Brief eclectic psychotherapy for PTSD

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.