The dissociative reactions in acute stress disorder purportedly impede encoding and organization of traumatic memories and consequently impair the individual's ability to retrieve trauma-related details. A qualitative examination was conducted on trauma narratives of individuals with acute stress disorder (N = 15) prior to cognitive behavior therapy (including prolonged exposure and cognitive restructuring) and following treatment. Trauma narratives prior to and after therapy were coded on the constructs of dissociation, disorganization and perception of threat. Significant correlations demonstrated a relationship between improvement in the coherence and organization of trauma memories and reference to dissociative symptoms in the narrative. (Contains 2 tables.)