Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2025
08:20
Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure
Published on: January 18, 2021
4.0K
Intensive Narrative Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A 1-Week Intervention
Michelle L Miller1,2, Marissa J Ward3,2, Danie J Meyer3,2
1Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA mlm41@iu.edu.
Violence and Victims
|December 5, 2024
Summary
Intensively delivered Narrative Exposure Therapy (HI-NET) proved feasible and acceptable for highly traumatized individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This brief, intensive PTSD treatment significantly reduced symptoms, showing lasting efficacy in a pilot study.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Clinical Psychology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to severe mental and physical health issues, with high treatment dropout rates, particularly for those with chronic or multiple traumas.
- Intensive treatment delivery models are emerging to improve PTSD treatment retention.
- Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is an exposure-based treatment for multiple traumas, but its intensive delivery has not been systematically studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an intensive delivery of Narrative Exposure Therapy (HI-NET) for a highly traumatized sample.
- To assess the impact of HI-NET on PTSD, depressive, and dissociation symptoms, as well as trauma-related cognitions.
Main Methods:
- A clinical sample of 8 highly traumatized individuals (5-15 lifetime traumatic events, 100% interpersonal violence history) received daily NET sessions for one week.
- Participants completed self-report measures for PTSD, depression, dissociation, and trauma cognitions at baseline, 1 week, and 1, 3, and 6 months posttreatment.
- Feasibility was assessed by session attendance; acceptability and satisfaction were measured via self-report.
Main Results:
- HI-NET was feasible, with all participants completing all sessions, reporting high acceptability and satisfaction.
- Significant reductions in PTSD symptoms (PCL-5 scores) were observed from baseline (M=49.00) to 6-month follow-up (M=24.29), with a large effect size (g=1.88).
- Depressive symptoms, dissociative symptoms (frequency and intensity), and dysfunctional trauma-related cognitions also significantly decreased.
Conclusions:
- Intensively delivered Narrative Exposure Therapy (HI-NET) is a feasible, acceptable, and efficacious treatment for highly traumatized individuals with PTSD.
- This brief, intensive format demonstrated significant and sustained reductions in PTSD symptoms after only six sessions.
- Larger clinical trials with more diverse samples are warranted to further validate HI-NET.
Keywords:
depressiondissociationintensive treatmentnarrative exposure therapyposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)More Related Videos
09:55Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
12.4K
10:43Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
15.0K
Related Concept Videos
01:27Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
30
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
30
01:20Traumatic Memory
82
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
82
01:25Interpersonal Psychotherapy
23
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a structured, time-limited therapeutic approach initially developed to treat depression. It integrates key concepts from psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral therapies, making it a uniquely eclectic framework. The therapy is rooted in the interpersonal theories of Adolph Meyer and Harry Stack Sullivan, as well as John Bowlby's attachment theory, and focuses on the interplay between interpersonal relationships and emotional well-being.
23
01:22Behavior Therapy
43
Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
43
01:16Repressed Memory
71
Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...
71
01:29Psychodynamic Therapy
56
Psychodynamic therapies emphasize the exploration of unconscious processes and early childhood experiences as fundamental contributors to psychological difficulties. These therapies, deeply rooted in Freud's psychoanalytic theory, aim to uncover and resolve unconscious conflicts, granting individuals insights that promote emotional and behavioral healing. Contemporary psychodynamic approaches have evolved, integrating a broader range of influences and methodologies while still valuing the...
56