Transcript
Prolonged Exposure therapy is one of the treatments
that we provide at the VA, and we just call it PE for short.
PE includes things like breathing re-training,
where we help Veterans breathe in a way
that's going to help them calm down.
We also teach them about what PTSD is
and what the nature of the treatment is.
The fundamental essence of PE is that we help people
to stop avoiding what they've been avoiding
since they went through this traumatic event.
So, if it was combat, or a car accident, or an assault,
we can help them by actually not avoiding
and actually talking about that event.
So, in PE we would have the Veteran talk in great detail
about what they went through, including every detail
of their memory and every feeling that they had.
And as they're talking about it, of course it's very hard
to do, but it gets easier over time, and just that talking
is very powerful, very beneficial for Veterans.
The second aspect of PE is to go out and do things
out in the world, we call this
"in vivo" exposure, real-life exposure.
And in doing that, Veterans are able to go back
and do the things that they used to enjoy or the things
that they've wanted to be able to do
but just haven't been comfortable doing.
So, that might include going to a movie theater
or a ball park or the beach or the zoo,
spending time with family or friends
that they haven't been able to spend time with.