Prolonged exposure therapy is a form of psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. After a traumatic event, some people experience unwanted thoughts, disturbing nightmares, feelings of hopelessness, depression, and hypervigilance. If you have these symptoms, you understandably want to avoid thoughts, feelings, and things that remind you of the trauma. The goal of prolonged exposure therapy is to gradually help you re-engage with life, especially with things you have been avoiding. By doing so, you will strengthen your ability to distinguish safety from danger and decrease your PTSD symptoms.
Prolonged exposure therapy is appropriate for anyone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Many people who experience a traumatic event do not develop PTSD, and prolonged exposure therapy is not necessary for those without such a diagnosis. Additionally, given that the completion of this therapy requires that you speak about the trauma and encounter trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and objects, you may experience moderate distress. This distress is often brief, and people typically feel significantly better because of treatment.
