Early Chilhood TraumaSPiPSNCT07342270
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders
A study testing Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Treatment as ususal in people with Early Chilhood Trauma and Personality Disorder, run by Tilburg University at 6 sites in Netherlands.
Trial summary
SUMMARY Rationale: Personality disorders are treated conform the Dutch GGZ-zorgstandaard mainly with verbal psychotherapies but experts by experience call out to make use of body-oriented approaches as well. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Early Chilhood Trauma, Personality Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Treatment as ususal
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 131 participants
- Where
- 6 sitesNetherlands
- Study dates
- 1 May 2026to 31 Dec 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Aged 16 and older
- Diagnosed with a personality disorder according to the DSM-classification
- Has a history of early childhood trauma
Who cannot join
- Does not master Dutch / English sufficiently for filling out the questionnaire cannot fill participate in the research.
- Presents factors or behaviour that disrupts participation in the group and undermines treatment will be excluded from this study.
Trial locations and contacts
6 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
6 sites in 1 country
Netherlands6 sites, 6 recruiting
- Recruiting
GGz Centraal Fornhese
Ermelo, Gelderland, 3850BA
Lumara Van Diermen, 0341-566267, l.vandiermen@ggzcentraal.nl
- Recruiting
GGz Breburg
Tilburg, North Brabant, 5025JE
Arjan Videler, 088 016 1616, a.videler@ggzbreburg.nl
- Recruiting
Aelbrecht GGz
Waalre, North Brabant, 5582LA
Lonneke Slaats, 040 888 0618, lonneke@aelbrechtggz.nl
- Recruiting
GGNet Scelta
Warnsveld, Gelderland, 7231PA
Klaas Huijbregts, 088-933 2670, k.huijbregts@ggnet.nl
- Recruiting
Topp-Zorg
Zeist, Utrecht, 3705LZ
Ike Niezing, 0343 - 769154, ikeniezing@topp-zorg.nl
- Recruiting
enMente
Zutphen, Gelderland, 7201AL
Ynke Zuidam, 0575 757 200, ynke@enmente.nl
About this study
SUMMARY
Rationale: Personality disorders are treated conform the Dutch GGZ-zorgstandaard mainly with verbal psychotherapies but experts by experience call out to make use of body-oriented approaches as well. In general, the rationale to study the effects of bodily centered therapy for personality disorders is built on the overlap between personality disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In both classifications, childhood major events and/or traumatic life events play a role in the history of its origins (Karatzias et al., 2023).Traditional psychotherapies for personality disorders address the cognitive and emotional elements of trauma, but lack techniques that work directly with the physiological elements, although trauma profoundly affects the body and many symptoms of traumatized individuals with personality disorders are somatically based. However, studies into the effect of body centered interventions for personality disorders are scarce. This study aims to examine the effects of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP), a body-oriented intervention, in patients with a personality disorder and PTSD-symptoms. This study studies the effect of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) which is a body-oriented intervention which focuses on the combination of a personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Read more
Objective: This multi-center randomized controlled study aims to research the effect of a 12-session sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) group intervention, in comparison with treatment-as-usual, on emotion regulation in people with a personality disorder. In addition, the effects on body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms and personality functioning are assessed. Patients' perception of the intervention will be assessed through qualitative techniques. The study will be carried out in five mental health institutions in the Netherlands.
Study design: This is a multi-center randomized controlled trial, in which the intervention group receives a 12-sessions SP-therapy, and the control group receives treatment-as-usual of the assigned institution. Measurements through standardized instruments take place at three moments: pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1), and two months follow-up (T2). Qualitative interviews are conducted after completion of the SP-condition. In combination with the qualitative measurements, a Mixed Methods Design is used.
Study population: Patients older than 18 years, who have been diagnosed with a personality disorder and have experienced early childhood trauma.
Intervention: patients assigned to the SP-condition receive the 12-session SP group protocol (Fisher \& Ogden, 2016), this protocol introduces diverse successive skills, aiming for the patient to have more somatic resources to regulate arousal of the autonomous nervous system. Every session starts with psychoeducation on a trauma-related theme, followed by one or multiple skills which are practiced in dyads and are later discussed in the group. The subjects which are covered are: autonomous arousal, implicit memory, regulation techniques, survival sources, somatic and internal resources, boundaries, practicing with experiments and repetitions, focus on positive change.
Main study parameter: The main parameter of this study is emotion regulation. Emotion regulation is examined with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-SF).
Secondary parameters: Second parameters are body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms, personality functioning. Body awareness is examined with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2). The Soothing Receptivity Scale (SRS) is used to examine self-soothing abilities. The PTSD-checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is used to assess the PTSD-symptoms. The Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) is used to map out personality functioning. The patients' perception of the intervention is explored through qualitative interviews. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Patients involved in this study are indicated for treatment for a personality disorder. Sensorimotor psychotherapy belongs the treatment options of some mental health institutions. Additionally, patients who are assigned to the control condition are offered the SP-condition after completing the control condition. In this way they can also benefit from the SP-condition.
