Tag Archives: PE books

This book presents one of the most scientifically grounded approaches to healing the psychological wounds of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—the suffering that can follow experiences of sexual assault, school violence, crime, war, disaster, and other traumatic events.

Oxford University Press has published a series of psychotherapy books selected for their empirical and scientific foundation. In the field of PTSD treatment, Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), developed by Edna B. Foa, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, was selected as one of the most scientifically supported treatment approaches.

Dr. Foa’s lifelong research and clinical wisdom are reflected in the two volumes published by Oxford University Press. Reclaiming Your Life from a Traumatic Experience: A Prolonged Exposure Treatment Program Workbook is written for trauma survivors. Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences, Therapist Guide is a carefully written guide for professionals and readers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the treatment.

In the Korean translations of these two books, I included the phrase “A 12-Week Path Toward Trauma Recovery” in the title. For those who have suffered from PTSD for months, years, or even a lifetime, 12 weeks is truly a short period of treatment. I chose this title with the hope that those who are suffering may, through PE, find freedom as soon as possible from the pain that has worn down both body and mind, and begin a new step forward in life.

My connection with Dr. Edna Foa began in 2005, when I visited the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania and later hosted a professional workshop in Korea on Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for the treatment of PTSD. Dr. Foa’s passion for treating PTSD crosses national and cultural boundaries.

After her successful treatment of survivors of sexual assault in the United States, various media programs introduced her work. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognized Prolonged Exposure Therapy as an empirically supported psychotherapy. PE has also been implemented as a standard treatment in military hospitals for many U.S. service members suffering from PTSD after deployment.

Dr. Foa’s PE has opened new possibilities for life for people around the world: survivors of sexual assault, school violence, domestic violence, criminal violence, and many other forms of violence, as well as those suffering from traumatic shock after disasters and events such as September 11 or earthquakes.

Dr. Foa is not only an academically influential researcher and clinician—having served as chair of the DSM-IV committee responsible for establishing diagnostic criteria for PTSD—but also someone deeply concerned with the roots of victims’ suffering and with the social and political structures that produce violence and harm.

In conversations with Dr. Foa and her husband, Charles Kahn, a world-renowned philosopher at the University of Pennsylvania, I was struck by the depth of their knowledge about Korea’s history of Japanese colonial rule, the trauma of war between our own people, and the traumatic suffering that arose during Korea’s rapid economic development and democratization movement.

While working at Zucker Hillside Hospital / Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, I experienced the shock of September 11. The collapse of the two tallest buildings representing New York into clouds of dust created countless casualties and psychological victims in the city. I also directly encountered immigrants who suffered secondary trauma because of excessive pressure, suspicion, and investigation after the attacks.

Since then, in both the United States and Korea, I have worked clinically with survivors of sexual violence, including children and adolescents, as well as bereaved family members of serial murder victims, survivors of school violence, and victims of state violence.

As I witnessed these survivors finding new life through Prolonged Exposure Therapy, I became convinced that this psychotherapeutic method could be meaningfully applied with Korean clients as well. My only regret is that I was not able to introduce these books to readers and professionals sooner. At the same time, I ask for readers’ generous understanding, as the process of adapting and refining numerous treatment terms into clinically meaningful Korean language was long and difficult.

As these books are published, I would like to express my gratitude to many people. First, I offer my deepest thanks to the trauma survivors who patiently followed the treatment process based on these books and who are now living new lives. I also thank the staff members of The Tree Group, who participated carefully in the translation and clinical research process, and the team at Phil Communication, who contributed to the design and printing of these books. I dedicate these two translated volumes to all those who are still suffering silently from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and to their families.