Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a brief, evidence-based PTSD treatment used at OnHealing Therapy. It involves patients writing about their trauma in detail over five sessions. At OnHealing, our trained therapists guide clients through this process, where they write about their traumatic experiences in the present tense, focusing on thoughts, feelings, and sensory details. This repeated exposure in a safe environment helps clients reduce avoidance, process their experiences, and decrease PTSD symptoms. We've integrated WET into our trauma treatment program due to its effectiveness in helping clients overcome traumatic memories

How WET Works

• Structured writing sessions: Patients attend 5 sessions, usually 30-40 minutes each.

• Trauma narrative: In each session, the patient writes about their traumatic experience in vivid detail.

• Present-tense focus: Writing is done in the present tense to promote engagement with the memory.

• Emotional processing: Patients are encouraged to include thoughts and feelings associated with the trauma.

• Repeated exposure: The same traumatic event is written about in each session.

• Minimal therapist involvement: The therapist provides brief instructions but doesn't engage in discussion about the trauma.

• Homework: Patients are asked to read their narrative between sessions.

• The mechanism behind WET is based on exposure therapy principles. By repeatedly confronting the traumatic memory in a safe environment, patients can:

  • Reduce avoidance of trauma-related thoughts and feelings

  • Process and integrate the traumatic experience

  • Decrease the intensity of emotional reactions to trauma reminders

  • Develop a more coherent trauma narrative