Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Experiential Avoidance: A Case-Series Study

Past research has found that experiential avoidance (EA) is a type of avoidance that is common in individuals who report distress associated with traumatic events. No treatment studies to date have evaluated potential changes in EA associated with prolonged exposure therapy (PE), an empirically supported treatment for traumatic distress. This case series presents outcomes associated with treatment by PE for five adults who presented with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and problematic EA. PTSD, GAD, depression, and EA symptoms were monitored at baseline, post-treatment, and 1-month follow-up. The five participants reported decreases in PTSD to below clinical cutoff criteria at post-treatment, all five participants reported decreases in depression at post-treatment, and four of the participants showed decreases in GAD and EA at post-treatment. In comparing pre-treatment to 1-month follow-up scores, all the participants reported decreases in PTSD, GAD, depression, and all but one participant reported a decrease in EA. The findings of this study suggest that PE may be a helpful treatment for individuals reporting EA.