Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine sudden gains in those receiving treatment for PTSD and whether these rapid changes were related to overall symptom reduction in a small sample of female assault survivors with PTSD undergoing prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Sudden gains were found to occur in 52% of the sample. Among those who experienced a sudden gain, the average magnitude (12.4 points) accounted for 61% of overall symptom reduction. Importantly, treatment outcome was better for those who experienced sudden gains than those who did not. The experience of a sudden gain may result in patients becoming more fully engaged with treatment, and recognition of them may result in identifying potential process-related predictors of treatment response.