Helping a Friend Overcome Trauma: Advantages and Disadvantages of the “Rewind Technique”

Reader’s Question

I am wondering if you could provide me with advantages and disadvantages of “The Rewind Technique” for single trauma cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

My friend is presently seeing a psychologist as he was attacked by a gang of youths a few years ago and as a result he does not go out and has become a recluse in his own home. His psychologist suggested desensitization work, but he is too anxious and fearful to do this and I have been looking into this new rewind technique for him but am not sure how effective it would be for him to try.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Proponents of the “Rewind Technique” tout it as a safe and “startlingly effective” method that reduces post-traumatic symptoms in over 70% of patients in one session lasting approximately one and one-half hours. Further, they describe the process as “comfortable” because it does not involve the “re-living of unpleasant events.” Rather, the technique uses the sufferer’s “imagination” to “rewind” unpleasant occurrences in their mind’s eye. The developers describe the process as a further refinement of the Visual-Kinaesthetic Dissociation Technique, a form of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

I’m unaware of any independent, well-established clinical studies attesting to the efficacy of the Rewind Technique specifically, but there are many proven and effective treatments for all of the anxiety disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many of the non-pharmacological techniques involve some sort of graded exposure to the anxiety-evoking material and systematic desensitization to the anxiety-evoking situations.

Your concern seems to be whether there is a means by which your friend can avoid re-experiencing distressing feelings and sensations during treatment. There are many ways to accomplish this, whether by using the methods outlined in the “rewind” technique or by methods available through other established techniques. Desensitization methods can be tailored in such a manner that distressing events are successively approximated quite slowly and painlessly.

Whatever the method used, the eventual goal of anxiety disorder treatment is to get former sufferers to a point where they can approach and expose themselves to situations that once evoked considerable anxiety and distress without experiencing the unpleasant emotions. Your friend should discuss with his psychologist the wide range of options for treatment and secure a recommendation for the best course based on his own particular needs and circumstances.