Svitlana Fedotova
graduate student. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine.
DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2024.2.9
Keywords: psychological trauma, psychotherapy, diagnosis of stress effects, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral therapy, body-oriented psychotherapy.
The work presents an analysis of theoretical data regarding the concept of “psychological trauma.” Currently, within the professional community, there are many differing interpretations and descriptions of this phenomenon. The perspective of contemporary psychiatry, for example, does not align with the position of psychoanalysis. In the psychodynamic approach, the source of psychological trauma is seen in the internal conflicts of the individual, as opposed to the purely medical understanding of the phenomenon. This diversity in the interpretation of one of the basic concepts in psychotherapy leads to confusion both among specialists when exchanging information and during psychological education for non-specialists, who may, unfortunately, acquire a distorted understanding of the issue. As a result, it is often seen that states which are not trauma in essence are being labeled as such.
The term “trauma” essentially has a subclinical basis, as it refers to a disruption of integrity. Therefore, the tendency to identify potentially pathological manifestations where there are none, or to assign diagnostic labels to individuals who are not impaired, is a harmful strategy that can be avoided by providing high-quality, consistent information.
The article presents the results of research on contemporary approaches to psychotherapy, including hypnosis-suggestive psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy, body-oriented therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Specific strategies unique to each method are described, along with the main principles for correcting the effects of traumatic events on the psyche of affected individuals. Cases of combining tools from different approaches are also discussed.
Studies on the effectiveness of psychotherapy methods for addressing various psychogenic disorders, conducted by foreign colleagues from the USA, Germany, and Japan, are presented.