RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT07410481

Trial of Acceptance and Mindfulness-based Exposure Therapy (AMBET) and Present Centered Therapy (PCT)

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Acceptance and Mindfulness-based Exposure Therapy (AMBET) and Present Centered Therapy (PCT)

Sponsor

Columbia University

Enrollment

90 participants

Start Date

Mar 30, 2026

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Cardiac Arrest (CA)PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new therapy called Acceptance- and Mindfulness-Based Exposure Therapy (AMBET) helps treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who survived a cardiac arrest. This study will compare AMBET to another psychotherapy treatment called Present Centered Therapy (PCT) to see which therapy is more effective in treating PTSD. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does AMBET reduce PTSD symptoms in survivors of cardiac arrest? How do the benefits of AMBET compare to PCT? Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either AMBET or PCT * Attend 12 hours of individual psychotherapy sessions over about 12 weeks * Complete short weekly surveys about their mood and behaviors online * Wear a Fitbit device to track sleep and activity during the study * Do brief homework assignments between sessions

Eligibility

Min Age: 18 YearsMax Age: 81 Years

Inclusion Criteria5

Between 18 and 81 years old at the time of consent
Fluency in English
Medical history of cardiac arrest \>3 months ago
Clinically elevated PTSD symptoms (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) score ≥25)
U.S. Resident

Exclusion Criteria8

Lifetime history of primary psychotic or bipolar disorders
Current substance use disorder (moderate or severe in the past 6 months)
Active suicidal ideation with some intent to act in past 12 months, and/or suicide attempt in past 24 months
Substantial cognitive impairment (Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) score \<25)
Initiation of new psychotropic medication \<3 months ago
Non-cardiac etiology of CA (drowning, bleeding, trauma, drug overdose, etc)
Terminal illness with life expectancy \<1 year
Concurrent psychotherapy for PTSD

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALAcceptance and Mindfulness Based Exposure Therapy

Eight sessions of exposure therapy combined with mindfulness delivered via videoconferencing platform. AMBET will consist of 90-minute weekly sessions for 4 weeks, then every other week for 4 more sessions.

BEHAVIORALPresent-Centered Therapy

Twelve 60-minute weekly sessions of psychotherapy delivered via videoconferencing platform.