Because most people recover naturally after experiencing trauma, universal prevention strategies are designed to help anyone who has experienced trauma, regardless of symptoms.
It should be remembered that universal prevention and intervention strategies should not be used as primary treatments; they can only help to facilitate or increase the likelihood of natural recovery.
Examples of preventive universal interventions:
– physical activity;
– massage and rubbing;
– art therapy;
– group and individual analysis of traumatic events;
– work with post-traumatic growth.
Physical activity is associated with reduced and avoided physical activity. Moderate aerobic and strength training is known to reduce stress symptoms. When you move, the human brain produces more neurotrophic factors – protein cells encoded by the BDNF gene (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF is a neurotrophin, a substance that stimulates and supports the development of neurons. And the higher the level of BDNF, the higher the neuroplasticity and the more likely it is to reduce traumatic memories. You need to walk as much as possible – changing the visual picture helps to switch thoughts, because when you sit in one room, you see the same picture around, it provokes rumination and looping. It is ideal to take a walk in the forest, park, along the sea, mountain landscapes, etc.
Massage and rubbing. All activities aimed at stimulating the vagus and strengthening the parasympathetic tone reduce the symptoms of PTSD, because its activity is associated with a high tone of the sympathetic system and the amygdala. You can wash your face with cold water, wipe yourself with a stiff wet towel, massage your face, arms, legs, do stretching exercises, hug other people, look them in the eye, pet and hug animals.
Art therapy. Under severe stress, the hippocampus, which is involved in the process of memorization, weakens. And then the information is recorded on our memory board in a chaotic form: without reference to place and time, without indication. Without associations that the stressful situation is over, without comprehending and analyzing it, which is also the responsibility of the already weakened cerebral cortex. In general, under stress, the memory function is typically weakened. Art therapy techniques help to safely experience fears and anxieties by distancing oneself from them, embodying them in an object, expressing what cannot be expressed in words through art. Dancing, drawing, modeling, singing, loud reading, playing musical instruments, etc. are suitable for the prevention of PTSD.
Group and individual traumatic event debriefing is a group and individual debriefing in which people are asked to talk in detail about what happened, as well as their thoughts, reactions, and symptoms, before being provided with psychological education about the symptoms and how to deal with them. There is insufficient evidence to recommend it as a prevention of PTSD, and in some cases, revisiting traumatic memories can even be harmful.
Most people recover naturally, and only 25% develop moderate to severe PTSD symptoms, so a one-size-fits-all intervention is unlikely to affect some psychiatric symptoms. Ad hoc, one-size-fits-all interventions on one or more occasions lack sufficient evidence and should not be used in everyday clinical practice.
Further, research suggests that selective/targeted interventions that focus on social support, skill development, cognitive restructuring, and therapeutic exposure may be most effective for those at risk for PTSD or who exhibit early symptoms that do not yet meet criteria for clinical disorder.
Selective prevention interventions target individuals who are at risk of developing PTSD but who do not yet have visible symptoms. These interventions are also aimed at those who have symptoms that are already manifesting. These interventions should be targeted to high-risk groups to maximize treatment effectiveness.
Examples of selective/prescribed prevention interventions:
– methods of resource psychotherapy;
– eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR);
– neurogenic tremors: trauma releasing exercises (TRE);
– cohesion training.
Resource-based psychotherapy methods have shown exceptional effectiveness in dealing with stress, preventing PTSD, depression, and aggression, and are quite safe as they do not require recalling the traumatic event.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a selective intervention that targets the worst part of a trauma memory and then other parts until all parts are processed.
The method was developed by Fresin Shapiro for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders. It helps to restore access to traumatic memories and weaken them. The story of the method goes that while walking in the park, Francine noticed that the beginning of her anxious thoughts coincided with a certain eye movement pattern, and that changing this pattern led to a change in her feelings. The essence of the method is to willfully fix the eyeballs in one point, which slows down the course of thoughts and eliminates rumination.
Neurogenic tremor or trauma releasing exercises (TRE) is a body-oriented technique based on exercises that stimulate active muscle tremors and vibrations that spread throughout the body. As a result, a person feels relieved and relaxed. The author of the method is David Bersely, who has worked as a volunteer in hot spots. While hiding in basements from the bombing, David noticed muscle patterns and reflex movements in response to stress and that shaking reduces the impact of stress on a person.
Cohesion training is also an indicated psychotherapeutic intervention for use in groups that have experienced common trauma. It is based on debriefing, supplemented by cohesion exercises; for example, playing cooperative team games. Developing cohesion should be an important part of PTSD prevention, as cohesion is believed to have a protective effect on stress prevention.
Early treatment is intended for people who have clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or have developed early post-traumatic stress disorder (within 3 months after a traumatic event).
The Molfa Hub has created psychological support groups and organizes offsite retreats for military personnel, veterans and their families.