Although PE therapy relies primarily on sensory memory and imagination, the exposure process is not passive. Patients are asked to recount their trauma verbally in the first person with their eyes closed, as if it were hap- pening again, with as much attention to sensory detail as they can. Based on his or her clinical judgment, the thera- pist might prompt the patient with questions about the experience or provide encouraging remarks to facilitate recounting the trauma narrative. This approach provides a low-threat context in which a patient can confront and therapeutically process trauma-relevant memories and emotions as well as de-condition the cycle associated with the disorder via a process known as habituation/extinction.