Narrative exposure therapy is a treatment for trauma disorders, particularly in individuals suffering from complex trauma, or having experienced multiple traumatic events. The foundational understanding of this type of therapy is that the story a person tells himself or herself about their life, influences how the person perceives their experiences, sense of wellbeing and safety.
A supporting therapist works with a client to establish a chronological narrative of his or her life, with specific focus on traumatic experiences, while also incorporating some positive events. By expressing the narrative, the client works with therapist to fill in details of fragmented memory and develop a coherent autobiographical story. In so doing, the memory of a traumatic episode is refined and understood. The therapist works with the client to remain present throughout this processing. When treatment ends, a documented autobiography that has been created by the therapist is presented to the client for client to keep.
Narrative Exposure Therapy grants the client the freedom to reflect on their entire life, developing a feeling of personal identity. Going over the biography helps to highlight understanding of experiences and contextualize interrelated emotional responses, which helps with the integration and comprehension of behavioral patterns and beliefs that emerged during client’s development.
Angie, one of the talented therapists within Everlasting Wellness LLC, is trained and practicing Narrative Exposure Therapy with clients. She takes pride in cultivating a safe, supportive environment for clients to do the work needed to recover from painful life events. If you are interested in scheduling with her, please contact our helpful admin team.