Questionnaires are filled in at three moments during the treatment (T0, T1, T2), filling in the questionnaires will take 60 minutes on average, which is little more than routine outcome measurement takes in Dutch mental healthcare. The qualitative interviews after the SP-condition will take up 60 minutes on average.
- Conditions
- Early Chilhood Trauma, Personality Disorder
- Being tested
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Treatment as ususal
- Keywords
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Personality disorders, Early childhood trauma, SP-protocol
- Medical subject headings
- Personality Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Sensorimotor PsychotherapyOther
Sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) is a body-oriented approach for people with personality disorders. The SP-intervention consists of 12-session SP-protocol which is applied in a groupsetting. Each session starts with psycho-education on a trauma-related topic, followed by one or multiple skills which are practized and discussed within the group.
Treatment as ususalOther
The control condition consists of the standard treatment for personality disorders as provided within the mental health care institution. This treatment may comprise various components, depending on the specific institution. The nature and extent of the treatment provided will be documented.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment as usual | Active comparator | Treatment as usual for personality disoders Receives: Other: Treatment as ususal |
| Sensorimotor Psychotherapy | Experimental | Sensorimotor Psychotherapy 12-session group protocol Receives: Other: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Emotion regulation-Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is used to assess the primary parameter, emotion regulation (Kaufman et al., 2016). This is a 36 item self-report questionnaire for evaluating emotion regulation problems. The factors correspond to the six factors from the scale. The scales are: 1. not accepting emotional responses, 2. difficulties in showing goal-directed behavior, 3. problems with impulse control, 4. lack of emotional awareness, 5. limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and 6. lack of emotional clarity. The questionnaire has excellent validity and reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) (Kaufman et al., 2016). A higher score indicates more problems in emotion regulation.
Measured: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Secondary outcomes (4)
Body awareness- Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness
Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) (Mehling et al., 2018) is used to assess the extent of body awareness. This is a 37-item self-report questionnaire with a 6-point Likert scale focusing on interoceptive awareness. There are 8 subscales: noticing, not-distracting, not-overthinking, attention regulation, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body awareness and confidence. Cronbach's alpha varies from 0.67 to 0.89 on the subscales and factor structure is confirmed (Mehling et al., 2015; Scheffers et al., 2024). A higher score indicates more body awareness.
Measured: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Self-soothing-Soothing Receptivity Scale
Soothing Receptivity Scale (SRS) (Glassman, 1988) is used to assess receptivity to calm. This is a 27-item self-report questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale to assess the experience being calmed down, being physically calmed down, the experience of calming down by sharing emotions with others and self-soothing. The SRS has good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0,80). The higher the score, the more capable one is to self-sooth.
Measured: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
PTSD-symptoms - PTSD-checklist for DSM-5
PTSD-checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a 20-item self-report questionnaire which questions symptoms of PTSD on a 5-point Likert Scale with a good reliability (Cronbach's alpha =0.94), test-retest reliability and discriminating validity (Blevins et al., 2015). A change of 5 points is seen as a relevant change during treatment. A change of 10 points in total score is a minimum for clinical relevant changes.
Measured: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Level of Personality functioning - Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0
Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) (Weekers et al.,2019) assesses personality functioning. The LPFS-BF is a 12-item self-report questionnaire with a 4-point Likert Scale and gives the general severity of the personality pathology based on the Alternative Model for Personality disorder from section III of the DSM-5. The items are clustered in two higher domains, Self-functioning and Interpersonal functioning. The questionnaire is sufficient reliability and is sensitive for change. A score higher than 2 on one of the two domains refers to problems in personality functioning. A higher score indicates more disfunctioning.
Measured: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Jan 2026
- Study start1 May 2026
- Primary completion1 May 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Early Chilhood TraumaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 131 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- GGZ Breburg
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07342270
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- TSB_RP2165
- Other IDs
- NL-009734
- Acronym
- SPiPS
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 18 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 16 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07342270
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SPiPS / TSB_RP2165
- Conditions
- Early Chilhood Trauma, Personality Disorder
- Keywords
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Personality disorders, Early childhood trauma, SP-protocol
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 131 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- GGZ Breburg
- Study start
- 1 May 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 May 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
SUMMARY
Rationale: Personality disorders are treated conform the Dutch GGZ-zorgstandaard mainly with verbal psychotherapies but experts by experience call out to make use of body-oriented approaches as well. In general, the rationale to study the effects of bodily centered therapy for personality disorders is built on the overlap between personality disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In both classifications, childhood major events and/or traumatic life events play a role in the history of its origins (Karatzias et al., 2023).Traditional psychotherapies for personality disorders address the cognitive and emotional elements of trauma, but lack techniques that work directly with the physiological elements, although trauma profoundly affects the body and many symptoms of traumatized individuals with personality disorders are somatically based. However, studies into the effect of body centered interventions for personality disorders are scarce. This study aims to examine the effects of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP), a body-oriented intervention, in patients with a personality disorder and PTSD-symptoms. This study studies the effect of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) which is a body-oriented intervention which focuses on the combination of a personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Objective: This multi-center randomized controlled study aims to research the effect of a 12-session sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) group intervention, in comparison with treatment-as-usual, on emotion regulation in people with a personality disorder. In addition, the effects on body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms and personality functioning are assessed. Patients' perception of the intervention will be assessed through qualitative techniques. The study will be carried out in five mental health institutions in the Netherlands.
