Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): Reframing Trauma Stories

Introduction:

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a specialized, time-limited treatment designed primarily for clients who have experienced multiple, complex, or single-incident traumas, particularly in contexts of organized violence, war, or refugee situations. Research in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that NET significantly reduces PTSD symptoms in these populations.

Mapping the Lifeline:

NET helps clients reprocess trauma by structuring their entire life story, not just a single event. The core technique involves collaboratively mapping a "lifeline" of key positive and traumatic events (stones and flowers). The process helps the client:

• Reframing Experiences: Viewing their life not as a string of traumas, but as a full narrative of both suffering and resilience.

  
  

• Integrate Past Trauma: Systematically narrating and detailing the traumatic events to move them from fragmented, terrifying emotional memories to coherent, manageable autobiographical memories.

  
  

• Reclaim Personal Narratives: Empowering the person (Decentered) to separate from the problem and weave a "Preferred Story" into their identity.

  
  

Clinical Relevance:

NET is particularly useful for clinicians working with survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma, as it provides a clear, structured way to integrate fragmented memories and transition the client from a victim identity to a survivor identity. It is grounded in the principles of both narrative theory and exposure therapy.