Lifeline in der Narrativen Expositionstherapie

The biographical memory of patients with trauma spectrum disorders is often shattered. Survivors cannot voluntarily access memories. Sometimes in survivors of severe and complex trauma whole life periods seem lost, avoidance sets in, the autobiography is sketchy, seems strange and ego-alien. The lifeline tool in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is an effective first step towards discussing the traumatic material. The lifeline in NET displays the emotional highlights of the person’s life in a symbolic way. Looking at one’s autobiography from an allocentric perspective can serve as a controlled contact to the fragmented memories. This is then followed by a well-directed imaginal exposure from which a chronological narrative emerges. Laying out the lifeline at the end of the NET treatment enables the person to perceive the gestalt of the course of life.