Heal traumatic memories with a clinically proven approach
Reconsolidation Therapy™ is an neuroscience-based treatment approach for psychological trauma recently introduced to Australia by Thompson Institute Director, Professor Alain Brunet.
Research shows the therapy can reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories in up to 70% of cases, within just six weeks, with low rates of relapse.
How Reconsolidation Therapy works
Reconsolidation Therapy is grounded in contemporary neuroscientific understanding of how memory functions.
When a fixed memory is recalled, it briefly becomes malleable, allowing it to be updated before it is stored again as a long-term memory.
This process – called memory reconsolidation – provides a window for therapeutic change.
Reconsolidation Therapy uses this process to safely revisit and reprocess traumatic memories to reduce their emotional and ongoing impacts of trauma.
Reconsolidation Therapy helps people reclaim control, reduce distress, and move forward with their lives.
Key benefits
- Fast results – relief in just six sessions
- Effective – up to 70 percent of patients experience relief
- Low drop-out and relapse rates
- Accessible – clinicians can be trained in just two days (minimum credentials required)
I have seen remarkable effects and improved quality of life from this innovative and effective therapy - Dr Annie Fonda, Psychological Medicine GP, Brisbane
Webinar: An introduction to Reconsolidation Therapy
24 June | 12 noon
Neuroscience shows that when a traumatic memory is recalled, it briefly becomes malleable. International trauma expert Professor Alain Brunet explains the brain's memory reconsolidation process and the new effective trauma treatment it makes possible.
Who can benefit from the treatment?
The therapy offers a promising pathway for people living with trauma or stressor-related disorders, including:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Moral Injury
- Adjustment disorder
- Prolonged grief disorder
The treatment is unsuitable for patients unable to take beta-blocker medication.
I haven't had a nightmare since I started the therapy. My symptoms have reduced to basically nothing. For the first time in a very long time, I have hope - Reconsolidation Therapy patient (identity protected).
What's involved
The treatment is delivered over just six 25-min. sessions, combining guided psychotherapy with a commonly prescribed beta-blocker.
Delivered by a qualified mental health professional. It is typically offered in person but can also be delivered online with GP support.
Frequently asked questions
No, Reconsolidation Therapy does not aim to erase memories. It instead shifts them from overwhelming experiences into manageable memories.
While the therapy requires patients to recall a memory, the treatment protocol minimises discomfort and places a lower level of burden on patients than alternative therapies like EMDR.
Yes, the therapy can be administered alongside other therapies for trauma, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
The therapy was developed and initially rolled out in Canada by Professor Alain Brunet. The therapy has since been rolled out to support communities in the Caribbean, Chile, Lebanon, Europe, Syria and Nepal.
Alain has also trained clinicians in regions impacted by large-scale disasters including the 2015 Paris Terrorist Attacks, the current invasion of Ukraine, the recent terrorist attacks in Bondi.
The Thompson Institute aims to open a clinic on the Sunshine Coast.
Training will soon be rolled out across Australia to increase patient access to the treatment.
• The proof-of-concept paper of Brunet et al. (2008)
• A randomised controlled trial by Brunet et al. (2018)
• A meta-analysis by Pigeon et al. (2022)