Remembering and Forgetting PTSD Treatment Options

Sadie E. Larsen, Peter Grau, Emily Muñoz, Kathleen Grubbs, & Jessica Hamblen

February 3, 2026

Have you ever had the experience of a patient not remembering something you said in therapy? Or remember a conversation very differently than how you remember it? It is not always intuitive what patients will - or will not - remember from the information we convey, or if they will remember it accurately. Research indicates that whether in therapy or in other medical appointments, it is more common for patients to forget information than to remember it. This made us wonder: when we first give people information about treatment options for PTSD, how much do they remember? This is relevant for therapists who are conveying information about multiple treatments in shared decision-making and for thinking about sharing information with the general public about treatment options (i.e., direct-to-consumer marketing). 

New Research on Recall of PTSD Treatment Information

In our study recently published in Journal of Traumatic Stress, we asked people with PTSD symptoms to read information about seven leading PTSD treatment options such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. We then asked them to respond to two multiple choice questions to test their memory. Finally, we randomly assigned them one treatment and asked them to briefly describe it as if to a friend. 

In short, participants could generally identify which treatments were trauma-focused talk therapies, but had difficulty recalling how effective various treatments were. When we rated how accurate their descriptions of treatment were, only 32% were rated as accurate. To some extent this seemed to be accounted for by education, since those with higher education or who were better at working with numbers were more likely to give correct answers. 

Clinical Implications

Though our study did not take place in a clinical setting, it does raise some important considerations. When discussing treatment options we suggest that clinicians: 

1. Be careful not to assume that patients remember the information given.
2. Consider using a "teach-back" method. This involves asking patients to convey what they took from a conversation and generally improves recall. This provides a chance to check comprehension, correct any misunderstandings, and provide more information as needed.
3. Consider using multiple means of conveying information, including both verbal and written. The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid can be a helpful tool in this process.
4. Consider having conversations about treatment options over multiple sessions. It may be that some people are emotionally overwhelmed and have difficulty retaining information at a given point in time. Patients may need multiple sessions to ingest and retain information. 
5. Allow patients time to think about their choice between sessions, rather than making a decision on the spot. This gives patients the chance to review the information or discuss it with a trusted family member or friend.

Bottom line? Don't assume that patients will remember what you told them about treatment options.

Discussion Questions

1. Are there any methods you've used to help improve recall of treatment information?
2. Do some treatments seem to "stick" more in your patients' mind?

About the Authors

Reference Article

Larsen SE, Grubbs KM, Grau P, Munoz E, Hamblen J. Recall of posttraumatic stress disorder treatment information. J Trauma Stress. 2026 Jan 14. doi: 10.1002/jts.70047. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41532695.