August 1, 2012 (Tampa, FL) – Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Nursing have shown that brief treatments with Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) substantially reduce symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  including, depression, anxiety, sleep dysfunction and other physical and psychological symptoms. The findings of this first study of ART appear in an on-line article published June 18, 2012 in the journal Behavioral Sciences.

ART is being studied as an alternative to traditional PTSD treatments that use drugs or lengthy therapy sessions. The talk therapy uses back-and-forth eye movements as the patient fluctuates between talking about a traumatic scene, and using the eye movements to help process that information to integrate the memories from traumatic events. The two major components of ART include minimizing or eliminating physiological response associated traumatic memories, and re-envisioning painful or disturbing experiences with a novel technique known as Voluntary Image Replacement.

Diego Hernandez, visiting assistant professor of nursing,demonstrates a technique used in Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

For the initial study, researchers recruited 80 adult veterans and civilians, ages 21 to 60, in the Tampa Bay area. Before receiving ART, patients were tested for symptoms of PTSD and depression, with the vast majority testing positive, 80 percent for PTSD and 90 percent for depression. After treatment using ART, the research team reported a dramatic reversal in symptoms.  In as few as one to four sessions, those showing symptoms had decreased to only 17 percent for PTSD and 28 percent for depression.  Improvements were also seen in trauma-related growth and self-compassion in just one to four treatments.

“From this initial assessment, ART appears to be a brief, safe, and effective treatment for symptoms of PTSD,” the report concludes.“Early results are very promising,” said principal investigator Kevin E. Kip, Ph.D. FAHA, professor and executive director of the USF College of Nursing Research Center. “Most people who came in to be treated had very high scores for PTSD, and after treatment, the majority had very large reductions. The treatment also reduced other symptoms, like depression, as well as improved sleep.”

Lead investigator Kevin Kip, PhD

 According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), PTSD has become an epidemic in the United States. Recent NIH statistics show more than 7.7 million American adults and as many as 31 percent of war veterans suffer from PTSD. They experience mild to extreme symptoms, often with greatly impaired quality of life and physical and psychological functioning. ART is a particularly promising alternative to traditional PTSD treatments, because it uses no drugs, has no serious adverse effects, and can improve symptoms in -few therapy sessions. The compelling results achieved principally with civilians in the first study prompted the USF College of Nursing to seek expansion of a second ongoing ART study, funded by the U.S. Army, to veterans and reservists in Las Vegas.

“As part of RESTORE LIVES at USF, the innovative nursing research being conducted by Dr. Kip and his team demonstrates our commitment to the health and welfare of our nation’s military, veterans and their families,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, senior associate vice president of USF Health, and dean of the College of Nursing.  “The results that the ART studies have shown so far are truly amazing, and offer new hope to those suffering from PTSD.”

Last week, the USF research team traveled to Las Vegas to conduct the first mobile ART study with military reservists.  “We are happy about our collaboration with USF College of Nursing,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Raul Rojas, commanding officer for the Naval Operations Support Center (NOSC). “We’re honored to be the first West Coast study site for the USF College of Nursing’s ART study. We hope our relationship will help get the word out to those who can benefit from the study.”

ART is one of the five sub-studies of the USF College of Nursing’s Research to Rehabilitate/Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families (RESTORE LIVES) grant funded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, MD.

“All the pieces are coming together, with published results on ART effectiveness and our first national study site in Las Vegas. It looks like we are closer to getting a more efficient evidence-based treatment into place that will actually eliminate the traumatic response to memories and bring relief to the troops and their families,” said co- investigator Carrie Elk, PhD, LMHC, CTE, assistant professor and military liaison at the USF College of Nursing.

Article Citation:
Kip, K. E., Elk, C. A., Sullivan, K. L., Kadel, R., Lengacher, C. A., Long, C. J., Rosenzweig, L., Shuman, A., Hernandez, D. F., Street, J. D., Girling, S. A. & Diamond, D. M. (2012). Brief treatment of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by use of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Behavioral Sciences. 2(2), 115-134. doi:10.3390/bs2020115

–USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

-RESTORE LIVES at USF-

Through ‘RESTORE LIVES AT USF: Education and Research to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families’, USF College of Nursing faculty develop life enhancing treatments through nursing research, and educate nurses with the knowledge and skills specific to the needs of the military, veterans and their families. The ART study is an example of type of innovative research that the USF College of Nursing is developing to improve the health of our honored service members and veterans.

Media contact:
Ashlea Hudak, College of Nursing Communications
ahudak@health.usf.edu or (813) 396-9642 

After an introduction by U.S. Special Operations Commander Adm. William McRaven, Dr. Elk helped kick off the conference, speaking on the topics of post traumatic stress (PTS) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as about USF College of Nursing research testing the effects of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) to treat emotional problems and related symptoms that arise from serving in combat operations.

Dr. Carrie Elk

ART is a revolutionary intervention being tested in one of the five sub-studies of the College’s Research to Rehabilitate/Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families grant funded by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.  Dr. Elk is co-principal investigator of the ART study.

An active duty senior special operations operator flew in to Tampa to speak about the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder being studied at the USF  College of Nursing. He provided testimony that he had experienced sleep dysfunction from 10 years of combat, but that after only one session of ART in Dr. Elk’s private practice  he was able to sleep unmedicated, according to an article on TBO.com.

U.S. Special Operations Commander Adm. William McRaven said in an article on TBO.com, the Care Coalition is “my top priority … because at the end of the day, you can’t get anything done in this command unless you take care of the warriors and families… As we look at the pressure on the force, how do we preserve the force?” he asked. “Care Coalition is a key part of that.”

Through the Center for Education and Research to Rehabilitate and Restore the Lives of Veterans, Service Members and their Families or Restore Lives Center, USF College of Nursing faculty develop life enhancing treatments through nursing research, and educate nurses with the knowledge and skills specific to the needs of the military, veterans and their families. The ART study is an example of type of research that the USF College of Nursing is developing to help  honored service members and veterans.

Mr. Kevin McDonnell, Col. (ret) US Army, Director of the USSOCOM Care Coalition, visited the University of South Florida College of Nursing on Feb. 13, 2012 to discuss ways in which the College of Nursing could support the mission of the Care Coalition in serving military members. The primary focus of this conversation was on Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).

L to R: Jay Redman, former special operator, Purple Heart recipient, and president and founder of Wounded Wear; Dr. Carrie Elk, assistant professor and USF College of Nursing military liaison; Admiral William McRaven, commander of USSOCOM; MSgt. Chris “Mack” MacKenzie, USSOCOM Purple Heart recipient and superintendent of Community Outreach Care Coalition

As Military Liason, Dr. Elk represents the USF College of Nursing in the military community locally, regionally and nationally, while encouraging potential education, service and research collaborations. She has been invited to conduct presentations for MacDill service members as an expert and researcher in treating in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. Elk’s recent presentations have included James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital (June 1),  to 450  service members at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa (June 3), and  Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas (week of June 4).

USF has a long history of supporting the nation’s service members, veterans and their families with workforce issues, innovative educational programs and out-of-the-box nursing research conducted by leading  faculty. On November 13, 2012, the USF College of Nursing Restore Lives Center will host, JOINING FORCES TO RESTORE LIVES: Nursing Education and Research in Veterans Health, the first national conference where the top nurse educators and scientists will  focus on nursing education and research designed to meet the needs of veterans, service members and their families. This conference is part of USF’s commitment to support the Joining Forces campaign as a national nursing leader. 

Full story, McRaven pledges to help troops, families deal with stress, on TBO.com.

 Story by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing Communications