Prolonged Exposure Therapy was developed by Edna Foa in 1991. Lindsay has been trained in this treatment by Edna Foa herself & colleagues at the Center for the Treatment & Study of Anxiety in 2018.
Everyone experiences trauma at some point in their lives. Two people can experience the same exact trauma but can react completely different from one another. Usually, when we go through a traumatic event, over time our brain naturally recovers. However, there are times when the memory can become “stuck” and our brain needs a little extra help at processing the memory in order to feel better about yourself and to reduce/eliminate some of these stressful symptoms you may be experiencing.
Studies have shown clinically significant improvement in about 80% of clients with chronic PTSD.
Prolonged Exposure for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a theoretically-based treatment with over 20 years of research. This treatment was designed to help clients process traumatic events, which in turn reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and anger.
This treatment is structured to last between 10-20 sessions depending on the severity of symptoms. Prolonged Exposure uses a combination of in-vivo and imaginal exposure. In-vivo exposure involves directly facing a an anxiety-provoking object, situation or activity in real life. On the other hand, imaginal exposure is repeatedly processing of the trauma memory.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, Prolonged Exposure may be helpful for you
- Flashbacks
- Avoiding trauma reminders/thinking about the trauma
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling detached
- Nightmares
- Intrusive Thoughts
- Always feeling on guard
- Negative mood/beliefs about yourself
Treatment may be recommended pending further evaluation from your Counselor. Recommendations for this specific treatment are based on a case-to-case basis.