Changes in PTSD patients' narratives during prolonged exposure therapy: A replication and extension

Following E. B. Foa, C. Molnar, and L. Cashman (1995), narrative changes from the first to the last exposure session were compared for improved and nonimproved PTSD patients on fragmentation, organization, internal, and external events. Improved (n = 8) and nonimproved (n = 12) patients did not differ regarding changes in fragmentation or organized thoughts. However, improved patients showed a greater decrease in disorganized thoughts during treatment. Furthermore, all patients, independent of improvement, showed significant changes in the same direction; a decrease in disorganized thoughts and external events and an increase in internal events. Although previous results were partly replicated, it is concluded that narrative changes may be due to exposure treatment itself rather than to changes in memory representation.