol can be requested from the authors and through the BEPP website www.traumatreatment.eu. The protocol is available in Dutch, English, German, Lithuanian, and Georgian and will be also translated in Rumanian, Italian, and Polish.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Berthold P. R. Gersons

  2. Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group, Nienoord 5, Diemen, 1112 XE, The Netherlands

    Berthold P. R. Gersons

  3. Center for Personality Disorders and Psychological Trauma, GGZ Noord-Holland Noord (institute for mental health), Bevelandseweg 3, Heerhugowaard, 1703 AZ, The Netherlands

    Marie-Louise Meewisse

  4. Center for Psychological Trauma, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands

    Mirjam J. Nijdam

Authors
  1. Berthold P. R. Gersons
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  2. Marie-Louise Meewisse
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  3. Mirjam J. Nijdam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Berthold P. R. Gersons .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ulrich Schnyder

  2. Dissemination & Training Division, National Center for PTSD, San Franciso, California, USA

    Marylène Cloitre

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Gersons, B.P.R., Meewisse, ML., Nijdam, M.J. (2015). Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD. In: Schnyder, U., Cloitre, M. (eds) Evidence Based Treatments for Trauma-Related Psychological Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07109-1_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07108-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07109-1

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