Prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD is based on the information processing theory where, during a traumatic event, the brain processes a large number of stimulus in the world as dangerous and the person experiences themselves as incapable of dealing with them. The person is left with two beliefs, including a) "The world is dangerous" and b) "I am unable to cope with it" (Foa, Hembree, & Rothbaum, 2007). This can lead to further avoidance, which in turn maintains PTSD symptoms often causing other problems to develop (see image). 

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The treatment protocol for PTSD calls for a systematic confrontation with the stimuli, which means that the trauma is accessed is a slow, safe manner with the therapist within a private and safe environment. By exposing oneself to the memories and reminders in the safety of the therapeutic environment, the person learns that they can tolerate their symptoms and that having them, while uncomfortable as that may be, doesn't mean that they are going crazy or losing control which are common fears of PTSD (Foa, Hembree, & Rothbaum, 2007). In addition, the individual learns to see that the trauma is linked to a specific past event and that, even though the trauma may be horrible, the memory itself is not dangerous. 

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Reference

Foa, E. B., Hembree, E. A., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2007). Prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD: Emotional processing of traumatic memories. New York, NY: Oxford.