Empirically Supported Psychological Treatments

Abstract

A large body of evidence supports the efficacy of exposure therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This chapter discusses prolonged exposure therapy (PE), a structured treatment program that uses in vivo exposure and imaginal exposure/processing as the core treatment elements. The chapter provides a description of the treatment program. It also discusses emotional processing theory (EPT) and underlying mechanisms of PE, including fear activation and modification of dysfunctional beliefs. The chapter then reviews empirical studies that demonstrated the efficacy of PE across trauma types, treatment settings, and cultures. Finally, limitations and future research directions are discussed.