Reconsolidation of traumatic memories

Domain VI · Brief, integrative, trauma, hypnosis & coaching · Richard M. Gray, Frank Bourke · 2012 · USA

What it is

RTM is a brief, manualised, imagery-based treatment for the intrusive symptoms of PTSD (nightmares, flashbacks, physiological reactivity to reminders). It grew out of the visual-kinesthetic dissociation (V/KD) protocol, "also known as the rewind technique", which Gray and Liotta (2012) re-explained…

Format

• RTM is a short, fixed sequence repeated across sessions, not a phased therapy.
• Format and dose

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Training RTM is taught by the Research and Recognition Project and affiliated trainers (in the UK and Europe, Awaken Consultancy, the UK trial's training provider). In the UK trial, training was pre-course reading plus about 40 hours over 4 days, then observed fidelity assessment on 2 patients by the RTM trainer and an external assessor from the US team; 4 of 10 RTM-arm therapists reached competence, and therapists…
• Version followed: the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) Protocol of Richard M. Gray and Frank Bourke (Research and Recognition Project, USA), as described in the developers' published trial reports and presentations (2012–2021), US Department of Defense evidence summaries (2021, 2026), and independent trial and adaptation reports (Sturt et al. 2023; Gorbunova & Hampton 2025; Gorbunova et al. 2026; RTM-C…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• A verbal "it's fine" while the body still reacts. Trust the physiology.
• Use with children only with specific RTM-C training, and within child-safeguarding procedures.
• Connection drops mid-cycle. Agree in advance how the client will ground themselves and how you will reconnect.
• An "after" moment that is itself traumatic (e.g., a hospital scene). Move it further on, to when safety was clear.
• Generalisation: once several events are done, related memories often lose charge too. This is and is not documented in the sources opened.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.