The counting method:  Applying the rule of parsimony to the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder

A study is described comparing Prolonged Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and the Counting Method with 51 multiply-traumatized women. Measures of PTSD were significantly reduced by all three methods, but differences among the methods were negligible. Because the Counting Method utilizes only imaginal exposure as a therapeutic element, support is given to the more parsimonious conclusion that imaginal exposure may be both the necessary and sufficient factor in therapeutic effect, countering a trend in the field toward more complex, multi-faceted treatment packages.

Journal

English

David Read Johnson
Hadar Lubin

Johnson, D. R., & Lubin, H. (2006). The counting method: Applying the rule of parsimony to the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Traumatology, 12(1), 83-99. doi:10.1177/153476560601200106