The general goal of IRRT with trauma victims suffering from PTSD is to facilitate successful emotional processing of their traumas. The specific IRRT treatment goals include:
- decreasing physiological arousal;
- eliminating intrusive traumatic recollections and distressing imagery;
- replacing traumatic imagery with coping/mastery imagery;
- transforming traumatic imagery into narrative language;
- modifying traumagenic beliefs
- replacing maladaptive schemas with adaptive schemas
- developing an enhanced capacity to self-calm and self-soothe, especially during times of heightened emotional distress
- developing more effective coping strategies for dealing with daily life stressors