The GlobalInMind, together with Voices of Children Foundation, in collaboration with Quresta Inc. (former PTTI, US) — IP owner of the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM) Protocol™ — has released the project report on the development and pilot testing of the RTM-C Protocol, a children's adaptation of the RTM Protocol™ for children aged 6 to 14 years experiencing war-related trauma and PTSD.

Led by principal investigator Viktoriia Gorbunova, the study addresses a critical gap in child mental health care: despite a sharp rise in PTSD diagnoses among Ukrainian children since the full-scale Russian invasion, evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and scalable interventions remain scarce.

Among the 24 children (ages 7–14) with complete pre- and post-treatment assessments, both parent- and child-reported PTSD symptom scores fell from well above the clinical threshold to well below it following the RTM-C Protocol. Child self-reports dropped from a mean of 30.9 before treatment to 10.8 at one-month follow-up. Reductions were consistent across all five symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood and cognitions, hyperarousal, and functional impairment.

The most common traumatic experiences in the sample included war exposure — shelling and explosions (52%), persistent anxiety and intrusive fears (45%), and witnessing interpersonal violence (42%), reflecting the psychosocial complexity of childhood in wartime Ukraine.

What makes this approach different:

Unlike conventional trauma-focused exposure therapies, the RTM-C Protocol does not require children to verbally recount distressing memories. The method uses imagery, dissociative visualisation techniques, and a "cinema" metaphor — guiding children to mentally reprocess traumatic memories in black-and-white and backwards — to reconsolidate the memory into a less distressing form. The adapted version introduces child-friendly language, animated instructional videos, 3-D cardboard visualisation models, and structured parental involvement.

"The Protocol's structured and predictable workflow, combined with its imaginative and play-based elements, made it feasible to implement even in online settings under wartime conditions — including interruptions from air-raid alerts and electricity outages."

— Therapist feedback, RTM-C feasibility focus groups

A total of 21 certified RTM practitioners received additional training in the RTM-C Protocol and participated in focus group interviews. Practitioners consistently highlighted the method's acceptability for children, especially those reluctant to discuss painful experiences, and reported positive engagement driven by the protocol's animated and interactive components.

About the study:

The pilot study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07185126) and received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University (IORG0010271). Data collection for the six-month follow-up is ongoing. The report presents preliminary results based on baseline and one-month assessments.