Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Prolonged Exposure (PE) is a trauma-focused therapy that involves confronting traumatic memories in a safe environment to reduce symptoms and desensitize triggers. PE has been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms significantly, helping clients regain control and find relief from trauma’s effects.

Recovery happens by approaching feared, yet objectively safe, stimuli through a process of exposure and habituation. By activating emotional responses during exposure, clients can learn that:

• Memories and reminders of the trauma, while distressing, are not inherently dangerous.
• Feelings of distress are temporary and naturally subside over time.
• Physiological reactions, like a racing heart, are not harmful or life-threatening.
• They possess the capacity to tolerate and manage negative emotions effectively.

In Prolonged Exposure, clients and their clinician work very closely together to approach memories or other stimuli in a way that is not too overwhelming for the client, in a gradual and predictable way.