Assessing the effectiveness of regression therapy in addressing a broad spectrum of psychological and physical issues

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of Regression Therapy (RT) in treating a wide spectrum of psychopathological and Medically Unexplained Symptoms/complaints (MUS). A single-blinded outcome trial was conducted with a large cohort of 169 subjects, who completed the validated Brief Symptom Index-53 (BSI-53) questionnaire before treatment and at two months and four months post-initiation. Fifteen experienced RT therapists delivered standardized therapy. Results showed a significant and substantial decrease in BSI-53 total scores, from 0.91 to 0.48 after four months of treatment, closely approaching the normative value for the Dutch population (0.42). The study yielded a large clinical effect size (Hedges' g = $0.95$). Notably, a single session proved satisfactory for many participants. All nine BSI-53 domains exhibited a mean score decrease of 47%. Unbiased machine learning analysis accurately predicted the therapy's positive effect from a few key BSI-53 questions, with individual therapist performance not being a significant predictor. These findings suggest that RT is a rapid and highly effective treatment for diverse psychological and physical symptoms, including MUS.