In this episode I talk with Drs. Sheila Rauch and Carmen McLean about their new book, Retraining the Brain: Applied Neuroscience in Exposure Therapy for PTSD. Listen and learn about the many ways in which findings from the field of neuroscience can be brought into the therapy room to bolster PTSD treatment outcomes.

Dr. Sheila Rauch is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and serves as deputy director of the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and director of mental health research and program evaluation at the VA Atlanta Healthcare System. For over 20 years, Dr. Rauch has been conducting PTSD treatment research, providing PTSD treatment, training other providers in treating PTSD, and publishing extensively on PTSD and anxiety disorders. She co-authored the second edition of the Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD therapist guide, as well as the manual for conducting prolonged exposure in intensive outpatient programs. She also co-authored the book PTSD: What Everyone Needs to Know, which is a scientifically-supported, accessible and reader-friendly resource for understanding PTSD and its treatment.

Dr. Carmen McLean is a clinical psychologist in the dissemination and training division of the National Center for PTSD at the Palo Alto VA Healthcare System and a clinical associate professor (affiliate) at Stanford University. She is a certified prolonged exposure therapy provider and supervisor and has published over 100 scholarly articles and book chapters on topics related to PTSD and anxiety. Her research aims to increase the reach of exposure therapy for PTSD by examining implementation barriers and using technology and condensed delivery of exposure to address barriers to treatment access.