Study design: This is a multi-center randomized controlled trial, in which the intervention group receives a 12-sessions SP-therapy, and the control group receives treatment-as-usual of the assigned institution. Measurements through standardized instruments take place at three moments: pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1), and two months follow-up (T2). Qualitative interviews are conducted after completion of the SP-condition. In combination with the qualitative measurements, a Mixed Methods Design is used.
Study population: Patients older than 18 years, who have been diagnosed with a personality disorder and have experienced early childhood trauma.
Intervention: patients assigned to the SP-condition receive the 12-session SP group protocol (Fisher \& Ogden, 2016), this protocol introduces diverse successive skills, aiming for the patient to have more somatic resources to regulate arousal of the autonomous nervous system. Every session starts with psychoeducation on a trauma-related theme, followed by one or multiple skills which are practiced in dyads and are later discussed in the group. The subjects which are covered are: autonomous arousal, implicit memory, regulation techniques, survival sources, somatic and internal resources, boundaries, practicing with experiments and repetitions, focus on positive change.
Main study parameter: The main parameter of this study is emotion regulation. Emotion regulation is examined with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-SF).
Secondary parameters: Second parameters are body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms, personality functioning. Body awareness is examined with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2). The Soothing Receptivity Scale (SRS) is used to examine self-soothing abilities. The PTSD-checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is used to assess the PTSD-symptoms. The Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) is used to map out personality functioning. The patients' perception of the intervention is explored through qualitative interviews. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Patients involved in this study are indicated for treatment for a personality disorder. Sensorimotor psychotherapy belongs the treatment options of some mental health institutions. Additionally, patients who are assigned to the control condition are offered the SP-condition after completing the control condition. In this way they can also benefit from the SP-condition.
Questionnaires are filled in at three moments during the treatment (T0, T1, T2), filling in the questionnaires will take 60 minutes on average, which is little more than routine outcome measurement takes in Dutch mental healthcare. The qualitative interviews after the SP-condition will take up 60 minutes on average.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment as usual | Active comparator | Other: Treatment as ususalTreatment as usual for personality disoders |
| Sensorimotor Psychotherapy | Experimental | Other: Sensorimotor PsychotherapySensorimotor Psychotherapy 12-session group protocol |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Aged 16 and older
- Diagnosed with a personality disorder according to the DSM-classification
- Has a history of early childhood trauma
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Does not master Dutch / English sufficiently for filling out the questionnaire cannot fill participate in the research.
- Presents factors or behaviour that disrupts participation in the group and undermines treatment will be excluded from this study.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Sensorimotor PsychotherapySensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) is a body-oriented approach for people with personality disorders. The SP-intervention consists of 12-session SP-protocol which is applied in a groupsetting. Each session starts with psycho-education on a trauma-related topic, followed by one or multiple skills which are practized and discussed within the group. | Other | Sensorimotor Psychotherapy |
| Treatment as ususalThe control condition consists of the standard treatment for personality disorders as provided within the mental health care institution. This treatment may comprise various components, depending on the specific institution. The nature and extent of the treatment provided will be documented. | Other | Treatment as usual |
Primary outcome
Emotion regulation-Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
Time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is used to assess the primary parameter, emotion regulation (Kaufman et al., 2016). This is a 36 item self-report questionnaire for evaluating emotion regulation problems. The factors correspond to the six factors from the scale. The scales are: 1. not accepting emotional responses, 2. difficulties in showing goal-directed behavior, 3. problems with impulse control, 4. lack of emotional awareness, 5. limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and 6. lack of emotional clarity. The questionnaire has excellent validity and reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) (Kaufman et al., 2016). A higher score indicates more problems in emotion regulation.
4 secondary outcomes
Body awareness- Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness
Time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Self-soothing-Soothing Receptivity Scale
Time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
PTSD-symptoms - PTSD-checklist for DSM-5
Time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Level of Personality functioning - Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0
Time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Oct 2026.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
6 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Treatment as ususal in people with Early Chilhood Trauma and Personality Disorder, run by Tilburg University at 6 sites in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 6 sites in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Emotion regulation-Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (time frame: A pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up (8-weeks post-intervention).). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Oct 2026.