Case Reports

Case A was a female in her 30Ős who was referred for depression, flashbacks, insomnia, hypervigilance, avoidance behaviors, and hyperstartle. The CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression scale--a 20-item commonly used patient report of depression symptoms, Radloff, 1977) score was 49, which was in the extremely depressed range. By history, her depression appeared secondary to a trauma, so she was treated with the algorithm for complex trauma with TFT. After treatment her Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) dropped from 10 to 0. She no longer appeared tense, fatigued, irritable, sad, and feeling hopeless, but instead appeared animated, more energetic, and relaxed. Although the CES-D is not designed as a within-session measure, she had completed the initial scale as she was feeling at the time, and stated that she was feeling differently after treatment, so she repeated the CES-D at the end of that 30-minute session, and attained a normal range score of 14 (a 35 point drop, and 71% improvement). A followup session one week later was cancelled by the patient, who reported having no symptoms. In followup calls 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months later, she reported no further symptoms of depression nor of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Case B was a female patient in her 50Ős referred for depression, weight loss, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, tightness in chest, anxiety and distress about her relationship with her partner. She had a CES-D score of 50 in the extremely depressed range, based on how she was feeling at the time. After treatment for depression and lack of appetite, patient reported feeling more energetic, less depressed, no chest tightness, and she felt more hungry. Her post-treatment CES-D at the end of the 30-minute session was 30 (a 20 point drop, and 40% improvement). On one week followup, her appetite continued to improve, and she was regaining weight, as well as sleeping better. Her CES-D score then had improved to 18 (a 32 point drop, and 64% improvement), just above the normal range.