Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
Jane Rowland CBT offers Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) as a specialist, evidence-based treatment for individuals suffering from the long-term impact of complex trauma. NET is a powerful and proven approach designed specifically for people who have experienced multiple, prolonged, or repeated traumatic events—such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, war, human trafficking, or displacement.
NET stands apart from more common therapies because it was developed for individuals whose trauma histories are not limited to a single incident, but involve a series of overwhelming events that have deeply shaped their lives. This makes it particularly suitable for clients who may have already tried other forms of therapy—such as standard CBT or talking therapies—without finding lasting relief.
What is Narrative Exposure Therapy?
Narrative Exposure Therapy is a structured, short-to-medium term therapy that helps people process and integrate traumatic memories within the broader context of their life story. It combines elements of trauma-focused CBT, memory processing, and narrative therapy to help individuals make sense of their past, reduce trauma symptoms, and reclaim control over their lives.
The key goal of NET is to construct a coherent and chronological narrative of your life—from birth to the present—with a particular focus on traumatic events. By placing traumatic experiences within a detailed life timeline and revisiting them in a safe, contained therapeutic setting, NET allows the brain to process and store traumatic memories in a way that no longer triggers overwhelming emotional responses.
How does NET work in therapy?
In NET sessions, you will work collaboratively with me to:
• Create a detailed timeline of your life, identifying both traumatic and positive experiences (stones and flowers).
• Narrate your life story out loud, in chronological order, with particular attention given to the most distressing events. This will be recorded with your permission.
• Reprocess traumatic memories by listening back to and reflecting on recordings and readings of your story week by week
• Anchor the trauma in time and place, helping your brain store it as part of your autobiographical memory—rather than as a fragmented or intrusive flashback.
I will gently guide you through this process, providing both emotional safety and clinical expertise. While some sessions may feel emotionally intense, they are always carefully paced and grounded in compassionate, trauma-informed care.
Who is NET for?
NET is especially effective for individuals who have experienced:
• Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
• Childhood abuse or neglect
• Repeated interpersonal violence (e.g., domestic or sexual violence)
• War, torture, or displacement
• Human trafficking or exploitation
• Cumulative trauma or early developmental trauma
It is suitable for both adults and adolescents, and may be particularly helpful for those who have struggled to find relief through other therapeutic approaches. NET is also culturally adaptable and has been successfully used across diverse populations, including refugees and survivors of organised violence.
What to expect in NET therapy
NET typically consists of 8–20 sessions, depending on the complexity of your trauma history. You can expect:
• An initial assessment and stabilisation period, where we explore your history, current symptoms, and readiness for trauma-focused work.
• A clear explanation of how NET works and what to expect at each stage.
• The creation of a lifeline or timeline, often using visual aids, to structure your personal narrative.
• Structured sessions that involve narrating, processing, and documenting your life story, one event at a time.
• A final, written version of your narrative, which many clients find meaningful and empowering.
NET does not require you to repeatedly relive traumatic events in detail outside the structured sessions, nor does it require keeping traumatic memories vague or suppressed. Instead, it helps integrate these experiences into a cohesive life story - reducing their emotional charge and allowing for healing and personal growth.
While NET is not as commonly offered as other trauma-focused therapies, it is supported by a strong evidence base and international research, particularly in the treatment of complex and cumulative trauma.
Is NET right for you?
If you’ve lived through multiple traumatic events and feel that the past continues to intrude on your present - through nightmares, flashbacks, emotional numbing, or difficulties with trust and relationships - NET may offer the structured, compassionate help you’ve been seeking.
Jane Rowland CBT invites you to reach out for an initial consultation to explore whether Narrative Exposure Therapy is the right fit for your needs. Together, we can begin the process of reclaiming your story - and your sense of self.