Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is a short-term formalized treatment for individuals who meet criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This diagnosis includes symptoms of:
- Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Avoiding things that remind people of the event
- Hyperarousal (emotional and physical)
While there are multiple options for treating PTSD, most of which are exposure-based
treatments, PE intensively treats the trauma in outpatient therapy in
an average of 15 sessions.
The treatment can be provided in person, virtually or as a hybrid depending
on clinical considerations.
For more information or to schedule an assessment, call the Prolonged Exposure Program line at 908-994-7621.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy Process
PE treatment consists of the following procedures:
- Education about PTSD and common reactions to trauma
- Teaching breathing retraining (breathing in a calming way) and distress tolerance skills to help individuals go through the trauma treatment
- Repeated “in vivo” exposure to situations or objects that the individual is avoiding because of the trauma related distress and anxiety
- Repeated, prolonged “imaginal exposure” of the trauma memories (i.e., revisiting and recounting the trauma memory in imagery)
- Processing of the experience of doing the imaginal exposures
PE has been used across the world to treat individuals with PTSD resulting from many different types of traumatic events.
Prolonged Exposure Program Requirements
PE requires that an individual:
- Attend one 60-minute session per week that can be done either in person or virtually (if clinically appropriate)
- Complete between-session in vivo exposures on their own
- Listen to recordings of the imaginal exposures between sessions
- Complete recording forms for between session exposures
For prolonged exposure therapy to be effective individual must complete the between-session assignments. You will learn more about these assignments during your screening and your first few sessions.
Between-session assignments will take between 3 to 5 additional hours of your time across the week.
Do You Qualify for Prolonged Exposure Therapy?
PE therapy is not a good fit for everyone who has PTSD or has gone through trauma. The following things would likely exclude someone from starting PE at Trinitas Regional Medical Center:
- Does not have PTSD or significant symptoms of PTSD even if they do not meet full criteria for the diagnosis
- Is at imminent risk of suicide
- Current self-injurious behavior
- Current psychosis
- Current high risk of being assaulted
- Lack of clear memory or insufficient memory of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., a sense or vague feeling that a trauma has occurred)
- Inability/unwillingness to complete between session assignments
- Inability/unwillingness to audio record sessions and listen to them on your own
Individuals who have current suicidal urges or self-injury should sign up for DBT treatment which can help build skills first so that PE can be completed once those behaviors have been stabilized.
Contact Us
If you think that prolonged exposure (PE) therapy may be a good fit for you, please call us today. One of our clinicians will get back to you within 3 business days to do a brief phone screen to:
- Determine whether you are an appropriate fit for the program
- Answer any questions you might have
- Give you a general idea of the wait time until your screening appointment
- Obtain a mailing address where a packet of information will be sent
For more information or to schedule an assessment, call the Prolonged Exposure Program line at 908-994-7621.
