METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WORK ON THE PROCESSING OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Today, the number of situations and events that can be described without exaggeration as extreme and traumatic has increased significantly. The relevance of the topic of the article is due to the full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, which has caused many extraordinary, traumatic events that have affected the level of stress and created the need for quality psychological assistance in processing traumatic experiences. Psychological assistance is an obligatory and necessary link in the system of nationwide measures to support victims. Its task is to reduce acute stress reactions in the first minutes after a traumatic event and subsequently to identify people with chronic stress and post-traumatic reactions, which requires the use of techniques and methods of psychological work with traumatic experiences. The analysis of the causes and conditions of the development of post-traumatic reactions suggests that the development of mental disorders caused by severe stress is largely due to shortcomings in the organisation of psychological care and the use of methods for which the evidence and effectiveness have not yet been established. The article provides an overview of effective and evidence-based methods and techniques for psychological work on processing traumatic experience. The following techniques and methods are considered: psychoeducation; safe place technique; grounding technique; Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR); Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT); Brainspotting (BS); Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM). The description of each technique or method includes a brief history of the development of the method, theoretical justification, purpose and benefits of using it in processing traumatic experiences, a brief algorithm and content, etc. It is emphasized that certain elements, methods and techniques can be used at different stages of working with trauma. The article states that effective psychological work with traumatic experiences includes a system and a set of measures aimed at prevention and psychoprophylaxis for PTSD and at increasing, stimulating, activating and developing adaptability, resilience and resistance.