Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) For Survivors of Traumatic Stress

Maggie Schauer, PhD, is a psychotraumatologist at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Together with Frank Neuner and Thomas Elbert, she has developed Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET). Maggie is a founding member of the NGO vivo international, of the NGO BabyForum (counteracting neglect and maltreatment in early childhood), and of the NET Institute. She is constantly training the next generations of psychotherapists and mental health professionals, as well as psychosocial skills to support survivors of trauma. Frank Neuner, PhD, is the head of the Clinical Psychology Department at Bielefeld University, including the university's outpatient clinic. He has gained international reputation for the co-development of NET. Frank published the first randomized treatment trial for posttraumatic stress disorder with refugees living in a war region, which was followed by a series of wide published randomized controlled trials of his working group. Thomas Elbert, PhD, specializes in research on the consequences of social and traumatic stress. He has conducted laboratory and clinical studies as well as field studies and care projects directly in conflict areas. Moreover, his research team has asked what motivates people to perpetrate violence, whether domestic or in organized groups. Thomas is a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, and the Academia Europaea.

• About the AuthorsPrefaceAcknowledgments1 Introduction: Voices of Victims2 Theoretical BaseTraumatic StressTraumatic EventsStress and the Defense CascadeViolence: The Major Source of Traumatic StressThe Concept of PTSDPsychosocial Problems and Comorbid Disordersin Adults and ChildrenPTSD and Drug AbusePTSD and Physical HealthVulnerability for PTSDCulture and Symptoms of the Trauma SpectrumSocial TraumaRationale of NETNature of Traumatic MemorySensory-Perceptual RepresentationAutobiographical Contextual MemoryNeurobiological Basis of Memory and TraumaDisordersProcessing of Affective ExperiencesRegulation of EmotionsImplications for TreatmentSpeechlessness of Trauma: SociopoliticalImplicationsModel of Narrative Exposure TherapyNET Characteristics and PrinciplesActivating Memory Associations - NET in aNutshell3. The Therapeutic Approach of NETBasic Procedure of NETNET Process Step by StepStep 1: Event Intake Checklist, StructuredAssessment of Trauma Reactions, andPsychoeducationStep 2: Building the Lifeline as an AutobiographicalReviewStep 3: Narrative ExposureSample Transcript of a Narrative ExposureConversationTrusting Narrative Exposure in the Face of theTypical Trauma Memory Dynamics4 NET For Groups With Special Needs AndRequirementsKIDNET: Narrative Exposure Therapy For ChildrenAnd AdolescentsKIDNET Step 1 Structured Diagnostic InterviewIncluding Event Checklists With the childKIDNET Step 2: Lifeline With Children - Make Ita Play!KIDNET Step 3: Narrative ExposureForensic Offender Rehabilitation NET ForEx-CombattantsViolence Breeds Violence - How and Why?Torn Between Victory And defeat - AssociativeMemory Network of the FighterForensic Offender Rehabilitation (FOR-) NET orNET for Ex-CombattantsNET for Groups and Traumatized Communities(NETfacts)ElderNET: NET as a Trauma-Memory FocusedTreatment for Older AdultsObstacles and Specifics of Trauma Treatment inOld and Very Old AgeThe Past as a Resource - Reminiscence ThroughElderNETAdjustments of the NET Steps for ElderNETProtocoleNET - Delivering NET via the InternetIntroductionStructure of eNETGeneral Elements for eNET Sessions5 Challenging Moments in the TherapeuticProcessAvoidanceEtiology and Treatment of Trauma-InducedDissociationGeneral Characteristic of dissociationPunishment Increases the Tendency to DissociateMe in the Eyes of the Other - Shame and Guilt andthe Threat to Human LifeDifference Between Guilt and ShameGuiltShameOther ChallengesNarrator is Withholding InformationThere Seems to Be No Physiological andEmotional RelieveTherapist's Avoidance6 Interpreters in Narrative Exposure Therapy7 Teaching Narrative Exposure in Small GroupWorkReferencesAppendix: Tools and Resources