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NCT Number: NCT07410481

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

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

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Cardiac Arrest (CA) Cardiovascular Diseases Combat Disorders Heart Arrest Heart Diseases Mental Disorders Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Age range

18 year–81 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

New York, 10032, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Maja Bergman, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

Yuval Neria

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 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 criteria

  • 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

Treatment and study plan

Acceptance and Mindfulness Based Exposure Therapy

Behavioral

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.

Other names: AMBET

Present-Centered Therapy

Behavioral

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

Other names: PCT

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in PTSD symptoms over time

    Time frame: Baseline, At 6 weeks, Post-treatment: Approximately 3 months and 6 months from intake

    Change in symptoms as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) from pre- to post-treatment. The full score range is 0 - 80, where lower scores indicate lower symptom levels of PTSD.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in depressive symptoms over time

    Time frame: Baseline, At 6 weeks, Post-treatment: approximately 3 months and 6 months from intake

    Change in symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-24) from pre- to post-treatment. The full score range is 0 - 76, where lower scores indicate lower symptom levels of depression.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Maja Bergman, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-543-6061

Yuval Neria, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-543-6061

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Columbia University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 13, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 9, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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