Attention Control Training (ACT) in PTSD patients: a randomized controlled trial.

During a traumatic experience there are two ways of information processing:
1) Conceptual processing
2) Data-driven processing (data-driven processing)

Ad 1) Conceptual processing means that the meaning of the traumatic experience is processed in an organized way and that the information is placed in a context by making connections with existing concepts, knowledge and views within the person.
Ad 2) Data-driven processing means that primarily the sensory aspects are processed, such as sensory, visual and auditory information, without the information having a clear context and being integrated into the autobiographical memory. When the information in the representation of the trauma in the memory consists mainly of sensory information and relatively less conceptual processing has taken place, the memory, when activated, triggers a sense of re-experience. When the traumatic experience leads tops views that are very threatening (eg the world is dangerous) this complicates the integration of the trauma information into the autobiographical memory. The result is that the memory can be activated quickly and automatically by internal and external stimuli and is experienced in the here-and-now (also known as flash-backs).

For example, trauma victims more easily remember parts of the trauma that matches their interpretations of what happened. Corrective information is not noticed or processed as quickly and this creates a vicious circle.
In accordance with the vicious circle of distortions in the memory and the interpretation, people with a PTSD will also more quickly perceive trauma-related stimuli from the environment (perceptual priming), also known as attention distortion. For example, someone who has ever experienced a dangerous fire will be more likely to see an upcoming fire truck than someone without such an experience.

Against this light, I want to investigate whether an ACT, prior to the TAU (EMDR or imaginary exposure), leads to a better outcome.

Does a Attention Control Training in patients in the experimental group with a PTSD prior to the TAU lead to a better outcome than in patients in the control group with a PTSD who have received a sham (fake) training prior to the TAU ? This is also the primary outcome measure to be measured by means of the PCL-5 (degree of PTSD symptomatology).
The secondary outcome measure is general well-being; measure aggression and quality of life through the PHQ-4 (health questionnaire); Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire and ORS quality of life questionnaire.

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1) One group receives an ACT training: 12 sessions once a day for 5 minutes and another group receives a sham training: 12 sessions once a day for 5 minutes.
2) After the training, both groups receive a treatment as usual (TAU) consisting of EMDR or imaginary exposure (6 sessions)