Reclaiming Your Story Through Trauma-Informed Narrative Work
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is an evidence-based treatment specifically designed for survivors of multiple or prolonged traumatic experiences. It helps individuals integrate fragmented trauma memories into a structured, coherent life story.
During NET, clients work with their therapist to construct a chronological narrative of their life — including both joyful and traumatic experiences — allowing painful memories to be revisited safely and meaningfully.
How NET Works:
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In early sessions, clients create a “life-line” using a rope or ribbon, placing flowers to mark positive events and stones to represent traumatic ones.
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Clients then relive and recount these events with their therapist, paying attention to the emotional, cognitive, and physical responses they experienced at the time.
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The therapist helps clients reprocess these memories by anchoring them in the present, reminding the client that these experiences are no longer happening — they are memories, not current threats.
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At the end of therapy, the client receives a written copy of their autobiographical narrative, which can serve as a powerful tool for personal reflection and, in some cases, human rights advocacy.
NET was developed by Schauer, Neuner, and Elbert and is widely used around the world in treating Complex Trauma, especially among refugees, survivors of war, and individuals with cumulative trauma.
Learn more at www.vivo.org