Increasing rates of PTSD diagnoses require the development of an effective treatment protocol to alleviate the suffering associated with PTSD symptoms post-traumatic stress. The phenomenon of reconsolidation perhaps offers a cognitive process that can be therapeutically manipulated to benignly alter traumatic memories into less threatening memories. Biological components and reconsolidation mechanisms are progressively discovered. Treatment modalities constructed in the past have shown limited effectiveness, but with greater knowledge from research they can be restructured to provide effective PTSD relief for patients. Reconsolidation as an Aid in the Treatment of PTSD Over the past quarter century, increases in war and displaced (refugee) populations, and natural and technological (e.g., chemical or nuclear) disasters have helped fuel a dramatic increase in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) worldwide (MacFarlane, 2000; Rogge, 2003). . Although pharmacological interventions are successful in temporarily alleviating many of the symptoms associated with PTSD such as depression and anxiety, they have shown little effectiveness in altering the persistent traumatic memories that drive psychological symptoms in patients (Sharpless & Barber, 2011 ). However, recent neuroscientific research on a brain process known as reconsolidation may improve the prognosis for recovery from PTSD. By incorporating the phenomenon of reconsolidation into treatment approaches for PTSD it is hoped that a fundamental manipulation of the patient's traumatic memories into altered, less stressful memories can occur. As a result, the foundation for anxiety, depression, and avoidance behaviors resulting from PTSD trauma may be red… halfway through… JP (2011). A medical guide to PTSD treatments for returning veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(1), 8-15. doi:10.1037/a0022351Sloan, D. M., Bovin, M. J., & Schnurr, P. P. (2012). Review of group treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 49(6), 689-701. doi:10.1682/JRRD.2011.07.0123 United States Department of Defense. (2014). Victims [Data file]. Retrieved from http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdfU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2014a). PTSD: National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Treatment of the returning Iraq War veteran. Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treatment/vets/treatment-iraq-vets.aspUS Department of Veterans Affairs. (2014b). PTSD: National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Prolonged exposure therapy. Retrieved from http://www. ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/prolonged-exposure-therapy.asp